Warning: Spoilers for Green Lantern #5 ahead!
Summary
- Green Lantern Hal Jordan is on the brink of unlocking his full potential on a global scale, as his experimentation with his new ring shows.
- Hal Jordan’s ability to use powerful constructs against the hacked Ferris combat drones demonstrates his growth and push towards becoming a Superman-level hero.
- As Hal Jordan begins to stretch his powers to act on a global scale, he is taking the first steps to becoming the Earth’s true protector.
Despite wielding one of the most powerful tools in the universe, Green Lantern Hal Jordan tends not to hit the same power rankings occupied by DC juggernauts such as Superman. This seems to be about to change, however, as Hal’s experimentation with his new ring shows he is on the cusp of unlocking his potential on a global scale.
Jeremy Adams, Xermánico, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Dave Sharpe’s Green Lantern #5 sees Sinestro send a fleet of hacked Ferris combat drones to assault capital cities worldwide in the hopes of sowing enough fear to power up his Yellow Lantern ring. Coordinating with Carol Ferris and Ferris Air, Hal Jordan intercepts the fighters; desperate, Sinestro simultaneously deploys drones against Moscow and Washington, D.C. Pushing his powers to the brink, Hal flies to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere and sends two constructs across each side of the globe to try and catch both drones at once.
With the full assault successfully thwarted, Hal swiftly shows up at Sinestro’s base — only to discover that, while Sinestro was unable to gather fear, being stopped by Hal yet again has filled his ring with the red energy of rage.
Hal Jordan Has Yet To Embrace A Green Lantern’s Full Potential
Despite being the first iteration of the modern Green Lantern, Hal is consistently outshone by his later peers. Notable inclusions are Lanterns such as Kyle Rayner (who has mastered every hue of the Ring’s emotional spectrum) or John Stewart (whose unshakable willpower has ascended him to literal godhood). While Hal’s role in the Lantern Corps has seen him govern intergalactic regions, his general mindset is that of a city-level hero, battling individual foes with short-range (and often comedic) constructs. While this helps him relate to the people he protects, it does mean that his reach in the field is more limited than one might expect of a Green Lantern.
This powerful use of constructs against the drones shows Hal Jordan pushing the limits of his ring and finally starting to tap into a Lantern’s full strength. Previously, stopping an attack like this would fall to figures like the Flash or Superman: heroes whose powers grant them the ability to be practically omnipresent. Now, Hal’s skill with a ring has grown to the point where he can react to Superman-level global events as opposed to his more local-level comfort zone.
Green Lantern Could Become the Earth’s True Protector
Hal Jordan has dealt with intergalactic menaces before, but only now is he beginning to stretch his powers to act on a global scale. Green Lantern is finally taking the first steps to becoming a Superman-level hero, and his powers promise to only evolve further as this exciting series continues.
Green Lantern #5 is now available from DC Comics.
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GREEN LANTERN #5 (2023) |
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