List of Green Lanterns
The Green Lantern Corps has 7200 soldiers, two per sector (previously 3600, one per sector). While three characters - Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, and Kyle Rayner - are primarily associated with the name, a number of other members of the Corps have appeared in DC's comics.
Eponymous Green Lanterns
These three characters are most closely associated with the "Green Lantern" name, and are the titular characters of the Green Lantern comics.
Golden Age Green Lantern (Alan Scott)
Thousands of years ago, a mystical "green flame" fell to Earth. The voice of the flame prophesied that it would act three times: Once to bring death, once to bring life, and once to bring power. By 1940, the flame had been fashioned into a metal lantern, which fell into the hands of Alan Scott, a young engineer. Following a railroad bridge collapse, the flame instructed Scott how to fashion a ring from its metal, to give him fantastic powers as the superhero Green Lantern. He adopted a colorful costume and became a crimefighter. Alan was a founding member of the Justice Society of America.
Silver Age Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
The second Green Lantern was Harold 'Hal' Jordan, who in 1959 was a second-generation test pilot (having followed in the footsteps of his father, Martin Jordan) who was given the power ring and battery (lantern) by a dying alien named Abin Sur. When Abin Sur's spaceship crashed on Earth, the alien used his ring to seek out an individual to take his place as Green Lantern: someone who was "utterly honest and born without fear." Hal was a founding member of the Justice League of America.
Modern Age Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
Kyle Rayner was a struggling freelance artist when he was approached by the last Guardian of the Universe, Ganthet, to become a new Green Lantern with the last power ring. Ganthet did not choose Rayner for any particular reason; he simply needed to find someone to fill the role. Despite not being cut from the same cloth of bravery and fearlessness as Hal Jordan -- or perhaps because of that -- Kyle Rayner proved to have his fans.
Other Green Lanterns of Earth
John Stewart
John Stewart (Earth's Green Lantern III) is an architect who was Hal Jordan's backup after Gardner was seriously injured and served with the JLA on occasion. After Jordan gave up being Green Lantern in the 1980s, the Guardians called Stewart to full time duty as the sector's main Lantern. Stewart filled that role for some years, during which time he married Katma Tui, the Green Lantern of the planet Korugar. After Tui's murder, Stewart became the administrator of the "Mosaic World", a patchwork of communities from multiple planets that had been brought to Oa by an insane Guardian. From this position, Stewart eventually ascended to Guardianhood, which he later relinquished. During the collapse of the Corps he was a member of the Darkstars. After a brief period of paraplegia, he became Green Lantern once again and was a member of the latest incarnation of the JLA, before it disbanded during the events of Infinite Crisis.
Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (Earth's Green Lantern IV) is a former schoolteacher whom Abin Sur's ring selected as an alternative to Hal Jordan, but Jordan was closer so Sur chose him instead. Gardner later suffered brain damage, and was unbalanced when he recovered enough to function. He was awarded a ring by a rogue faction of Guardians during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Eventually, forced to abandon his Green Lantern Ring, Guy acquired the yellow power ring of Sinestro and his own comic series began with him using that ring. The yellow ring did not use a battery to recharge but actually needed to be used against Green Lanterns to restore power. Gardner found this out by accident when a member of the GLC fought him while he had absolutely no power. As the yellow ring of Sinestro spoke Sinestro's native language, Guy was entirely unable to communicate with the ring, although it seemed to understand him to a degree. He served in Maxwell Lord's JLI until all Green Lantern rings lost their power when Parallax destroyed Oa. Finding himself powerless, he went on a quest for a mythical source of power deep in the jungle. This power source activated dormant extraterrestrial DNA in him, providing him with the ability to morph his body into various different forms -- mainly in the form of weapons. He then adopted the identity of Warrior. Gardner has since been purged of his extraterrestrial DNA and is currently a Green Lantern once more.
Jade
Jennie-Lynn Hayden, known also as Jade, is Alan Scott's daughter, and was born with innate Green Lantern-like powers. After she (temporarily) loses these innate powers, Kyle Rayner briefly bestows upon her a power ring and the title of Earth's Green Lantern.
Iron Lantern and Green Guardsman
Iron Lantern and Green Guardsman, introduced in Iron Lantern #1, are Green Lantern-based characters created as part of the DC Comics/Marvel Comics "Amalgam Comics" crossover series. Iron Lantern is a combination of Iron Man and Green Lantern, while Green Guardsman is composed of Jimmy Olsen and War Machine. Green Guardsman also appears in a 2-part Justice League animated episode Legends, which parodies the Sentinels (from Marvel's long-running X-Men series).
Alien Green Lanterns
While they are rarely the star of any of the Green Lantern comics nor often referred to as "Green Lantern," a number of alien members of the Green Lantern Corps have appeared in DC's various comics.
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a Green Lantern assigned Sector 2814 (Earth's sector, by the Green Lantern Corps's reckoning). His ship crash-lands on Earth, and as he lay dying, he passes his ring on to Hal Jordan.
Sinestro
Sinestro is a long-time foe of Hal Jordan and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. He was once the Green Lantern from the planet Korugar (in Sector 1417); however, he believed that the best way to maintain order on Korugar was by using his ring to become the planet's dictator. The Guardians convict him of criminal actions and banish him to the antimatter universe of Qward, where he is given a yellow power ring, and returns to our universe to become Hal Jordan's greatest enemy. He is apparently killed in action, helping defend the central power battery on Oa from the seemingly insane Jordan. However, he is recently seen during Green Lantern: Rebirth, where he revealed that he had somehow faked his death as part of a ploy to make Hal Jordan vulnerable to possession by Parallax. In a battle against Jordan, he flees to the Anti-Matter Universe.
Kilowog
Kilowog of Bolovax Vik (Sector 647) is an alien who recruits and trained new members of the Green Lantern Corps. His most illustrious student is Hal Jordan. When Jordan went insane, Kilowog was one of the last Green Lanterns to try stop Jordan from destroying the central battery. He was killed by Jordan, but his spirit was summoned by a group of ex-Green Lanterns bent on avenging the destruction of the Corps at a Parallax-possessed Jordan's hands. He is subsequently restored to life by Kyle Rayner.
Katma Tui
Katma Tui leads the Korugarian rebellion against Sinestro, and takes over as Korugar's Green Lantern after the Guardians arrest Sinestro. She eventually marries John Stewart and serves with him in the Darkstars, but is later murdered by Star Sapphire.
Mogo
Mogo is not only a Green Lantern, but is also an entire planet. Most notably featured in the Alan Moore story "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" from Green Lantern (2nd series) #188. Mogo itself is powered by Green Lantern energy and has control over its own surface and natural defenses. Mogo is also the site of the DC/Dark Horse Comics crossover limited series Green Lantern Versus Aliens - the Green Lantern Corps during Jordan's time encounters the predatory creatures, and decide that Mogo was the best chance for containment.
G'nort
G'nort is a DC Comics superhero, created by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis during their comedy Justice League period.
G'nort was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and later a Darkstar. He resembles a humanoid dog and is thoroughly incompetent and generally disliked by other heroes; in fact, he is usually portrayed as being a pathetic loser and used as comic relief. He was a member of the Justice League Antarctica. Despite his comedic appearance, he has become somewhat of a cult favorite among comic book readers.
It was explained by Hal Jordan that G'nort became a Green Lantern due to the influence of his relative who was a famous member of the Lantern Corp. Despite his obviously limited intelligence (not intelligent enough to read a map) and profoundly lacking tactical judgement the character is consistantly depicted as brave, loyal, and honorable. This fact is overlooked by most heroes, though Superman has pointed it out on occasion.
G'nort was once revealed to have an arch enemy, the Scarlet Skier. The Scarlet Skier (a take-off of Marvel's Silver Surfer) was described as being the only felon G'nort ever managed to apprehend in his entire career. Naturally, the Scarlet Skier was also an idiot, and was even mistaken for a pan handling homeless person when travelling in the subway. Both G'nort and the Skier were founding members of Justice League Antarctica, created by Maxwell Lord for the purpose of keeping both them and the reformed Injustice League out of his way.
G'nort saw himself as a "Green-Lantern-at-large", not bound to a single space sector. His most successful mission (apart from capturing the Skier) was when a gang of interstellar bank-robbers surrendered as soon as he appeared. It transpired that they were humanoid cats.
It was later revealed that both G'nort and his uncle G'newman had actually been given their rings by the Poglachians, who posed as the Guardians of the Universe while the real Guardians were with the Zamarons. A race of clowns, the Poglachians gave the rings to beings they thought would use them in amusing ways. They were actually pawns of the Weaponers of Qward, who hoped to discredit the Green Lantern Corps by having the name associated with idiots. Upon learning the truth G'nort destroyed the source of the fake Lanterns power. Guy Gardner then nominated him for genuine Corps membership, much against his better judgement.
G'nort presumably lost his ring during Emerald Twilight and subsequently (like many former Lanterns) joined the Darkstars. He was still wearing his Darkstar uniform long after the organisation collapsed, when he was captured by Manga Khan, who attempted to trade him to Maxwell Lord in exchange for L-Ron. This proved unsuccessful.
G'nort was last seen as the sole member of Super Buddies Antarctica. If he ever learns the Corps has reformed, he will certainly want to rejoin.
Others
- Ch'p of the planet H'lven is an anthropomorphic rodent-like creature who was appointed to the Corps to defend his homeworld from an invasion by the evil Crabster army. He serves with the Corps on Earth and on Oa, but is tragically killed when a yellow truck runs him over.
- Rot Lop Fan is a member of a species from a planet totally without light. Thus, he is totally blind and does not understand the concept of sight, light or what a "Green Lantern" could be. Thus, he is known as an F-Sharp Bell and uses sonic powers as opposed to light constructs.
Future Green Lanterns
The Green Lantern Corps still exists in the future of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and members of the Corps appear in that comic, as well.