Hal Jordan is the most well-known Green Lantern, associated with the title more than any other character. Oftentimes, Hal has been referred to as the greatest of all the Green Lanterns. Despite his notoriety, back in "Emerald Twilight," Hal single-handedly destroyed the Green Lantern Corps.

Leading up to this heart-breaking saga, Hal Jordan's entire world had just been shattered. During "Reign of the Supermen", the sinister villains Mongul and the Cyborg Superman destroyed Hal's home of Coast City. Although Green Lantern, with the aid of Superman and his allies, defeated Mongul and Cyborg Superman, the damage was done. Leaving the city a barren wasteland, the fiends had robbed Hal of his whole life. "Emerald Twilight," by Ron Marz, Bill Willingham, Fred Haynes and Darryl Banks, picked up right after this devastating event. Out of sheer grief and hopelessness, Hal attempted to recreate all of Coast City with his Green Lantern ring. This effort was seemingly successful, going so far as to manifest the people who died in Coast City. Unfortunately, Hal's actions violated the rules of the Green Lantern Corps, leading the Guardians of the Universe to erase his creation.

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GREEN LANTERN EMERALD TWILIGHT - Explore Hal's Depth

Enraged, Hal headed to Oa in order to use the Central Power Battery's energy to recreate his home. In self-defense, the Guardians sent several other Green Lanterns to stop him. Yet Hal was mad with determination, viciously killing anyone who got in his way and stealing their power rings. Not even Tomar-Tu, one of Hal's good friends, was safe from the Green Lantern's wrath.

Finally, Jordan arrived on Oa, where the desperate Guardians freed Sinestro to stop Hal. The two rivals battled to the death, with Hal snapping his enemy's neck. Hal's dear friend and mentor, Kilowog, was the last line of defense, but Jordan mercilessly killed him as well. Destroying the Central Power Battery, Hal took all of its energy and became Parallax.

Fortunately, before Hal could do so, the Guardians transferred all of their power to Ganthet, who fled Oa. Arriving on Earth, Ganthet bestowed the last Green Lantern ring upon the first person he saw: Kyle Rayner. Becoming the last Green Lantern, Kyle carried the torch for the entire corps for years to come. Indeed, with The Central Power Battery destroyed and most of the Guardians dead, The Green Lantern Corps was finished. Hal's murderous rampage left the universe without its emerald defenders for the first time in eons. Speaking of Hal, the newly-dubbed Parallax turned into quite the villain in the following years.

Parallax clashed with former allies such as Superman and Green Arrow while attempting to once again revive Coast City. During his mad quest, Hal occasionally clashed with Kyle, facing his successor in combat. The "Zero Hour" storyline saw Hal attempt to restart the entire universe, indicating just how mad the former lantern had become. Hal eventually got his moment of redemption, during "The Final Night." In this storyline, the former Green Lantern received enough clarity to make amends with his friends, healing fellow lantern John Stewart of his paralysis and resurrecting Green Arrow. In a final, heroic act, Hal sacrificed himself to destroy the sun-eater and reignite the sun.

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Despite this moving sacrifice, Hal's legacy was tarnished by his actions during "Emerald Twilight." For years, Hal was known as The Green Lantern who fell from grace and destroyed the corps. Even after becoming host to The Spectre, Hal Jordan was never seen in the same heroic light. It wasn't until Green Lantern: Rebirth, by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, that Jordan's good name was restored. It was this mini-series which revealed that Parallax was an entity of fear, rather than simply a name which Hal took. Parallax infected Hal, overcoming him once Coast City was destroyed. Eventually, Hal was able to separate his soul from both the Spectre and Parallax.

Reuniting his soul with his body, Hal was resurrected as a Green Lantern once again. Joining his fellow Green Lanterns Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Kilowog, Hal re-imprisoned Parallax within the Central Power Battery. With this action, The Green Lantern Corps was reborn, flourishing with new recruits and reuniting with the Guardians on Oa. Coast City was restored as well, rebuilt for new citizens to make their homes. While Hal temporarily ended the Green Lantern Corps, he was also vital to restoring the intergalactic police force to its former glory.

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