Green Lantern is easily one of the most powerful heroes in the entire DC Universe. Not only is he typically a key member of the Justice League, but he is also one of the biggest cosmic defenders in all of DC. Over the years, Green Lantern has taken on all sorts of powerful threats, typically emerging victorious.
However, for as powerful as Green Lantern is, several other characters have proven to be even more powerful. Especially within the Marvel Universe, many characters could easily give Green Lantern a run for his money. Looking specifically at Hal Jordan, here is our list of 5 Marvel heroes Green Lantern can beat, and 5 he can’t.
10 Can Beat: Captain America
For as valiant and inspiring as Captain America is, Green Lantern would easily take down the Sentinel of Liberty in a one-on-one match. Unfortunately, Captain America just isn’t strong enough or powerful enough to even stand a chance against Hal Jordan.
Hal’s ring works great for both offense and defense, as well as close or far range. Likewise, it can easily defend against a shield and a punch. For how prominent Captain America is in the Marvel Universe, he just wouldn’t be any use against a man wielding one of the most powerful weapons in the DC Universe.
9 Can't Beat: Hulk
Like Green Lantern himself, Hulk’s abilities are derived from his emotions. The difference is that Green Lantern channels his willpower to create constructs, while Hulk’s powers are based on his anger. Because of this, the victor between the two boils down to whoever has the stronger emotions during the battle.
Hulk grows stronger the angrier he gets, meaning that it is possible for him to grow so angry, that he could easily shatter any construct that Green Lantern imagines. Though Hal’s will has been shown to be one of the strongest in the DC Universe, shattering his constructs is no easy feat. Hulk is not a guaranteed winner in this case, but he is still capable of taking out the Emerald Knight provided the circumstances are in his favor.
8 Can Beat: Iron Man
Iron Man has always packed an incredible amount of firepower onto a suit that is barely bigger than the average man. Unfortunately, virtually all of that firepower is useless against Green Lantern. Since a Green Lantern Ring is so powerful, very few earthly weapons can actually stand against it. Even sonar and other forms of attack are practically useless against a Green Lantern, rendering the Iron Man armor obsolete. Tony may be one of the biggest hitters on the Avengers, but he is still no match for the likes of Green Lantern.
7 Can't Beat: Reed Richards
As one of the most brilliant minds in the entire Marvel Universe, Reed Richards has accomplished all sorts of impossible scientific feats. Not only has he designed most of his own technology, but he has literally been witness to the birth of the universe as well as a god in his own right.
Even without his tech, Reed Richards is incredibly hard to kill. Assuming his scientific mind is at his disposal though, it is very easy to assume that he would outsmart Green Lantern in some manner or find some way to simply remove the Emerald Knight from the battlefield. Though the rest of the Fantastic Four wouldn’t be much help, Reed Richards alone would certainly be able to hold his own against Green Lantern.
6 Can Beat: Spider-Man
Spider-Man is easily one of (if not) the most popular Marvel Characters. For everything he has accomplished over the years, it is easy to see how he is one of the most inspiring heroes of all time. Yet, his incredible spider powers just aren’t enough to save him should he find himself against Green Lantern.
Spider-Man, like Captain America, just simply isn’t powerful enough to go up against Hal Jordan. Really, his only hope would be to be fast enough to remove the ring before Hal could react. However, unless Spider-Man could find a way to move faster than the speed of thought, it is pretty obvious that Green Lantern would be able to win in a fight between the two.
5 Can't Beat: Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel is easily one of the heaviest hitters in all of Marvel Comics. Her energy blasts have dealt some incredible damage over the years, and she is definitely not one to be messed with. Technically speaking, there is no way to know if her blast of energy would be enough to go against a Green Lanter’s constructs.
However, she is at an advantage considering how the blasts are the color, yellow. As one of the few Green Lantern weaknesses, Captain Marvel’s energy blast would theoretically be powerful enough to both weaken and break through his constructs, making her the more likely victor in a confrontation between the two.
4 Can Beat: Guardians of the Galaxy
Both the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Green Lantern Corp have defended the cosmos from some of the most powerful cosmic threats imaginable. However, in a one-on-one battle, one Green Lantern alone would easily be able to take out the entire team.
Even with the Guardians’ combination of close-range and distance fighters, they wouldn’t be enough to go against someone who could easily imagine more powerful weapons. Though Groot would definitely be able to hold his own against the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, Hal Jordan might only break a sweat against this cosmic superteam.
3 Can't Beat: Silver Surfer
As arguably the most powerful cosmic beings in their respective universes, Silver Surfer is far more likely to overpower Green Lantern. Firstly, his cosmic energy is far more pure and has an unlimited supply so long as he remains on his board.
Secondly, the energy that Silver Surfer dispels is arguably far more powerful than most Green Lantern constructs. With the two being so powerful, this would certainly be an interesting fight to witness. However, due to Silver Surfer’s unique abilities, it is much more likely that he would be the victor between the two.
2 Can Beat: Black Panther
As most people know by now, Black Panther is the king of Wakanda, one of the most powerful and technologically advanced nations in the Marvel Universe. Despite all of that advanced technology, though, he still wouldn’t be able to win against Green Lantern. Black Panther fights best as a close-range combatant. Therefore, Green Lantern would simply just need to imagine a wall or some form of barrier to keep Black Panther at a distance.
In actuality, Panther’s speed and tech may make him a difficult target for Green Lantern, but, with Green Lanter’s abilities, it would be virtually impossible for Panther to get close enough to land a hit, making Green Lantern the victor over yet another Marvel hero.
1 Can't Beat: Ghost Rider
Since Ghost Rider is the Spirit of Vengeance, nothing can technically kill him. Over the years, Johnny Blaze’s spirit has been trapped and the like, but he has never truly been killed as the Spirit of Vengeance. Furthermore, Dr. Strange himself even noted that Ghost Rider is possibly the most Marvel hero in existence.
As a result, it makes sense that he could hold his own against Green Lantern. Since he can open portals to other realms, Ghost Rider can remove either himself or Green Lantern from the fight in an instant, only to reappear moments later. Likewise, a lot of Ghost Rider’s powers are magic-based, which always have a varying effect against a Green Lantern Ring. Though Ghost Rider may not be able to kill Green Lantern, he could definitely wear him down until his ring lost power.