WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Legion of Super-Heroes #6 by Brian Michael Bendis, Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger, Jordie Bellaire and Dave Sharpe, on sale now.
Over the past 15 years, a whole host of Lantern Corps have been introduced across the DC Universe, giving the Green Lantern Corps its fair share of colorful allies and enemies as they protect the cosmos. From the fear-powered Sinestro Corps, often in direct opposition with the Green Lanterns, to the Ultraviolet Lanterns recently introduced in the pages of Justice League. The 31st century of the Legion of Super-Heroes has unveiled the latest Lantern Corps, and it's just as heroic as the Green and Blue Lanterns.
In Legion of Super-Heroes #6, the mysterious Gold Lantern helps the DC heroes turn the tide and join Superboy and his futuristic friends in battle.
While confronting Qrot of the villainous Horrar Collective and his own assault on the United Planets, Superboy finds that the spacefaring enemy's warship is much more powerful than the ones he previously faced in his own time. As Superboy prepares to swoop down and recover Aquaman's mythical trident from Atlantis to restore the balance of power with the solar system's oceans, he receives timely back-up from Gold Lantern arriving on the scene. Leaving a brilliant golden streak as he cuts across the stars, Gold Lantern has his prominently displayed symbol on his chest and a brighter, more metallic sheen than any of the other Lanterns, including the similarly hued Sinestro Corps.
Gold Lantern is already aware of Jon Kent's identity as Superboy while he is immediately recognized by the veteran Legionnaires and even the Horrar Collective. In addition to his Gold Lantern ring on his right hand, a Legion Flight Ring is visible on his left hand, and he introduces himself as the Lantern of this Galactic, which suggests that he's responsible for a specific part of space, much like a Green Lantern. This connection is underscored with the Legionnaires, who hint that their golden team member has quite the superhero origin story himself in an overt wink from co-creator and writer Brian Michael Bendis as DC's latest Lantern takes flight.
Gold Lantern is able to bear the full brunt of the trident's power, as the Horrar Collective uses it to harness the oceanic power of the entire solar system against him. Flying to his aid, Superboy is able to help his new teammate turn the tide of battle before the team celebrates its first major victory. While they successfully defended the United Planets here, their enemies are observing the proceedings from afar and plotting to destroy the young team and stamp out the hope they have ignited across the universe.
The debut of Gold Lantern opens up a host of pressing questions: Who exactly is this new superhero, and are there other Gold Lanterns? How did he come across a Gold Lantern Power Ring, or was this a modification of a previously existing, like how Guy Gardner had repurposed one of Sinestro's old rings? If the seven main Lantern Corps each harness the raw energy from a specific emotion, does the power of the Gold Lantern draw its fuel from a similar emotion or it outside of the emotional spectrum? Given its similarity in hue, is the Gold Lantern related to the Sinestro Corps at all?
Previous iterations of the Legion had shown the revival of the Green Lantern Corps in the 31st century after an unseen cataclysmic event. With a Gold Lantern, the Legion has expanded its membership to include ta new kind of Lantern who seemingly gives the traditional Green Lantern Corps paradigm a role in the more optimistic far-future associated with the team. With hints that the superhero has an interesting background, the newest Legionnaire is sure to have his own thrilling origin story to be told, and hopefully, his story will be revealed sooner than later.