WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Catwoman: Lonely City #2, on sale now from DC Comics.
In the realm of comics, sometimes established characters with their own unique identities get thrust into big legacy roles they never expected to find themselves in. Though some, like Dick Grayson's Batman, make sense, there are others that nobody saw coming. For instance, Black Canary became a Green Lantern in DCeased. And speaking of the Emerald Knights, one Gotham City villain just became the next unexpected Green Lantern - and not in the way you think.
Though the future is bleak in Selina Kyle's alternate future adventure, she hasn't become the Guardians' last-ditch effort to save the universe. No, the veteran thief obtained her new Lantern ring the only way she knows how. As she was looking for a way to break into the abandoned Batcave, Selina and her new crew of criminals planned a S.T.A.R. Labs heist to retrieve Alan Scott's Green Lantern ring in Catwoman: Lonely City #2 by Cliff Chiang. When Selina eventually did get her hands on the ring, something unexpected happened.
The unique Golden Age Green Lantern ring reacted to her and her needs. When she was surrounded, it teleported her away in a burst of green flame. Selina herself decided not to question this odd occurrence, but readers can't help but wonder why this powerful heroic artifact responded to one of Batman's rogues.
That's because this Lantern artifact isn't like the ones used by Hal Jordan or Jessica Cruz. The ring wielded by the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, is unique. First appearing in 1940's All-American Comics #16 alongside Alan Scott, and having been created by Bill Finger and Martin Nodell, the original flaming Green Lantern had its origins in mysticism. It was many years before it was explained in-depth and, whilst it was created by the Guardians of the Universe like the Green Lantern Corps, it wasn't scientific - it was pure magic.
Billions of years ago, the Guardians rounded up all of the universe's magic and sealed it away in the heart of a star. They called it the Starheart. They wished to control magic, but magic cannot be controlled and it eventually escaped its prison. An element of the Starheart landed on Earth where it was forged into the Lantern that would one day belong to Alan Scott, transforming him into Earth's first Green Lantern. This Lantern's power source, being a sentient piece of the Starheart itself, had a mind of its own and wasn't always contained to the Lantern. It has been a part of Alan Scott, his daughter Jade and Kyle Rayner - turning them into living embodiments of the sentient magic power.
When Catwoman's new ally Winston analyzed the ring, he claimed that the teleportation move Selina used drained the ring of what little energy remained in it. Unfortunately, the power battery once used by Alan Scott was destroyed, with only a few fragments stored in S.T.A.R. Labs. Even if they had all the pieces of the battery, it would be useless without the mystical Starheart that resided inside.
Though they assumed that the ring was useless without the Lantern that might not be entirely true. The Lantern was apparently destroyed in a Crisis event but that doesn't mean the Starheart inside it was. There's a chance that the mystical power source of the Golden Age Green Lantern is still out there, ready to be reunited with the ring.
Perhaps when Catwoman needs it most, the Starheart will come to her and give her the power she needs to fulfill her mission. If it was any other Green Lantern ring, a power battery would be an absolute necessity but this is magic and a lot about the Starheart still remains a mystery. Selina Kyle could still become the next Green Lantern yet.