Comic book fans know that most comic book characters have their other versions of them in other universes, and some of them, after some time, pass the mantle to other worthy candidates. DC‘s Green Lanterns pick their members by the “will” of The Power Rings or choose a “backup” to the main Green Lantern, and those are picked by Guardians of the Universe. These characters are usually part of an intergalactic law enforcement agency called Green Lantern Corps. For this list, we at Fiction Horizon decided to rank the 15 strongest Green Lanterns ever.
Before we start, there are more than 50 Green Lanterns in DC Universe, and all of these characters are strong in their own way – some excel in the physical part of the combat, and some are just mentally better than others. All in all, this was a really tough task, which we gladly took upon. Without further ado, let’s start!
15. Ch’p
Okay, we need to include the strongest “squirrel” in DC Universe, Ch’p. Actually, he is an alien from H’lven. This character is really interesting. He was originally part of the same Green Lantern class as Hal Jordan and dedicated his life to Green Lantern Corps. Ch’p helped multiple times in defeating really strong enemies like Doctor Ub’x, who defeated all Green Lanterns until Ch’p came about and when criminal Maaldor attacked. He was also part of the Green Lanterns of Earth group that went through Crisis on Infinite Earth, a multiversal catastrophe that resulted in the destruction of many parallel universes.
Ch’p also helped during the invasion of the Antimatter Universe and helped bring Goldface and Lurlan Dupo to justice. He is so powerful that at one point in the comics he held Superman captive! In DC Comics, Ch’p has died but is later resurrected on Oa as a Black Lantern. He gets killed by Guy Gardner, another Green Lantern.
14. Alan Scott
The original Green Lantern has quite different powers than the rest of his colleagues. For most of his tenure as the Green Lantern, Alan Scott has been separated from Green Lantern Corps. His powers come from the entity that was captured by and held in prison by Guardians of the Universe, known as the Startheart, that saved his life on Earth. Alan Scott wore Starheart as a ring, which was the source of his power. After that, he took the name Green Lantern.
He also managed to become an energy source for his ring, which is really rare. His power consists of the usual Green Lantern powers but has one weakness – he is vulnerable to wooden weapons. He is also a father to another Green Lantern, Jade, and her twin Obsidian. He also gave his original ring to Kyle Ryner, another Green Lantern.
13. Rot Lop Fan
Rot Lop Fan is a silicon-based alien form with no eyes and comes from the space called Obsidian Deeps that does not have any light, it’s basically pitch dark. He is a friend of another Green Lantern Guy Gardner. What is unique about him is that he is blind, and that means a special power ring with a handbell that is easier to use for Rot Lop Fan. He uses the ring to protect his people.
Because he is blind, he has enhanced hearing and can hear every little sound. Rot Lop Fan also has a unique oath to boot. In the beginning, Rot Lop Fan was not considered part of the Green Lantern Corps, because he never heard of them, however, after the Rebirth of The Corps that changed. We even see him in the live-action Green Lantern movie.
12. Hannu
Hannu is a native of Ovacrom Six and a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Let’s just say he is a true brawler and juggernaut and his physique makes him really menacing. That is not surprising since, on his planet, the warriors were taught to never rely on weapons in battle because that was considered a weakness. For that reason, Hannu is rather using his strength and melee attacks like punching and charging before his ring.
Of course, that does not mean he is never using his Power Ring – combining his raw strength with Power Ring makes him one of the strongest Green Lanterns in DC comics.
11. Simon Baz
This Green Lantern is fairly new. He debuted in DC Comics in 2012, after DC’s huge relaunch called New 52. He is partnered with another Green Lantern Jessica Cruz. He has a lot of abilities, which differ from other usual powers “older” Green Lanterns possess. Some of them are space & time travel, phasing, emerald sight, will empowerment, electromagnetic scanning, resurrections and so much more.
He was involved in the Rise of the Third Army where he helped in stopping them. He is not your typical superhero – because of his tough childhood growing up in Michigan, he was always kind of on the fence between good and evil that even Justice League doubted him, but eventually, he managed to convince everyone of his good intentions. He is also very skilled in wielding guns.
10. Jessica Cruz
Jessica Cruz is also part of the new arriving Green Lanterns along with Simon Baz. Her story is one of the most interesting ones. Jessica, with her friends, went on a hunting trip where they accidentally stumbled across the mobsters who were burying the corpse. They saw them and killed them all except Jessica who managed to escape. That event traumatized her and after a few days, The Ring of Volthoom, an evil ring that feeds of individuals’ fear and kills them from the inside, locates her. She does not willingly accept the ring but is forced to accept it, which is different from other Lanterns.
The Ring tortures Jessica both physically and psychologically and wants to use her to destroy Prime Earth. Thankfully, Justice League, more precisely Batman comes to the rescue and helps her to face her fears and eventually overcomes The Rings’ Powers. Furthermore, in comics, Jessica Cruz’s Power Ring fuses with Voolthom’s Travel Ring which gives her the power of time travel. She is fairly new, and with the tutelage of Hal Jordan and other Green Lanterns, she still has a lot to learn.
9. Jade
Alan Scott’s daughter and Obsidian’s sister, Jade is quite powerful. She inherited her father’s Starheart powers while he was influenced by it and her mother’s ability to manipulate plants. Moreover, while her father needed Starhearts power ring to use its powers, Jade does not have to – her power is channeled from her star-shaped birthmark on her palm.
She is a meta-human and because of her Starheart powers, she can sense her twin brother and father wherever they are in the universe. With the Power Ring she got from Green Lanterns Corps, her powers are similar to her own, and the ring required 24-hour recharging by her power battery. Her ring has yellow impurity that she had to overcome. A powerful Green Lantern that is also part of the Justice League of America.
8. Mogo
Mogo is an interesting one because they are a planet. Yes, they are part of the Green Lantern Corps and help in protecting all universes. However, its power is underrated – they are responsible for selecting all Green Lantern recruits from all universes, and that fact alone makes it really powerful, and if you combine it with Green Power Ring, well, Mogo is really strong. Mogo is not that prominent in the comics since there are not that many stories with them, but in the biggest ones, they are always there.
This sentient planet made a great sacrifice and was one of the biggest factors in defeating Black Lanterns, which consisted of resurrected former Green Lanterns like Jade, Ch’p, and others. To defeat them, Mogo absorbed all Black Lanterns into their core, the super-hot magma that was inside them burned Black Lanterns to eternity and prevented them from regenerating. If that’s not powerful, I don’t know what is.
7. Sodam Yat
First of all, he is not human. Sodam Yat is from the planet Daxam, where living beings share similar abilities and other characteristics to Kryptonians. That means he has enormous natural power. Besides his raw power, his origin story is quite interesting. Daxamites are known as a xenophobic race that despises other beings and does not take kindly to visitors from space. Sodam Yat was always fascinated by the stars and despite the efforts of his parents to change his mind, his resolve got even stronger after he saw what his people had done to his friend who was from another planet and a different race.
Besides his powers from being a powerful being with Power Ring powers, he also bonded with Ion, a creature within the Green Lantern Battery. Only one other Green Lantern managed to do that, and for that alone Sodam Yat is a pretty special Green Lantern.
6. Kilowog
Coach Carter of Green Lantern Corps. His main goal is to train new recruits. Kilowog is not just a basic “trainer”, he is a genius genetic scientist, from the planet Bolovax Vik. He is one of the most powerful beings of his race which gives him super-strength, durability, and powerful intellect. Kilowog’s training includes teaching the recruits how to best utilize their Power Rings and how to handle them.
Moreover, he is the first trainer to young recruit Hal Jordan, who later helped him find the killer of Abin Sur, a previous Green Lantern. Of course, being part of the Green Lantern Corps means he is in possession of his own Power Ring, and according to Hal Jordan, is the only one that makes a sound when used. Kilowog’s power ring also has powerful willpower that can be used to achieve anything the wielder wants.
5. Guy Gardner
One of the fan favorites, Guy Gardner is truly a great Green Lantern. His original story was changed few times, at the end, DC decided to stick with the original story of him being abused by his father during his childhood in Baltimore. His story is really cool and a lot of fans love him. When Hal Jordan found the Ring, from fallen Green Lantern Abin Sur, who crashed and died on Earth, Guy Gardner was the other individual the Ring was located. However, Jordan was closer and he became Green Lantern. Still, Guy became a backup for Jordan and Green Lantern Corps. These two later became friends.
Guy was part of the multiple comic book events and part of the great battles with the Green Lantern Corps. He is affiliated with teams such as Justice League, Darkstars, and others which makes him one of the most important Green Lanterns ever. He has the usual Power Ring abilities but with the Qwardian power ring Gardner acquired from Sinestro, he became even more powerful. His ring constantly emits light because it can’t hold his power of will. Guy Gardner is half Vuldarian (shapeshifting race) which gives him the ability to shapeshift weapons from his body.
4. John Stewart
Great wielder of weapons and formerly a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, John Stewart is one of the most powerful Green Lanterns. John Stewart was picked by the Guardians of the Universe as a backup to Hal Jordan after Guy Gardner was seriously injured. At first, Hal was against it, because of Stewart’s insubordination to authority figures. He was later accepted. John’s journey as a Green Lantern was pretty rough but he was always a part of big comic book events.
Best construct “maker” in the game, Stewart’s powers consist of him being semi-invulnerable, capable of projecting hard-light constructions that are usually military weapons, which is usual for most Green Lanterns. It also helps that he was an architect and that combination makes him one of the most exceptional members of the Green Lantern Corps. His Ring’s powers are only limited by his willpower and imagination. He is also considered, at least by Hal Jordan, as the best flyer in the Corps. John Stewart is really powerful and we can write very long essays about his abilities but we will leave it for the next time.
3. Dawnbreaker
Do you want to see Bruce Wayne as Green Lantern? Check out Dawnbreaker. Earth-32 Bruce Wayne is a kick-ass Green Lantern but without any empathy and mercy. This version of Bruce Wayne is located in the Dark Multiverse where all realities are destined to die. The story goes the same as the original Batman’s – Bruce’s parents get killed by a robber but this time a Power Ring gets attached to his hand and he gets powers.
He decides to seek his revenge and find a mugger. He tries to kill him but the Ring resists – it is against Green Lanterns’ code to kill living beings. Of course, the power of revenge is too much and the Ring gets corrupted by Bruce’s will. The voidness in his heart was just too powerful. He kills the mugger and decides to defend Gotham City against criminals, but this time, by executing them without mercy. This version of Bruce’s Green Lantern even kills Jim Gordon! Green Lanterns Corps decide that enough is enough, and go on a mission to apprehend Bruce. However, Bruce constructed an even better Green Lantern Power Battery and gets unbelievable power. He executes every single individual on Green Lantern Corps and Guardians of the Universe.
Wait, there’s more. He gets tired of being Green Lantern and becomes an unbeatable Batman: The Dawnbreaker. He fuses his darkness with green energy and waits till the world falls into the void. Scary story from the comics that reminds us to never piss off Bruce Wayne that much… and thank the heavens for Alfred.
2. Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner was not very loved when he was first created because he was clearly a projection of the comic book writer that created him in the first place. It is obvious if you check out Kyle’s backstory – a comic book artist who was raised in North Hollywood… yeah. However, he was created and after some time became respected by Green Lanterns fans. Rayner became a Green Lantern after grief-stricken Hal Jordan destroyed almost all of the Green Lantern Corps. Rayner was found by surviving Guardian and gave Kyle the last working Power Ring which made him a Green Lantern.
His constructs are quite unique because he has colorful imagination – he loved Superman and Batman while growing up and that imagination manifested itself into his constructs. A few of his constructs included Batman, Superman, anime characters, mystical creatures, and many others. Not only because he is a nerd, but he is also, other than Somat Yat, the only one who bonded with god Ion. He even briefly achieved godhood from Ion after Oblivion’s defeat. Ion’s bond combined with Kyle’s imagination gives him the power to change realities. There is more of course, but we will leave for the next time.
1. Hal Jordan
The most famous Green Lantern of all time is also in our opinion the most powerful one. Hal did everything a good superhero does in the comics – he died, became god, went briefly insane, saved the universe, made his OWN ring (yes he did), and defeated the strongest of foes. His willpower alone makes him one of the strongest beings in the universe.
At one point he became Parallax after the catastrophe destroyed his hometown, Coast City, Hal Jordan went on the rampage. He took Parallax’s name and slained of all the Corps including his own friends like Kilowog. He was considered the strongest in the DC Universe – he could manipulate time and space to his will and manipulate reality on a large scale and superhuman strength was demonstrated by knocking out Superman with one punch. He was never defeated as Parallax, only when his consciousness and will won over, did he finally stop. Besides being the most powerful Green Lantern he is also one of the most popular DC characters. We can’t wait to see him in the live-action movie (that one from 2011 does not count).
