DC Reveals the Origin Story of Green Lantern’s First Villain

After nearly a century of existing in the pages of DC’s comics, Alan Scott / Green Lantern has accumulated quite a history. The hero has had many friends and foes over the years, both as a superhero and as a man coming to terms with his sexuality — and in the pages of this week’s Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, we finally learned the truth behind one of them. Spoilers for Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #4 from Tim Sheridan, Cian Tormey, Jordi Tarragona, John Livesay, Raul Fernandez, Matt Herms, and Lucas Gattoni below! below! Only look if you want to know!

The issue dives into a new angle of the relationship between Alan and Johnny Ladd, a fellow corporal who was believed to have died at the hands of the Crimson Flame during an expedition in the 1930s. As it turns out, Johnny was actually a pseudonym for Vladimir Sokov, who conned his way into the expedition — and ultimately became bonded with the Crimson Flame, turning him into the Red Lantern. Across the issue, we learn that Vladimir was born in Belarus, leaving an abusive home to join the Red Army. Seducing his way into getting power and accolades, Vladimir is tasked with posing as an American soldier to help gain the Crimson Flame.

As “Johnny”, Vladimir strikes up a relationship with Alan, accidentally developing real feelings for him in the process. Once the Crimson Flame attacks and nearly kills Vladimir, he is rescued by the Soviets and turned into a Winter Soldier-esque antagonist. 

What Is Alan Scott: The Green Lantern About?

Through a twist in the timeline, Alan Scott: The Green Lantern revisits and recontextualizes the origins of the first Green Lantern through the lens of our modern understanding of the man. The story, which begins in the 1930s, is about an old flame – the kind that burns eternal – and the sometimes head-on, single-track collision of our personal and professional lives. This is Alan’s coming-of-age, in which he must embrace the man he is, to become the hero he’s meant to be. In the end, he’ll have gained a greater understanding of himself and his gifts – as he unlocks a new, previously unknown ability that could make him the most powerful Green Lantern in existence!

“It’s interesting how much the current political situation with Russia can invoke feelings of what we’ve read about like the Red Scare,” Sheridan previously explained to Comics Beat. “There are similarities we might draw but that’s not something I’m focused on in terms of the writing. What I’m focused on are these two character—Alan Scott, The Green Lantern and Vladimir Sokov, The Red Lantern. What do they as archnemeses mean to each other but also what do their powers mean to each other? Are they related at all? Alan’s at a point where he’s just starting out and there have been no Green Lanterns before him. There’s no one to explain it to him. He’s figuring it out as he’s going along. There’s a lot for him to learn. If you’ve ever read classic Golden Age Alan Scott, his powers were weird. It didn’t look like Hal Jordan’s powers. When he started, the energy constructs were done in a weird way. He could walk through walls! So why is that and what does it mean for the entire Green Lantern Corps? We’re going to throw out some interesting ideas.  “

What do you think of the origin story behind DC’s first Red Lantern? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!