When it comes to Earth's many Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan hogs the spotlight. He was the focus of a feature film, despite critical and commercial failure, and he has been the only Lantern to receive any real screen time in the entire catalog of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
For those fans of the franchise who lived through Emerald Twilight, however, it's hard to forget that it's only through executive meddling and a creative retcon that undid his status as a mass murderer. In the period after Jordan's fall from grace, it was John Stewart and Kyle Rayner that had to step up and preserve the integrity of the Corps. Their characterization since then has marched on into unparalleled achievement. These are five reasons that Stewart is the best to ever wield the ring, and five that demonstrate it's Rayner.
10 Stewart: Was Master Of The Mosaic
In the early nineties, the Guardians of the Universe took a sabbatical from the main DC Universe, leaving only Appa Ali Apsa behind to oversee the Corps. This solitude eventually drove him insane, leading Apsa to steal cities from planets across known space and combine them into a patchwork of diverse species and cultures on Oa called the Mosaic.
After it was decided that this mad curiosity would be allowed to continue, John Stewart was named the Green Lantern of this brave, new world. As might be expected, these wildly different societies warred with each other, suffered overpopulation problems after being shunted onto a new landscape, and massive infrastructure problems. Stewart's resolution of the planet's systemic issues, which included creating minor power rings and deputizing citizens into the effort, led to him being named the first mortal Guardian.
9 Rayner: Has The Best Constructs
Unique among the Lanterns at the time, Kyle Rayner was an artist by trade. This led to an exceptionally imaginative use of his power ring. He was a fan of anime and manga, and it often showed in the manifestations of his constructs, which ranged from giant mechas to fire-breathing Kaijus.
In the JLA story, Tower of Babel, Batman's contingency plan for neutralizing Rayner was to blind him. Typically, a Lantern relies on their eyesight to visualize constructs. The Dark Knight didn't account for the fact that Kyle was an artist, and illustrations begin in the mind's eye. This unique aspect allowed him to overcome this general weakness.
8 Stewart: He's A Marine
Sometimes, defeating a Lantern is as easy as robbing them of their ring. That's not the case for John Stewart. Before being chosen to wield the Green Light of Will, Stewart was in the United States Marine Corps.
With or without his ring, John Stewart is capable of specialized combat tactics, weapons mastery, and endurance. He is a showcase of human potential and is often shown to be the most determined of the Green Lantern Corps because of his background. For those powered by sheer will, this is a formidable quality.
7 Rayner: Was The Last Lantern
After Hal Jordan committed genocide and destroyed the Corps, Ganthet was the only Guardian left. With all that remained of his power, he was able to forge a single ring to bestow upon an heir apparent of their lost legacy. Kyle Rayner was chosen to carry that burden.
Though he often felt unworthy, he grew into his role as the Torchbearer, without the aid or support the other Lanterns had been afforded. While they had an entire force of ranked peers at their disposal, Kyle had to learn how to be great on his own.
6 Stewart: Lead The Lanterns
After Rebirth, the DC Universe experienced a new status quo in which the Sinestro Corps was the leading force of peacekeepers instead of the Green Lanterns. Eventually, the two groups consolidated into a unified team. Obviously, the history between them leads to conflict.
Stewart, accordingly, takes ownership of leading the unified force. Among what's implemented during this period are the construction of a Yellow Power Battery on Mogo and a pairing of Sinestro Corpsmen with Green Lanterns for sector patrol. This leads to an unprecedented peace between the two entities, before which would have been inconceivable.
5 Rayner: Mastered The Full Spectrum
At the onset of New 52, Kyle became a host to the power rings of each Lantern Corps. Being the first person to wield all seven lights of the emotional spectrum, Rayner began a quest to restore Ganthet who had been rendered emotionless.
Accompanied by one member of each corps, Rayner is tasked with mastering each of the different emotions and their corresponding lights. In the end, Kyle can tap into each of the energies through intense coaching from his new team and becomes the first White Lantern outside of the Blackest Night event.
4 Stewart: Leading The League
While leading the combined Green Lantern and Sinestro Corps is tremendous in scope, there is no greater honor in the DC Universe than leading the Justice League. They are the most iconic heroes in terms of reputation, and they are powerful enough to be a near pantheon of gods.
Though it's a very recent development, John Stewart has been assuming leadership of the Justice League in the eponymous title. This leads to some conflict with Batman, who is used to occupying that role. John proves himself to be better at developing battle plans, as he is much more familiar with the theatre of war, and does so without dictating them in a cold, distant fashion. Thus far, his experience and expertise are shining.
3 Rayner: His Power Can Be His Weakness
Writers try to create meaningful, human weaknesses to lay low the mighty superheroes in their charge. Sometimes these are gimmicky and avoid ownership on behalf of the character, while others play against their values to inform the audience of the character. One such example would be using Kryptonite to win versus threatening the citizens of Metropolis en masse.
Kyle Rayner's imagination is one of his greatest strengths, but it has also proven to be incredibly dangerous. Because it's vivid, and because he's an empath with exceptional talent at harnessing his ring, he tends to bring aspects of his imagination into reality. Oblivion was a living representation of all his negative emotions and had the physical appearance of a drawing from his youth. It was also one of the worst threats he's faced to date.
2 Stewart: Is A Living Lantern
During Scott Snyder's incredible run on Justice League, the Ultraviolet Spectrum is introduced as a means of harnessing the power of Unseen Light. Wielded by Sinestro, John tries to defend himself against this new energy and his power ring ends up breaking into shards as a result, leaving behind a tattoo of an Ultraviolet ring.
Once purged of the Ultraviolet Spectrum's influence, a similar mark remains on his finger in the shape of a Green Lantern ring. Since then, he has required no power ring and no power battery to manipulate the Green Light of Will. The implication, therein, is that Stewart's physiology has been transformed into something akin to a living power ring.
1 Rayner: Was Practically A God
After the destruction of the Central Power Battery during Hal Jordan's Parallax-induced rampage, the entity Ion was released from its containment within and set free to roam the cosmos. Eventually, Kyle Rayner absorbed Ion, the living embodiment of willpower in the universe, and became its host for a time.
His powerset at the time included bending time and space to his will, some amount of omniscience, and some amount of omnipresence. He even developed a following of worshippers, though it was through no intervention or invitation of his own. Realizing that to maintain this power would sacrifice his humanity and potentially present a risk to all life the way Hal Jordan had been during his period of possession. He released Ion without much hesitation, proving himself to be a true and humble hero.