Green Lantern’s Worst Story Was Supposed to Be Way Better

“Emerald Twilight” remains one of, if not the most controversial Green Lantern story to this day. In the aftermath of Coast City’s destruction, Hal Jordan lost his mind and killed the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, becoming the villain Parallax and paving the way for Kyle Rayner to become the sole Green Lantern. This is easily the worst moment of character assassination for any major DC character, and that is some very steep competition. However, as insane as this story was, you might be surprised to learn that it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. The “Emerald Twilight” we got was a last minute editorial decision, and the original, true “Emerald Twilight” had the potential to be a much better, and much better received story.

Hal, A Hero Through and Through

Before he went on his crazed murder spree, Green Lantern (1990) #47 saw Hal Jordan accepting the destruction of Coast City and looking to move on from the past. In the original plan for “Emerald Twilight,” this would see Hal journeying back to Oa to grow closer to the broader Green Lantern community, feeling he couldn’t fit in on Earth. However, his return to Oa coincided with the arrival of a mysterious group claiming that they were the real Guardians of the Universe, and the Guardians the Corps knew were imposters. Their story was corroborated by the Zamarons, the female members of the Guardians’ species, who announced they were pregnant with what they called the Cosmic Children, beings whose power would be exponentially stronger than their parents’ and able to do practically anything. 

The Green Lantern Corps decided to support these new Guardians given the evidence, but Hal trusted his gut that the old Guardians were the real ones. This led to a brawl between him and the rest of the Corps, where Hal fought with everything against him, knowing that he was throwing away the one community he felt at home in after losing everything already. Still, he couldn’t stand by and do nothing when he truly believed in the Guardians he knew, and so he threw himself inside the Central Power Battery to get the strength to fight his former friends. It wasn’t enough, and he was forced to flee to Earth. The new Guardians elected Sinestro as the leader of the Corps, and the villain immediately turned them into a military-style force under his authoritarian rule. He sent a group after Hal, where they confronted him on Earth, shattering his ring. Just when he thought it was over, Hal remembered his father’s words to always stand up, no matter what, and found new power. As it turned out, his dip in the Power Battery infused him with the Green Light, which let him use his powers even without his ring.

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Hal fought off his would-be attackers, then recruited the heroes of Earth to help him take down the cosmic imposters. At the same time, Sinestro’s regime saw rebellion spark among the Corps, leading to a civil war among the Lanterns. When Hal arrived with the cavalry, it was revealed that the new Guardians were actually projections of the villain Krona, then going by Entropy. In one last effort to turn the tide that was washing over him, Entropy revealed that the Guardians killed Hal’s dad, seeing the potential within him, but knowing he would need trauma to reach it. Even knowing that, Hal stood beside the Guardians and did what was right, taking Entropy down. Still, after the dust settled, Hal announced that he couldn’t work for the Guardians knowing what they did, and decided to go off and become his own hero, paving the way for a new Green Lantern of Earth to be selected.

Super Different, But Surprisingly Similar

The original plot of “Emerald Twilight” was obviously vastly different from what we got, but it’s cool to see how much of it carried over to our version of it. Hal still fought the Corps and went inside the Power Battery for a major boost, ultimately quit being a Green Lantern, and paved the way for a successor. Sinestro would have even removed the Yellow Weakness in one of his first acts as the head of the Corps. Naturally, the differences would have had major consequences for the rest of the DC Universe. These Cosmic Children would have been born, and I can’t imagine them not having some kind of impact on the cosmic mythology of DC if they had been introduced back in the day. Instead of turning Hal into a villain in a way that made zero sense, this story would have cemented him as one of the most staunchly heroic people in all of DC, which is so darn cool to see.

One of the biggest changes would have been that Hal would never have become the villain Parallax, and Kyle wouldn’t have been the new Green Lantern. There would have been a new one, but it wouldn’t have been Kyle, and as much as this story sounds better than the character assassination-fest that the “Emerald Twilight” we got was, I can’t say I want to be in a timeline without Kyle Rayner. His run as the main GL transformed the series and lifted it up from the sales ditch it had lived in for years prior to his arrival. Ultimately, as much as it pains me, it’s probably for the best that we got the version we did, even if it tarnished Hal’s reputation for years. Still, it’s always awesome to look back and wonder what could have been. Which “almost happened” DC story is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!