Lantern Corps. Analysis

The Lantern Corps.


As some of you may be aware, in the Green Lantern mythos and indeed in the current DC Comics Universe, there has arisen eight Corps. In this hopefully short essay, I shall attempt to explain what each of them is, their current founding history as of the submission of this essay, and what their awesome cool powers are. At the bottom of the essay is a list of definitions of the more obscure aspects of the Green Lantern, if there's anything you don't understand, please say and I shall address it. The rest of this is going to be a little less formal, so I hope you'll read it *Smiley face*

(Disclaimer: This essay refers to the current Green Lantern mythos as dictated by DC Comics. Epic spoiler alert for anyone who has not read the current comics. I may or may not update this as more information becomes available. I do not own any element of Green lantern)


The Nine Corps.

The Eight Corps. possess a colour from the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum (1) (EES), except for one, and is represented by a symbol, and that colour. From left to right on the EES, the Corps. go like this:

Red - Orange - Yellow - Green - Blue - Indigo - Violet

The eighth and ninth corps. are Black and White. The colours represent these concepts respectably:

Rage - Avarice (Greed) - Fear - Willpower - Hope - Compassion - Love

the eighth representing lack of emotion and death. White represents Life and fulfillment.

Each Corps. has a personal agenda and mission, and were formed at different periods in history. All have now been established, so to make matters simpler, I shall note their ages with their mentioning. In addition, it is important to note that the further to the edges of the EES one goes, the more control the energy has over the wielder. The Guardians of the Universe(2), also known as the Oans, willingly chose to use the Green Light as the most stable of the energies to use. Their female counterparts, the Zamarons(3), decided to embrace the violet light of love, and think about almost nothing else.


Red Lantern Corps.

Leader(s): Atrocitus

Founder(s): Atrocitus

Embodiment: The Butcher. Possesses the form of a Red Bull

Homeworld: Ysmault, sector 2814

Emotional Concept: Rage

Founded: During or after the Sinestro Corps. War (4)

Notable or distinguishable features:

- The Red light completely engulfs the mind of those who wield it, leaving them little more than enraged animals, incapable of even simple speech.
- The ring itself takes over the function of the wielder's heart, tainting the blood so that the removal of the ring would be fatal.
- The tainting of the blood with the red energy allows the wielder to spew a corrosive, napalm-like blood mixture from their mouths.
     - This corrosive is highly damaging, and can burn even in the vacuum of space.
     - It has been known to taint the green light, sapping its energies, and seems to have little to no effect on the blue light, but it's effects on other lights have yet to be seen.
     - The corrosion of the blood damages the body, malforming the wielder over time
- The red taint can be removed by the aura of a Blue Lantern.


Founding History

The Red lantern Corps. Was founded by Atrocitus, former leader of the Five Inversions, and former Emperor of the Empire of Tears. Long ago, when the Guardians of the Universe took up their mantle, they created the Manhunter androids to secure order and peace in the universe. The manhunters however, were reprogrammed by the Maltusian scientist, Krona. Under their new programming, they saw chaos and misery as a natural product of life, and in order to preserve peace and order, they must remove life. They descended upon Space Sector 0666, one of the 3600 space sectors established by the Guardians in the Universe, and eradicated all life except for five individuals. These formed the 5 Inversions, who swore vengeance against the Guardians for their creating the Manhunters. They formed the Empire of Tears, spanning across 3 sectors. The Guardians, having dismissed the Manhunters after the massacre of Sector 0666, descended upon the Throne World, Ysmault, and fought the Empire's demon hordes. Though many Oans died, the 5 Inversions utilising blood magics to inspire fear and pain in their adversaries, the Guardians were victorious, and crucified the 5 Inversions on the wreckage of their palace, to remain there for all eternity.
Eons later, the Green Lantern of sector 2814, Abin Sur, accidentally came across Ysmault, and spoke to the Inversions. One of them, Qull, told him of the fall of the Green Lantern Corps., an event known as the Blackest Night, and of Abin's own death, when his ring would fail him. After much questioning, Qull eventually revealed that the Blackest Night had a source. Atrocitus told Qull to be silent, but Abin took Atrocitus on a ship, ordering the demon to tell him where the source was. Atrocitus lead him to Earth, but taunted him about the prophecy of his death. This weakened the energy construct Atrocitus was in, and allowed him to escape, mortally wounding Abin and escaping to the planet's surface. He was later recaptured by Sinestro of Space Sector 1417, and Abin Sur's replacement, Hal Jordan. The Guardians ordered him to be returned to Ysmault, to continue his eternal sentence. Some time during or just after the Sinestro Corps. War, Atrocitus found a way of escaping his bonds, and using a Red Lantern power battery, he bludgeoned the other Inversions to death, using their blood to create and power the Central Power Battery of the Red Lantern Corps., and send rings to locate members.


Orange Lantern Corps.

Leader(s): Larfleeze, a.k.a. Agent Orange

Founder(s): Larfleeze (supposedly, though the battery was already created, possibly by the Maltusians(5) to contain the orange entity, Ophidian.)

Embodiment: Ophidian. Has the form of an orange serpent.

Homeworld: Okaara, sector(6) 2828

Emotional Concept: Avarice

Founded: Several eons ago, before the massacre of sector 0666

Notable or Distinguishing features:

- The Orange light can only be held by one person at any given time.
- When one is killed by the wielder of the Orange light, one's identity is stolen, and becomes an avatar, an orange construct totally subservient to the will of the wielder.
- This is the only Corps. known that doesn't have an immensely large Central Power Battery, rather it has a single portable power battery used by one person
     - This power battery, upon being held, whispers things into the mind of the holder, making them immensely greedy, and consuming them in the orange light. This voice is the entity of avarice, and makes the holder crave the battery above anything else.
     - Holding the orange light also makes one bare a terrible hunger for anything and everything, requiring the individual to seek out new tastes and sensations that will never ultimately satiate them.
- The Orange light is able to sap the energy of the green light, even the immense, deific power of the Guardians. The Blue light cannot be affected by the orange.
- The Orange light is weak against itself, and can be countered by an even stronger degree of greed.

Founding History

Many millions of years ago, there existed a guild of five thieves, who were known throughout the universe as the best. Wishing never to be outdone, they created a plan to pull off the greatest robbery in the history of the Universe. Traveling to the planet Maltus, home of the Maltusians (The race from which the Oans, Zamarons, and Controllers originate), they promptly stole two items; a box, and a map which apparently lead to a great treasure. One of their members was killed on Maltus during the robbery. They followed the map, traveling to sector 2828, and to Okaara in the Vega system. On Okaara, they discovered a large, entangled forest, which they had to get through. Another one was killed by the forest, as it attempted to consume them.
A short time after they had reached the sanctuary at the centre of the forest, a force of Guardians and Manhunter androids descended upon Okaara, demanding back the map and more importantly, the box (It is revealed the box contained the fear entity, Parallax). The three remaining thieves refused, having found the orange lantern power battery inside. In a short battle, another guild member was killed, but at the same time, a number of Oans and a multitude of the Manhunters with them were killed and destroyed by the orange light. The Guardians struck a deal with the two last thieves, saying that they desired only the box back, and that they could keep the orange battery, if they stayed on Okaara forever, and that only one of them could have it. The two remaining thieves fought a vicious fight, with Larfleeze eventually winning, killing Blooch, his former comrade.
Ever since then, Larfleeze has been searching from his solitude in the sanctuary for something to satiate his hunger, and kill anyone and anything that comes near his precious Orange Battery.


Sinestro Corps. (Yellow Lantern Corps.)

Leader(s): Sinestro, (formerly) the Antimonitor

Founder(s): Sinestro, the Antimonitor

Embodiment: Parallax, has the form of a yellow, alienesque insect

Homeworld: Qward (The Antimatter equivalent of Oa) in sector -0001 (Formerly Korugar)

Emotional Concept: Fear

Founded: A short time before the Sinestro Corps. War.

Notable or Distinguishing Features:

- All Sinestro Corpsmen/women are chosen for their ability to inspire fear, and thus typically are cruel and sadistic beings.
     - The yellow is resistant to wielders of the green who have not overcome their fears.
- The yellow light may be drained by the blue

Founding History

The Sinestro Corps. was founded by Sinestro, former, and disgraced Green Lantern of Space Sector 1417, who had been banished to the Antimatter universe for having instigated a terror regime over his home planet of Korugar, and the Antimonitor, a being from the Antimatter universe who desires to absorb the many positive-matter multiverses and leave only the Antimatter universe, which he would then rule.
To achieve this, Sinestro enslaved the Weaponers of Qward, and forced them to create a yellow Central Battery, and the scores of rings that Sinestro then fed into the positive universe. The rings sought out the most vicious, sadistic being in the universe, and summoned them to Qward to be trained in the use of their new weapons of terror. Such beings included Superboy Prime, who had been imprisoned on Oa at the time, Parallax the embodiment of fear, and the Cyborg Superman, Hank Henshaw.

Green Lantern Corps.

Leader(s): The Templar Guardians (Oans)

Founder(s): The Guardians of the Universe (Oans)

Embodiment: Ion, has the form of a coy fish, occasionally  with an anglerfish-like lantern dangling from its head.

Homeworld: Oa, sector 0000

Emotional Concept: Willpower

Founded: Approximately 3 billion years prior to the Sinstro Corps. War

Notable of Distinguishing features:

- Green Lanterns display the ability to overcome great fear, and have tremendous willpower
- Green lantern Constructs are limited only by the imagination and willpower of the individual. Theoretically, this means they can do literally anything so long as they can conceive the concept of what it is they're doing.
     - The rings are restricted from doing certain things, formerly intentional killing was one of these things, and the creation of sustenance.
- The Green Lantern ring is the single most advanced weapon ever devised, having an AI that links directly to the near omnipotent records of the Book of Oa, and so long as they are charged, can do near enough anything.

Founding History

Eons ago, there evolved a race on the planet Maltus. These blue skinned, humanoid beings were the most intelligent and powerful species in the universe, however one of them, a scientist named Krona, conducted a forbidden experiment to see the beginning of the universe. The result of this experiment varies across the Green Lantern mythos, and did one or more of the following: Created the Anti-matter universe, created the concept of evil, forced the universe to be "born" 1 billion years old, and/or created the many parallel DC universes (and the being known as the Monitor). At the same time as this experiment's occurrence, a human named Volthoom arrived from an unknown origin point, and began working with the Maltusians to harness the power of the emotional spectrum. As a result, a number of the Maltusians felt responsible, punishing Krona for his actions and removing themselves to the planet Oa, the centre of the universe, where they created the Manhunter robots, and dubbed themselves the Guardians of the Universe. Feeling that emotions would hamper their pursuit of maintaining order and the good, the males of the Guardians decided to cast off their emotions by siphoning them into a device called "The Great Heart", which Volthoom used to empower himself as the "First Lantern", intending to use his new powers to rewrite the universe. The Maltusians subsequently imprisoned him, and set several of their number, known as the Templar Guardians, to watch him.
The females disagreed heavily with the siphoning of their emotions, calling it heresy, and left to become the Zamarons. Many years later, the manhunter androids, the Guardian's force for good, were reprogrammed by Krona against their creators, massacring the inhabitants of space sector 0666 before being stopped by the Guardians. The Guardians split at this time again, one group thinking they needed to rule the universe in order to keep the peace, and left to become the Controllers.
Believing the reason for the manhunter's failure was their lack of emotion, the Guardians decided to instead use sentient beings to be peacekeepers. To this end, they created the first power rings, and distributed them to a small number of individuals. About 1000 years before the present, the Guardians attempted to use their Corps. to stop the tyrant, Darkseid, but their assigned Lantern failed, remarking that to stop Darkseid, the Guardians required an army.
The Guardians approved of a large recruitment drive, having 3600 soldiers, one for each space sector. Just before the Sinestro Corps. War, they increased this number again to 7200, two per sector.

Recently, the Guardians of the Universe, possibly maddened by present events, decided to annul life throughout the universe in favour of their "Third Army", and used the imprisoned First Lantern to give them the power to do it. The First Lantern escaped however, and after his defeat, the Guardians were slaughtered by Sinestro whilst in a depowered form.
The Guardians who had overseen Volthoom's imprisonment took up the mantle of Guardians, and apparently lead the Corps. with love, compassion, and hope.


Blue Lantern Corps

Leader(s): Saint Walker

Founder(s): Ganthet and Sayd

Embodiment: Adara. Has the form of a bird with a single head and multiple faces.

Homeworld: Odym, sector 2682 (conquered by the Reach. Homeworld relocated)

Emotional Concept: Hope

Founded: At the end of the Sinestro Corps. War

Notable or Distinguishing Features:

- The Blue light is the most powerful and resilient of the EES.
- The Blue light can do very little, however, without the presence of a Green Lantern.
- The Blue lantern rings do not require charging as such, that is to say, not necessarily via a personal power battery like most other Corps., they need only themselves or someone nearby to feel hope. With enough people around feeling hope, they have the power to reverse the age of stars.
- The Blue light is able to resist the orange, subdue the red, drain the yellow, and increase the power of the green. It's effects on Indigo and Violet have yet to be tested.
- A Blue Lantern is less of an enforcer, more of a spiritual defender. Each Lantern was brought to Odym by the Lantern of the previous sector (for example, the Lantern of sector 0003, would select the Lantern of sector 0004, and so on), or by the Lantern that was last chosen. The Lantern is then given a 3 day long explanation by Ganthet and Sayd about what it means to wield hope, and are then bestowed a ring by them if they accept the responsibility.
- Blue Lantern Constructs more often take a form based on the psychosis of the person it is being used upon, though the energy can be bent into the desired from of the user if they have mastered hope.
- Most Blue Lanterns can augment their personal auras into fists and armour for the purposes of defence of attack.

Founding History

The Blue Lantern Corps. was founded immediately after the Battle of Earth during the Sinestro Corps. War, when the Guardians of the Universe, Ganthet and Sayd, travelled to the world of Odym. Having been banished from the Guardian Council by the other Guardians of the Universe for acting on emotion (the Guardians considered this the greatest betrayal), and for apparently harbouring romantic feelings for each other, the two former Guardians traveled to Earth, and upon Parallax's defeat by the Earth Green Lanterns, divided the fear entity into four, and sealed each part within the Earth Lantern's four personal power batteries for safe keeping.
Ganthet and Sayd explained much of the current situation to Hal Jordan, then journeyed to Odym, where they evolved together into the Guardians of Hope. It is currently unknown exactly how, but they built the Blue Lantern Central Power Battery, and forged the blue rings.


Indigo Tribe

Leader(s): Indigo-1

Founder: Natromo and Abin Sur

Embodiment: Proselyte. Has the form of an indigo cephalopod, possibly an octopus.

Homeworld: Nok

Emotional Concept: Compassion

Founded: During the lifetime of Abin Sur

Notable or Distinguishing Feature:

- Indigo Lanterns are not a Corps. as such, more a tribe, or family of nomads.
- Indigo Lanterns, or at least their leader Indigo-1, seem to bear rings, but do not use them like the other Corps. do. Instead, they utilise the Indigo light via coral-like Power Staffs
- The Indigo tribe is not particularly interested in the War of Light, more they are concerned with life, and preventing the Blackest Night.
- Neither good, nor evil, the Indigo tribe is a Corps. interested in goals, rather than means.
- The Indigo Tribe is made up of beings in need of redemption, and is composed of criminals and other being inimical to society, in order to be instilled with compassion for others. Eventually, they can remove the rings with their empathy and compassion naturally in place.

Founding History

The Indigo Tribe was forged by a being named Natramo, and Abin Sur. Abin subdued the criminal, Iroque, whom had murdered Abin's child in cold blooded revenge, and brought her to the planet Nok, where there existed a form of metal that could induce increased levels of empathy and compassion. Natramo, the last known indigenous lifeform on the planet, agreed to form the Indigo Tribe in order to redeem Iroque and other individuals.
Natramo explained that the main purpose of the tribe was to be used on the Guardians of the Universe. Part of the prophecy given to him by the Five Inversions, was that the Guardians would eventually go mad, and betray their ancient duty, and the Indigo Tribe was forged to redeem them.


Star Sapphire Corps. (Violet Lantern Corps.)

Leader(s): The Zamarons

Founder(s): Zamarons

Embodiment: The Predator. Has the form of an alienesque sauropod.

Homeworld: Zamaron, sector 1416

Emotional Concept: Love

Founded: Just previously to the Sinestro Corps. War

Notable or Distinguishing Features:

- The Star Sapphires are named after the element that gives them their power; that of the Star Sapphire, a precious, parasitic jewel that was first found by the Zamarons in a cave on the planet Zamaron, encroaching on the corpses of two dead lovers.
- The Central Power Battery, unlike those of the other Corps., is made up of a giant crystal in the shape of a lantern.
- Star Sapphires can fire energy beams and constructs like that of other Corps., however they also cause Star Sapphire crystals to form to create solid objects, such as prison cages.
- The Star Sapphire Corps. is on the far end of the emotional spectrum, making all of their members obsessed with love in the universe, giving them an almost simplistic view of how things could and should be.

Founding History

Many eons ago, the female Guardians (before the Guardians rebirth nearer to the present where they were reborn as both male and female) left the Guardians on Oa because they refused to give up their emotions, calling it heresy. They journeyed to Zamaron, where they found two corpses of a pair of dead lovers in a cave, covered in a living, parasitic crystal. The crystal was formed, apparently, from the dying love of the two beings (they were later discovered to be Khufu and Chay-ara, the original Egyptian hawkman and woman). Up until just before the Sinestro Corps. War, the Zamarons repeatedly tinkered and experimented with using the crystal in some way, occasionally sending it to Earth, where it would possess a woman (Carol Ferris usually).
More recently, the Zamarons forced a choice on Green Lantern Hal Jordan, to choose between Cowgirl and Carol Ferris, implying whichever he chose would be taken by the crystal again, both having previously been possessed. Hal tricked the Zamarons, indicating that he loved the leader, and the crystal immediately latched onto her.
After this excursion, the Zamarons concluded that the crystal was too powerful and possessive to be used by one single person. They thus decided to create their own Lantern Corps., rallying allies such as the Predator Entity, the embodiment of love, and erecting a Central Power Battery of the Violet light on Zamaron, with the two corpses of the dead lovers as its core.


Black Lantern Corps.

Leader(s): Nekron

Founder(s): Scar and Black Hand.

Embodiment: Black Hand

Homeworld: Ryut, sector 0666

Emotional concept: Lack thereof/ Death

Founded: Just after the Battle of Earth during the Sinestro Corps. War

Notable or Distinguishing Features:

- All members of the Black Lantern Corps. are dead, and have been resurrected, completely subservient to the will of Nekron, lord of the dead.
- The Black Lanterns can fire energy blasts, like all lantern corps., though usually they spew black ooze of an unknown composition.
- Black Lanterns can seemingly only be killed by combining two or more emotional lights.
- All Black Lanterns are capable of seeing the emotions most prevalent in an individual, and seek to raise these emotions to their peak. Once this has occurred, they rip out the individual's heart, and absorb the emotions to charge the Central Power Battery on Ryut.
- The rings of the Black Lanterns are not technological, more they are honeycomb-like, the same as darkmatter, and do not hold energy, more they transfer it to another point.

Founding History

A short time ago, the Maltusian scientist Krona was killed. As an immortal, this caused a slight paradox, and opened a viewing from the realm of the dead to the living, positive matter universe. Upon seeing it, the Lord of the Dead, Nekron, wanted it. He made a previous attempt, only to be stopped by the Guardians of the Universe.
During the Sinestro Corps. War, the Guardians teleported to Earth, and unveiled the new Ion. Instantly afterwards, they attacked the Antimonitor, angry that they had been rendered useless in his last bid to destroy the multiverse. During the fight, the Antimonitor losing, he grasped one of the Guardians, and burned her horribly with his touch (his entirety being composed of Antimatter). The Guardian was killed but remained animated by the power of Nekron, to be used in creating the Black lantern Corps. Becoming increasingly secretive to her fellow Guardians, she wrote the Book of the Black, and secretly fanned the flames to the War of Light. At the same time, she ordered the Green lanterns Ash, and Saarek, to locate the corpse of the Antimonitor. During the Sinestro Corps. War, the Antimonitor was hurled across space by Superboy prime, and landed on Ryut, where he was encased in the Black Central Power Battery, too weak to defend himself.
During the outbreak of the War of Light, Scar seeks out Black Hand on Earth, and tells him to kill his family, and then himself. She then spews up a Black Lantern Ring, and resurrects him with it, making him the true embodiment of Death.
After the main outbreak of battles between the various Lantern Corps., the Black Central Power Battery casts thousands of Rings across the universe, at which point Scar shows her true colours to her fellow Guardians, killing one viciously by ripping out his heart, and taking the others captive and holding them on Ryut.

White Lantern Corps.

Leader(s): Kyle Rayner

Founder(s): N/A

Embodiment: The Entity

Homeworld: None

Emotional concept: Life

Founded: During the Blackest Night

Notable or Distinguishing Features:

- White lanterns are properly created by being able to utilise every emotional concept, although can be temporarily wielded if embodying the Entity.
- There is no fixed purpose or intention for the White Lantern Corps except fro spreading life. The will of the Entity is often obscure or secretive.


History:

At the beginning of the universe, there was "nothing". For an unexplained reason, the Entity appeared and caused the creation of reality, forming matter, energy, etc. Many years later, when the Guardians of the Universe had evolved and learned enough to be aware of the Entity and its purpose, they imprisoned it on Earth, its origin point, and drew attention away from it by claiming their authority on Oa, thus attracting attention to themselves.
During the Blackest Night, the Entity was found by Nekron, who attempted to destroy it, but was thwarted. The Entity subsequently disappeared.
During the Rise of the Third Army, Kyle Rayner managed to utilise every part of the emotional spectrum, and became the first self-created White Lantern, and the only member of the extant Corps.



Definitions:

Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum: The EES is a spectrum of 7 colours that each represent a different emotion that express themselves most prevalently in sentient life. These 7 concepts have a Lantern Corps. each, and have a colour associated with it. These colours and concepts are explained at the top of the essay.
It is claimed by the being, Relic, that the EES is a finite resevoir of energy that powers the universe, and that once it's gone, the universe ends.

Guardians of the Universe: A group from a race known as the Maltusians. They founded the Green Lantern Corps. several billion years ago, and possess the ability to generate and manipulate the Green Energy of Willpower, which they call "The Glow", giving them the powers of gods. In terms of their species designation, they are known as Oans, as they colonised the planet Oa when they began their campaign against evil. They are very secretive, wise, and powerful, though have a tendency to try and see everything from a logical point of view, rather than a practical point of view, making some of their decisions shaky or flawed in the long term sense.
Their secretiveness and desire to control almost all functions of their Corps. have led some Lanterns, such as Hal Jordan, to consider their word untrustworthy, as they almost always hold back information. Ganthet, a former Guardian of the Universe, is the only Guardian who Hal fully trusted, as he (Ganthet) is far more open with him.
The Guardians have recently been replaced by the Templar Guardians.

Zamarons: The females of the Maltusians that attempted to oppose the evil in the universe. They later gave up on this when the Guardians decided to rid themselves of emotion, and decided that they would not concern themselves with the Universe's problems

Sinestro Corps. War: A war that broke out between the Green Lantern Corps. and the Sinestro Corps. that marked the beginning of the War of Light, and the first prelude to the Blackest Night.

Maltusians: The first race to evolve in the universe, they at some point evolved into highly intelligent, incredibly powerful beings. They conducted experiments on many branches of life, technology, and the universe, eventually one of their scientists conducting a forbidden experiment that lead to the forming of the Guardians of the Universe. They were/are tall, blue skinned, and black haired, though later the Guardians would evolve into short, lighter blue skinned, and white haired beings. The Controllers would evolve into pink skinned, bald beings, and the Zamarons would become lighter skinned, and more alien oriented in their facial features.

Space sector: Space Sector refers to one of the 3600 sectors the Guardians of the Universe divided the universe into. Each sector is assigned, currently, two Green Lanterns who maintain peace within that sector. At least two others, the Sinestro Corps. and the Blue Lantern Corps. utilise the same system to disperse their own corpsmen across the cosmos.