Shortly following his departure from Marvel Comics, Brian Michael Bendis caused some massive change-ups within the DC universe. Starting first with a run on Superman and Action Comics, Bendis then turned his sights on some newer, younger characters, even going so far as to revive the acclaimed Young Justice series.
Though little is still known about her at the moment, Teen Lantern has proven to be one of the more intriguing new characters from the creator, especially as Young Justice continues to develop. Looking specifically at some of the things that have made her so popular, here is our list of 10 things DC fans should know about Teen Lantern.
10 Created By...
As an incredibly new character, Teen Lantern's first appearance isn't too far from memory. In fact, the character is barely a year old, making her first appearance in issue #1 of the newest Young Justice series.
Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason, Teen Lantern made a splash in the first issue, and has remained a part of the team since. Though she still has a lot to learn as a character, she has already proven to be a great addition to Young Justice in general.
9 Secret Identity
At the moment, very little is actually known about Teen Lantern's backstory. However, there was an entire issue dedicated to the character, revealing a lot of great and much-needed details that have since made her a much more intriguing character.
Having grown up in Bolivia, Keli Quintela was pretty far from the rest of the world's heroes. However, with a brilliant mind and random circumstances, she definitely has the potential to become one of the greatest heroes yet seen in the DC universe.
8 Family
Currently, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding Keli's past. One thing that has come to light, however, is in her family situation. In the flashback issue, Keli was shown to have a mother and a sister, with her father being absent within the story.
Though it is unclear exactly who or where her father is, it also doesn't seem too important to the character's identity. She has also been seen hanging out with a boy named Marcos, though it is unclear exactly what kind of relationship the two share. Despite the details that still need to be filled in for the character, she is definitely in a more unique environment and situation than many other comic characters have been through.
7 Secret Origins
Unlike some other teenage heroes within the DC universe, Keli actually has very little experience with her Lantern abilities. After wandering around in a junkyard, Keli and Marcos witness a suspicious man murder an alien that looks to be a member of the Green Lantern Corps.
Though readers still have questions as to the nature of this situation, Keli returned sometime later where the dying alien gave her the device he was wearing, allowing her to assume the role of Teen Lantern and thus sending her on her current path.
6 Powers
Like most other Green Lantern Corps members, Teen Lantern has the ability to create virtually anything from her imagination and willpower, making her an incredibly powerful character in general. However, unlike most other members, Keli wasn't found worthy of the Green Lantern Ring.
Instead, she hacked into the device that the alien gave her and made her own modifications to effectively simulate the powers of a Green Lantern Ring. Though an impressive feat in and of itself, Keli isn't exactly a traditional member of the Green Lantern mythos.
5 Relationship with Allan Scott
Speaking of nontraditional Green Lanterns, Alan Scott and Keli have actually shared a very heartfelt moment together. While it may have been an Alan Scott from another dimension, seeing the surprising number of parallels between the two characters actually led to some great character development for Keli.
With Alan effectively giving her his blessing, Keli came to find her own place both within the main DC universe as well as Young Justice. Of course, there is still a lot of room for the character to continue to grow, but acknowledging her differences from the main Green Lantern corps will really help the character stand on her own.
4 The Device Itself
To add to her differences from other Green Lanterns, Keli's device isn't even that of a normal Green Lantern Ring. Instead, the character draws her abilities from a gauntlet that is powered by a battery pack.
However, the battery is said to draw its power directly from the same source that all Lantern Batteries do as well, making her arguably more powerful than the average Green Lantern. While some more information is still required to confirm this, there are definitely plenty of cool things to be done with her character in the future.
3 Genius-Level Intellect
Despite the immense power that Keli has at her literal fingertips, she is also incredibly brilliant. As mentioned previously, she actually made her own modifications to give herself her own Lantern abilities.
Not only should this be impossible within the DC universe, but the fact that such a young character was able to modify advanced alien tech to her own designs is an incredibly impressive achievement. Hopefully, as more time comes to pass, the character will continue to show off her more "brainy" aspects, making her all the more valuable to the Young Justice team than she already is.
2 Close with Jinny Hex
Considering how Jinny Hex was also created by Bendis, it isn't too surprising that Keli would come to have a closer relationship with Jinny than other members of the team. Granted, with both characters still being very new to the universe, there is still plenty of time for their relationship to change.
For the moment though, the two have seemed to become fast friends, sharing some great moments of both heart and humor together. Once again, both characters are too new for this to really remain the case in the future, but they would definitely make for a great addition to the many relationships on Young Justice.
1 For the Future
At the moment, Keli's future within the DC universe remains a bit uncertain. Though she is likely to stick around for the Young Justice title, her role as a Green Lantern is especially unclear.
Of course, the character still has plenty of room to grow, and fan response towards her has been generally positive. Likewise, given the popularity of the Young Justice brand, Keli is likely to stick around long enough to really develop into her true potential.