10 Most Devastating Green Lantern Corps Failures in DC History

Summary

• The Guardians’ creation of the Manhunters resulted in the slaughter of an entire sector, proving emotionally detached policing was a mistake.
• John Stewart’s controversial decision to kill fellow Green Lantern Mogo caused widespread criticism among his peers.
• Kyle Rayner’s decision to hide the death of his son from his love interest Soranik Natu permanently ended their relationship and broke her trust.

Despite being charged with protecting the DC Universe, the Green Lantern Corps has several black marks in its history. Generally, the Corps’ Power Rings seek out some of the most stalwart alien beings from various galaxies. But that doesn’t stop its members or even its leaders from making grave errors.

Sometimes it’s a failure that costs an incalculable number of lives. Other times it’s a mistake that harms one important person. Read on to discover the most devastating failures in the history of the Green Lantern Corps.

10 The Guardians’ Manhunters Killed an Entire Sector

Green Lantern #33, Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis

The Guardians of the Universe have tried for eons to establish order in the DCU. But their first attempt majorly backfired and trillions paid the price. The Guardians built the Manhunters, automatons free of emotions that could police the universe without any sort of influence. However, the mad Guardian Krona intentionally programmed a flaw to prove that an emotionally detached police force was not a good idea. Krona’s flaw resulted in the Manhunters killing almost every being in Sector 666, save for a handful, one of whom was Atrocitus, the future leader of the Red Lantern Corps.

9 John Stewart Killed a Beloved Green Lantern

Green Lantern Corps #60, Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkham

John Stewart isn’t one to take a life wantonly, but his decision to kill the living planet Green Lantern Mogo remains one of his most controversial calls ever. The rogue Guardian Krona returned and took control of Mogo, forcing the Lantern to produce and distribute Power Rings and give Krona an army of mind-controlled millions. With no other option, John used the Violet Light to channel residual Black Lantern energy and fired it directly at Mogo’s core. Krona’s plan was halted, but John Stewart caught hell among his peers for killing a fellow member of the Corps.

8 Kyle Hid the Knowledge of His Son’s Death

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #24, Robert Venditti, Ethan Van Sciver

Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and his love interest Soranik Natu were once devoted to each other. But Kyle broke Soranik’s trust in him when he hid the death of his son from her. A villain named Sarko came from the future to strengthen the Sinestro Corps, believing it to be the only organization capable of attaining order. Sarko fell in battle with the Green Lantern Corps just as Kyle discovered Sarko was his and Soranik’s future son. Kyle kept the information from Soranik and when she found out, she branded him for his traitorous act, permanently ending their relationship.

7 The Guardians Robbed The Alpha Lantens of Their Humanity

Green Lantern #27, Geoff Johns, Mike McKone

If building the Manhunters and destroying an entire sector of space wasn’t bad enough, the Guardians of the Universe showed how little they learned with their next experiment. Desiring Lanterns that were the pure embodiment of willpower, undeterred by emotion, they created the Alpha Lantern Corps. The Alpha Lanterns were merged with their Power Batteries and became the Corps’ biggest enforcers of Green Lantern law. However, the process stripped the selected Lanterns of their personalities. Not to mention, the process made them vulnerable to Cyborg Superman’s manipulations, who secretly turned the Alpha Lanterns into his own personal army.

6 Hal Jordan and His Inappropriate Affair with Arisia Rrab

Green Lantern Corps #206, Steve Englehart, Joe Staton

Hal Jordan may be considered one of the greatest Green Lanterns in the Corps, but he showed a real lack of personal judgment when it came to Arisia Rrab. Rrab joined the Corps when she was just a teenager and was instantly smitten with Hal, who rebuffed her advances. However, to make up for the age difference between the two, Arisia subconsciously used her ring to artificially age herself so that the two could date. Despite Arisia still technically a teenager, she and Hal began dating, showing a serious lapse in judgment on Hal’s part.

5 Kyle Rayner Lost Alexandra DeWitt Weeks into His Green Lantern Career

Green Lantern #54, Ron Marz, Steve Carr, Derec Aucoin, Darryl Banks

Kyle Rayner got the chance of a lifetime when he was given a Green Lantern Power Ring by chance. And while he had an incredible support system in his girlfriend Alexandra DeWitt, Kyle couldn’t be there for his girlfriend when she needed him most. Alexandra was killed by Major Force, who not only murdered her but unceremoniously stuffed her body in a refrigerator (the event that helped name the ‘fridging’ trope). It was early in Kyle’s tenure as a hero, but this death stayed with the Lantern long after he came home that dreadful night.

4 The Guardians Tried Erasing Life From the Universe With the Third Army

Green Lantern Annual 1, Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver

The Guardians of the Universe’s most devious attempts at attaining order in the DCU were also their most disturbing. Deciding that emotions were the true cause of disorder, they created the Third Army, creatures that had no feelings that had only one mission: Assimilate every living being into their ranks. The Guardians’ new army was created using the power of the First Lantern, Volthoom. Not only was the mere creation of the Third Army disturbing enough, but by siphoning power from the First Lantern, they accidentally freed him, endangering the entire DC Universe.

3 Sinestro is Still the Green Lantern Corps’ Worst Cautionary Story

Green Lantern #7, John Broome, Gil Kane

Though it sounds ridiculous now, Sinestro was once one of the greatest Green Lanterns in the Corps. But unknown to the rest of his allies, the Lantern was using totalitarian methods and fear to keep his sector and home planet of Korguar under control. His betrayal of the Corps’ ideas was discovered, and Sinestro was discharged from the Corps. But Sinestro’s reign of terror was not soon forgotten, with Korguar still whispering his name in fear. How Sinestro operated for so long with no oversight is a shock and a failure that should never be forgotten.

2 John Stewart is Always Going to be Haunted by Destroying Xanshi

Cosmic Odyssey #2, Jim Starlin, Mike Mignola

John Stewart is generally one of the Corps’ most careful Green Lanterns, but he wasn’t always that way. Early in John’s career, he and Martian Manhunter went on a quest to save the planet Xanshi from destruction. But John was overconfident and he thought he could handle the situation alone. What he didn’t count on was the bomb in the planet’s core had been painted completely yellow, rendering Green Lantern’s powers useless. John was haunted by the destruction of Xanshi, to the point where he nearly attempted suicide. Green Lantern made his peace with the event, but it still lingers in the back of his mind.

1 Losing Coast City and Hal Jordan’s Descent into Villainy

Green Lantern #48, Ron Marz, Bill Willingham

The biggest loss for the Green Lantern Corps all started with the destruction of Coast City. After Cyborg Superman and Mongul destroyed Hal Jordan’s hometown, the Lantern went mad with grief, weakening his willpower and giving the Fear Entity Parallax the chance to possess him. As Parallax, Hal took his anger out on the Green Lantern Corps, collecting Power Rings and killing anyone who stood in his way. Jordan killed the Corps and it would stay gone for decades. Though Jordan was eventually absolved of his crimes and the Corps was rebuilt stronger than ever, this period remains the darkest chapter in the entire history of the Green Lantern Corps.

The Green Lantern Corps might be a stalwart institution, but these 10 failures stand out as the greatest in their history.