For years, Green Lantern has been one of the greatest heroes the DC universe has ever known. With the ability to create constructs based on willpower alone, Green Lantern has defended Earth and the entire galaxy from all sorts of cosmic threats.
Having been around for many years, however, the character has gone through some pretty dramatic changes. Furthermore, as one of the more popular DC heroes, readers have also seen several alternate versions of the character come through. While some are just as hopeful and inspiring as the original, others are far more terrifying, or simply not as interesting. Looking at some of these particular characters, here is our list of the 5 best and 5 worst versions of Green Lantern.
10 WORST: Dawnbreaker
Debuting as part of the Dark Nights: Metal event, Dawnbreaker was revealed to be an evil, twisted version of Bruce Wayne who used his willpower to break the limits of a Green Lantern Ring. In all honesty, this version of Green Lantern is actually held in high regard with fans and is one of the more popular versions of Batman featured from the story.
However, given just how evil and twisted this version of Green Lantern is, it is definitely safe to call him one of the worst versions of the character. Despite being a combination of two of DC’s biggest and best characters, this Green Lantern is so dark and powerful that he successfully took down an entire army of other Lanterns. While he may be cool and interesting, this is definitely one of the worst versions of Green Lantern imaginable.
9 BEST: Kai-Ro
As part of the widely popular Batman Beyond series, Kai-ro was introduced as the Green Lantern of the future. Like almost every other version of Green Lantern, Kai-Ro’s ring works much the same way.
However, growing up in a Buddhist temple gave Kai-Ro a much more distinctive personality, making him appear quite mature for his age. Furthermore, Kai-Ro is still a child, even much younger than Terry McGinnis’ Batman. Despite his age and minimal appearances, Kai-ro is actually one of the more popular versions of Green Lantern in existence. Likewise, his personality definitely makes him well-suited for a ring and even makes him one of the best Green Lanterns.
8 WORST: Guy Gardner
Of the many human Green Lanterns, none are as hated nor disrespected as Guy Gardner. For years, Guy’s sour attitude and personality have made him incredibly difficult to work with, both as a Green Lantern and Justice Leaguer. In one of the character’s most infamous moments, Batman managed to knock Guy out after one punch following one of his outbursts.
As more and more details came out about Guy’s past, however, the character became much more relatable, and has even gained a small following of fans. Unfortunately though, his attitude hasn’t improved much, making it hard to root for him at times. Though his character has some potential, Guy still has a long way to go before he reaches the same level as other lanterns on this list.
7 BEST: Earth One
Unlike some of the other Earth One titles, Green Lantern: Earth One made some rather significant changes to Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. Thankfully, these changes paid off, as the graphic novel has received high praise from fans and critics alike.
Part of what makes the story so great is that the changes work well within this alternate DC universe. Furthermore, for those who don’t typically like Hal Jordan, this series offers a different version of the character who some would argue is much more approachable. Though it may not be the greatest Green Lantern story ever, it still offers one of the best versions of the character to date.
6 WORST: Injustice Hal
DC’s Injustice universe is full of all sorts of insane versions of classic characters. In one of the more extreme examples, gamers and readers come to learn that Hal Jordan himself actually became a member of the Yellow Lantern Corps. Those who are familiar with Jordan’s history understand just how drastic this change is, however intriguing it was at the same time.
Considering how far Hal has fallen in the main DC universe, this isn’t actually too surprising. However, Hal himself was completely independent-minded in this case, making the twist that much harder to believe. Like with Dawnbreaker, this is actually a very interesting look at the character, despite all the damage and destruction he caused while wearing the ring.
5 BEST: Alan Scott
Of course, the original Green Lantern has to be one of the best versions of the character, especially considering how he started everything. Alan Scott made his debut as the original Green Lantern in 1940 and served as the main version of the character throughout the Golden Age of Comics.
Eventually, he would be succeeded by Hal Jordan and many changes would be made to the Green Lantern mythos. Though he has appeared in-and-out of the DC universe ever since, Scott’s services as part of the justice society have made him a great hero, despite his distance from other Green Lanterns. While he may be a little older, this version of the character is still widely respected by fans.
4 WORST: Leonard Lewis
For all the wonderful characters Stan Lee managed to create during his time with Marvel Comics, the comic book legend always seemed to struggle when it came to DC. For a time, DC published a series of one-shots imagining what the universe would look like had Stan Lee himself been at the helm of some of their most popular characters.
While Leonard Lewis was actually one of the better one-shots from the line, it is still a rather uninteresting version of Green Lantern. With powers that are radically different from other versions, Leonard just couldn’t quite capture the same traits that made other Lanterns far more intriguing. Though a lot of potential was certainly there, readers would have definitely needed more material for this version to really take hold.
3 BEST: John Stewart
Of all other Earthly Green Lanterns, few have accomplished as much as John Stewart. As the second human to serve as part of the Green Lantern Corps, John has accomplished all sorts of wonders both as a Green Lantern and as a member of the Justice League.
Though he is not exactly an “alternate version” of the character, John has still held the mantle for many years, and even been Earth’s top Green Lantern for many of them. While others like Kyle Rayner have also made significant accomplishments, John's impact both within and outside of DC comics has had a bigger impact than almost every other Lantern on this list.
2 WORST: Power Ring
While this evil version of Green Lantern is supposed to be a bit pathetic, Power Ring really succeeds in being difficult to like. As the direct opposite of Green Lantern, Power Ring’s abilities actually grow stronger the more frightened he is.
Since the ring constantly serves as a sense of paranoia for him as well, Power Ring constantly lives in a state of fear, using his ring to lash out against others. Once again, the concept for this version of Green Lantern is intriguing, but still not enough for the character to be truly great, even as a villain.
1 BEST: Hal Jordan
In the comics, Hal Jordan is often regarded as the greatest Green Lantern of all time. Because of this, it only makes sense that this version of the character takes the number one spot. Even when Hal was the ultimate villain of the DC universe, there’s no denying the impact his actions have had.
Despite the troubles in his past, Hal continually serves as one of the most determined members of the Corps, constantly inspiring others and protecting the entire galaxy. Without him, characters like John Stewart and Jessica Cruz wouldn’t even be around. Likewise, few other Lanterns have accomplished the feats that Jordan has managed to pull off. While he may be troubled, it is really hard to see any “better” version of the Green Lantern character.