The human members of the Green Lantern Corps are some the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe. Their rings enable them to do just about anything they can imagine, such as creating hard-light constructs, translating alien languages, and traveling across the galaxy at amazing speeds.
Hal Jordan was one of the first humans to become a Green Lantern Corps member, but many more would follow. Wielding their rings, these characters demonstrated their immense strength, proving themselves to be among the most powerful Green Lanterns. But not all the human Green Lanterns stood on equal power levels.
Updated on June 7, 2022 by Scoot Allan: While Hal Jordan has become one of the most well-known human Green Lanterns, he wasn't the first, and he won't be the last. Fans have been introduced to new characters with power rings in the past and future of the DC Universe. Of course, each human ring-bearer has different strengths and weaknesses, which helps determine which character is the strongest Green Lantern.
15 Jong Li The Dragon Lord Was The First Human To Wield A Power Ring in 7th Century China
The Dragon Lord named Jong Li spent his life training in martial arts as a monk at an ancient temple. However, he became the only survivor when the temple was attacked and burned to the ground. He was then discovered by a representative of the Guardians of the Universe who had landed on Earth.
Jong Li was given a ring and a lantern and told to protect the innocent and fight against evil. He was never an official member of the Green Lantern Corps, but he was the first human to capably wield a power ring. Jong Li usually created weapons of emerald energy that he used alongside his martial arts training.
14 Anya Savenlovich Was A Russian Cosmonaut Who Briefly Joined Kyle Rayner's New Corps
Following Hal Jordan's destruction of the Central Power Battery, Kyle Rayner was selected as the last Green Lantern. Discovering his ring could create duplicates, he decided to rebuild a New Corps and selected Russian cosmonaut Anya Savenlovich to join him in his new endeavor. Anya had spent three decades frozen in space as her life passed her by. After the New Corps was betrayed and nearly wiped out, Savenlovich decided to stay in space without her ring as a member of yet another new team called The Corps.
13 Charles Vicker Was An Actor Who Played Green Lantern On TV Before He Joined The Corps
As Earth's Green Lantern, Hal Jordan became such a popular hero that the world created a TV show about him. Charles Vicker starred as Green Lantern in the show, but after partying too hard one night, his brother was forced to fill in on the series. Charles' brother was killed when an alien group attacked thinking he was the real Green Lantern.
Feeling guilty, Vicker demanded Jordan take him along to get his vengeance against the alien attackers. Jordan temporarily gave Vickers a ring from a fallen Lantern. Charles used the ring well, and he earned his own sector as a member of the GLC. Charles' ring was destroyed when Jordan later turned on the GLC, but Charles continued to fight as a Darkstar before his death.
12 Tai Pham From Green Lantern: Legacy Is A Non-Canon Second Generation Human Ring-Bearer
While Tai Pham's debut as a ring-bearer in Green Lantern: Legacy has yet to be made canon, the character still made an impact with fans as the youngest Green Lantern. Tai Pham was a creative 12-year-old with a love for comic books and superheroes. When his grandmother died, he inherited her jade ring which was soon revealed to be a Green Lantern's power ring.
Tai Pham followed in his grandmother's footsteps and became Green Lantern to protect his neighborhood from racist bullies. The young Lantern's drive to live up to his grandmother's legacy earned him his ring when John Stewart officially welcomed him to the Green Lantern Corps.
11 Lord Malvolio Was A Deadly Villain Who Inherited His Father's Ring After He Murdered Him
Hal Jordan discovered the powerful villain known as Lord Malvolio on a distant world, but he was shocked to learn the unknown ring-bearer was a human from England who was born in the 1600s. Lord Malvolio's mother was human, and his father was an unknown member of the Green Lantern Corps. Malvolio killed his father, took his ring, and used it to become a ruler.
Lord Malvolio hoped to bring Hal Jordan to his side in a war against an official member of the GLC named Priest. Lord Malvolio had spent years training with his power ring, and he was initially too powerful for Hal Jordan to defeat alone. However, Jordan was eventually able to claim a victory and take Malvolio's ring as his own, leaving the former ring-bearer trapped in another dimension.
10 Keli Quintela Hacked Into The Green Lantern's Power Battery To Become Young Justice's Teen Lantern
Technically, Keli Quintela isn't an official member of the Green Lantern Corps. She modifies an alien gauntlet to tap into the emerald energy of the Green Lantern Power Battery. This amount of technical prowess alone is incredibly impressive and shows off her genius-level intellect.
Going by the name Teen Lantern, Keli is a member of the newest incarnation of Young Justice, using hard-light constructs with ease. Although still a child, she wields emerald energy with creativity and exuberance. Quintela is sure to become an incredibly powerful Green Lantern as she continues to grow and learn more about her power.
9 Simon Baz Has The Rare Green Lantern Ability Called Emerald Sight That Gives Him Prophetic Visions
In many ways, Simon Baz wants little in life beyond a chance to work on cars and spend time with his friends and family. He is confident but not overconfident, having been humbled by life's injustices. Despite his desire to be close to his loved ones and spend his days with muscle cars, he never hesitates to answer the call of duty.
Simon has the ability to see the future thanks to Emerald Sight, which is an incredibly rare power. This often makes up for his less powerful constructs when compared to his fellow Lanterns. However, Baz has displayed incredible acts of willpower with his ring, allowing him to cure a Red Lantern's rage by himself.
8 Jessica Cruz Was Possessed By An Evil Power Ring Before She Was Welcomed To The Corps
Part of the willpower needed to operate a Green Lantern ring requires one to overcome great fear. As someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder, Jessica Cruz overcomes the crippling fear of panic attacks just by getting out of bed some mornings.
Jessica Cruz has proven her worth as a hero time and again. On days when her anxiety is more manageable, she's one of the most powerful Green Lanterns around. Jessica Cruz becomes an even greater Green Lantern when she leaves Earth and joins the Justice League Odyssey team on their exploration of the Ghost Sector.
7 Jo Mullein Wields A Power Ring That Doesn't Need To Be Charged And Is Destined To Join The Justice League
Sojourner "Jo" Mullein from Far Sector is unique among members of the Green Lantern Corps. She operates alone on a planet whose population is larger than that of many galaxies. Mullein has a ring less powerful than others, but it's uniquely equipped to continue operating without a charge from a power battery.
Jo Mullein's knowledge of systemic power structures and diplomacy gave her a unique advantage to help the City Enduring. She held the entire planet together through a mixture of strength, intelligence, and sheer determination. Jo Mullein was shown alongside the Justice League during the Future State event, highlighting a bright future for the GLC's newest powerful member.
6 Guy Gardner May Not Be The Most Liked Green Lantern But He's Wielded Multiple Power Rings At Once
Guy Gardner is an arrogant ex-cop from Baltimore who's since become a space cop with the Green Lantern Corps. As the power rings wielded by Green Lanterns use their bearer's willpower to create hard-light constructs, it seems likely Guy's overconfident ego should give him all the willpower needed to be nearly unstoppable.
Unfortunately, Guy is often a shortsighted jerk who blows every opportunity he gets. He's wielded great power and lost it time and again, proving he's incapable of managing it. With that being said, Guy has successfully controlled both a Red and Green Lantern power ring at the same time.
5 Alan Scott Was Powered By The Magical Starheart As DC's First Published Green Lantern
Even though he was one of the first humans to become a Green Lantern, Alan Scott was't a member of the Green Lantern Corps when he first got his ring. Rather, his power ring and lantern operated using the magic of the Starheart instead of the willpower which governed the other rings.
Alan Scott has undergone numerous rewrites over the years. In most interpretations of the character, he begins operating in the '40s and has been kept young(ish) by various supernatural forces. Scott is a long-time member of the Justice Society of America and has become an honorary member of the GLC. His exposure to the magical green flame has given him his powers without his ring.
4 Jade Inherited Her Father's Connection To The Magical Starheart While Also Wielding A Power Ring
Jade is one of those characters who has't been treated kindly by the numerous retcons DC Comics has undertaken over the past decade. She is the daughter of Alan Scott and is born with magical abilities due to her father's access to the Starheart.
Jade also joined the Green Lantern Corps, and added the power of the ring to her natural abilities. While most fans would consider her father to be the more powerful character, Jade was born with abilities he only developed later in life. Jade's innate power and experience as a member of the GLC gave her an extra edge over her father.
3 Hal Jordan Is One Of The Strongest Green Lanterns Due To His Incredible Willpower
The first human from Earth to become an official member of the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan is a space cop with a huge ego, no respect for authority, and a chip on his shoulder. He's a gifted Air Force pilot who quickly adapted to interstellar travel.
While Hal Jordan is particularly imaginative with the use of his ring — evidenced by his still cool constructs — his sheer grit makes him nearly unstoppable. Hal has accomplished things no other Lantern has, including forging a Green Lantern ring out of nothing but his own willpower. Narratively, Hal Jordan is the most important Lantern in the DC Universe.
2 Kyle Rayner Is One Of The Most Creative Green Lanterns And Was The First To Become Ion
Kyle Rayner became a Green Lantern after Hal Jordan went mad with grief and wiped out most of the Green Lantern Corps. Over the course of his career, he grew in strength, eventually becoming the hero Ion who literally contained the living embodiment of willpower within his chest. Kyle Rayner also created some of the coolest Green Lantern constructs.
Kyle Rayner was the most powerful and noteworthy of all the people who ever became a White Lantern. For a long time, Kyle Rayner held the place of the most powerful Lantern in the galaxy, let alone among humans. While he was surpassed by another, Kyle Rayner remained the most creative Green Lantern.
1 John Stewart Was A Former Marine Who Has Become One Of The Most Powerful Green Lanterns In The Universe
Even before he became a Green Lantern, John Stewart was always powerful. His dedication, discipline, focus, and intelligence far surpassed most of his peers. He was an ex-marine and an architect, bringing everything he learned in both careers to the work he does with the Corps.
Fans first got a glimpse of John Stewart's coolest constructs when he tried to reconstruct an entire planet. He even unlocked his full potential by gaining access to the Invisible Emotional Spectrum to become the Ultraviolet Lantern. Stewart continued to grow in power over the years and earned his place as the strongest Green Lantern.