At one point, the Black Lantern Corps became one of the biggest threats in the entire DC Universe, and it still poses a massive potential lingering threat In 2009, Blackest Night presented the Black Lanterns as something so dangerous that the combined efforts of the entire emotional spectrum were required to stop it. Of course, the Black Lantern Corps' ascension wouldn't have been possible without the first Black Lantern, Black Hand.
William Hand, aka Black Hand, made his first appearance in 1964's Green Lantern #29, by John Broome and Gil Kane. Black Hand was originally a villain who could drain ambient energy from Green Lantern's power ring. Over time, however, Black Hand degenerated into a much darker kind of villain. In 2004's Green Lantern: Rebirth #1, by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, the Spectre disintegrated the villain's hand. This traumatic experience was only the first in a series of important events that slowly began to unleash the Black Hand's inner darkness, and bring to light his obsession with death.
In 2009's Green Lantern #43, by Johns and Doug Mahnke, Black Hand was chosen to become a herald of Nekron. On some level, it was hinted that Nekron had been influencing Hand for his entire life.
After killing himself alongside his entire family, Black Hand was given a Black Lantern ring, rising to serve Nekron. When "Blackest Night" began, Black Hand chose dead heroes such as Martian Manhunter and Aquaman to join the ranks of the Black Lantern Corps and charge the Black Lanterns' Central Power Battery.
Black Hand also dug up what appeared to be Batman's corpse at the time, emphasizing the nature of his crimes on Nekron's behalf. Black Hand wasn't merely working to raise the dead, he also wanted to find those with emotional connections to those who had perished.
By feeding these emotions to Nekron, Black Hand helped the Black Lantern entity reach the realm of the living. After Nekron had risen, Black Hand helped his dark master in the fight against Earth's forces. Hand especially targeted his most hated foes, Hal Jordan and Atrocitus. As the battle went on, Black Hand became more outspoken in his master's philosophy of death, proving his rank as the first Black Lantern.
However, it was eventually discovered that Black Hand was Nekron's connection to the living plane. This meant that, while Hand was one of Nekron's greatest assets, he was also his greatest weakness. Hal Jordan and several other heroes exploited this weakness when they bonded with the white entity of life.
Using this power, the heroes resurrected Black Hand, leading to Nekron's downfall and expulsion from the realm of the living. Black Hand was subsequently indoctrinated into the Indigo Tribe so he could be reformed. This effort was ultimately unsuccessful, but the Black Lantern Corps was still defeated. Black Hand's time as Nekron's herald stuck with him, however.
Hand never truly lost his love for death, raising armies of the undead several times after "Blackest Night." This unbridled passion for death became a defining characteristic of Black Hand, maintaining his role as the first Black Lantern. Overall, Black Hand's role as the first Black Lantern cements his major transformation from a Silver Age villain into a dark and disturbed Green Lantern foe.