Some background first:

Green Lantern is one of my favourite characters from DC. In fact, through him I was re-introduced to the ever-expanding multiverse of DC Comics. I read a lot on his character, from the 1940s Golden Age Alan Scott, through the 1960s Silver Age Hal Jordan, to John Stewart, Parallax, Kyle Rayner, Hal Jordan’s Rebirth, the Sinestro Corps War, etc. I am by no means an expert on the character (not even close) but I think it’s fair to say that Green Lantern, particularly Hal Jordan as Green Lantern, hasn’t been done justice in the big or small screen.

Both in the 2011 movie as in WB’s recent animated features, I was left with the impression of a Hal Jordan who is a bit of a smart ass and, why not, not too bright at times. He’s certainly dumber than I remember him to be during the Silver Age, though to be fair heroes during the Silver Age where all incredibly smart. He’s not even close to his depiction in more recent events like Green Lantern Rebirth (the 2004-2005 version, not the 2016 one) and The Sinestro Corps War. The Hal Jordan I remember was a more stoic character, smart, embodying the very ideals of what the Green Lantern Corps stood for, to the point that he became, in fact, a symbol of the Corps.

I only bring this up because I would like to see this character on the big screen done justice, and for a while now I have been toying with an idea to re-introduce the character of Hal Jordan without delving into his origin story once more (although Batman does this every time a new movie comes out). The way it occurred to me to do this was through another Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner.

If you’re not familiar with Kyle Rayner, that’s okay. In fact, some people probably don’t know who Hal Jordan is either. If you grew up with the Justice League cartoons, odds are your Green Lantern is John Stewart and you’re wondering why he hasn’t been cast as Green Lantern yet. Anyway, back to Kyle Rayner and some serious spoilers if you’re unfamiliar with Hal Jordan’s story…

Still here? Did I mention there would be spoilers? Fine.

A long time ago, in a galaxy not that far away, Hal Jordan’s hometown, Coast City, was destroyed by Mongul. This was during that time that Superman had sort of died but then come back, DC had decided to be edgy, upturn the status quo, and maybe boost sales while they were at it. After killing off Superman, turning Hal Jordan into a supervillain seemed like the next logical step for DC. Therefore, Hal, mad with grief, decided to use the ring to reconstruct the city and was admonished by the Guardians for trying to use the ring for personal reasons. This didn’t sit well with Hal who decided to have a little chat with his bosses. Unfortunately, they had a busy schedule and sent a few other Green Lanterns to make sure he didn’t get to Oa. Long story short, Hal killed a bunch of Green Lanterns, absorbed the energy of the Central Battery, killed the Guardians, and became Parallax!

How does this relate to Kyle Rayner? Well, it turned out not all of the Guardians had died. One of them, by the name of Ganthet, had survived and travelled to Earth to give the last Power Ring to a young artist named Kyle Rayner. Kyle had a very rough time as a Green Lantern seeing as he was the last member of an intergalactic police force who was no longer around to keep the universe safe. A tremendous burden was thus placed on him but he rose to the task admirably, eventually rebuilding the Green Lantern Corps and giving birth to a new generation of Guardians.

Then in 2004-2005′s Green Lantern Rebirth, Geoff Johns decided to bring Hal back. It was not an easy task considering Hal, as Parallax, had single-handedly destroyed the Corps. It’s true that he later re-ignited the Sun and saved Earth, and even became Spectre for a while, but even so he wasn’t a very popular guy. So Geoff Johns went about fixing this while providing a number of explanations in the process. It turned out Hal hadn’t really gone rogue but had in fact been infected by an alien parasite called Parallax that had been trapped in the Central Power Battery since time immemorial. This entity was yellow in color and fed on fear what explained both why the Power Rings were weakened against the color yellow and why the Green Lanterns had to be chosen from among those beings who could overcome great fear.

It was Kyle Rayner who discovered the truth about Parallax and, at the behest of Ganthet, retrieved Hal Jordan’s body to try and resurrect him. It’s a pretty neat story, you should give it a read if you have the time. Do bear in mind that it does portray Jordan as this godly figure who can do no wrong and tries to absolve him of his crimes by re-inventing Parallax. Furthermore, John Stewart stands up for Hal’s actions time and again but that sort of balances out with interventions from Guy Gardner and Batman.

Why did I tell you all of this? Because my story takes all these elements (and then some) and re-arranges them somewhat.

The story:

This Green Lantern story starts in the nearby future, a future where Hal Jordan has been infected by Parallax and has wreaked havoc across the universe. The Green Lantern Corps has been decimated and Kyle Rayner, who embodies the power of Ion, is the last of its members. The movie begins with a colossal battle between Parallax and Ion. Parallax is rapidly approaching Earth to conquer/destroy it and Kyle is doing his best to stop him, but it’s an uphill battle. This is Parallax at the height of his power, having conquered/consumed thousands of planets, and Kyle is forced to retreat to Earth. That leaves the Justice League as the last line of defense and while they also put up a good fight it’s clear to Batman that they don’t stand a chance. Therefore, he enacts one of his many backup plans: Kyle must use the power of Ion to travel back in time and warn the Guardians of the return of Parallax before he latches on to Hal Jordan as its host. The reason why Batman didn’t enact this plan sooner is because he was wary of the ripples their messing with time would create. If this story were to happen after, say, Flashpoint, it would give even more weight to this stubborn refusal of his.

Batman’s plan goes without a hitch and Kyle travels back in time but in so doing loses most of his powers as Ion and becomes a Green Lantern once again. He reaches Oa (much to the surprise of the Corps who have never seen a human Lantern) but he has some explaining to do since the ring identifies him as the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, which is currently under the protection of Abin Sur, who has been missing for a while.

The Guardians being the Guardians, they keep the proceedings a secret from the Corps but do however summon Abin Sur (through the ring) and Sinestro (who’s on Oa), his closest friend. Sinestro is wary of the reason behind the summons because he knows his friend has been investigating matters that the Guardians don’t approve of (namely, why the Power Rings’ sole weakness is the color yellow) so when the Guardians demand the location of Abin Sur Sinestro simply tells them he’s investigating a matter of grave importance and that he’s unaware of his whereabouts. The Guardians dismiss him and bring in Kyle Rayner, who, with the help of his Power Ring, proceeds to tell them about Parallax and the fall of the Corps. This strikes a cord with the Guardians since they’d been keeping Parallax under wraps for a long time so they place Kyle in a cell until they decide how best to proceed (it should be noted it’s a specially designed cell since they are unable to remove the Power Ring from his hand).

What follows is politics at its finest, with some Guardians being partial to ignoring the whole thing. After all, Parallax has been dormant inside the Central Power Battery for a while and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Ganthet however, vehemently argues that they cannot keep the secret for long and that perhaps it is time the Corps knew the truth about Parallax. Most of the Guardians are against this idea, fearful that might bring about Parallax’s return even sooner. Then one of the Guardians suggests a compromise, what if they stop Hal Jordan from becoming a Green Lantern? The debate resumes once more. Some propose the best way to do this would be to eliminate Hal Jordan (something Ganthet vehemently opposes) while others suggest they merely have to prevent the events that lead to his being chosen by the ring from coming to pass. They all agree on one thing however, if they are to stop Jordan from becoming a Lantern, they need to know exactly how he became one, so they bring back Kyle and inquire as to this point.

Kyle remains silent. He had been warned by Batman that this subject might come up and the dark knight had been adamant that Kyle shouldn’t discuss it. He had been very blunt about it too. While one of the reasons behind keeping the information a secret was so as to keep their intervention to a minimum the other, most pressing, one was because Batman himself had considered eliminating Jordan. Eventually, the League decided against this alternative and opted to warn the Guardians but the possibility had been considered then as it was being considered now.

Some of the Guardians try to mentally pressure Kyle into giving up this valuable piece of information but Kyle’s will proves to be too stubborn to bend so easily. Not for nothing he had been the last of the Green Lanterns and embodied the power of Ion. Thus Kyle is sent back to his cell as the Guardians continue to ponder the matter.

In the meantime, Abin Sur has returned to Oa to answer the Guardians’ summons and is intercepted by Sinestro who fills him in on the human Lantern’s mysterious appearance and even stranger story (it’s Sinestro; he would’ve found a way to keep tabs on Rayner’s audience with the Guardians). Abin poses that the Guardians might want to kill Jordan to prevent him from becoming Parallax but Sinestro doubts they’d go that far. Nonetheless, Abin secures Sinestro’s promise to travel to Earth, find Hal Jordan, and protect him if need be. Abin Sur then goes to meet the Guardians.

At the same time, Parallax has slowly awaken from his slumber, an event brought about by the Guardians’ own fears of his return. He’s still weak, so he searches for a host, and finds Abin Sur to be the best candidate given his doubts and misgivings about the yellow impurity. Through him Parallax learns of Jordan and how the two became unstoppable, destroying the Corps and making the universe tremble at the name of Parallax. Naturally, the yellow entity is very keen on meeting this human but he must first escape his prison. He manipulates Abin Sur into verifying that Parallax is still trapped inside the Central Power Battery and when Abin steps inside the threshold he strikes, merging with the Lantern, unbeknownst to the latter.

Since Abin is unaware of the merger he is dismayed to find that the entity known as Parallax is not inside the Power Battery. He throws caution to the wind and comes clean on his investigation about the yellow impurity and reveals that Parallax is gone. The Guardians suspect a Lantern must’ve been involved and, wouldn’t you know it, Sinestro had been listening in on their conversation with Kyle. When Abin further reveals he had sent Sinestro to Earth to protect Jordan the Guardians are almost certain that Abin has been duped by Sinestro/Parallax (hint: the Guardians don’t like Sinestro very much). Abin himself now doubts whether his friend didn’t really orchestrate the whole thing.

The Guardians now resolve, almost unanimously (save Ganthet), to send Abin Sur, their best Green Lantern, to apprehend the entity known as Parallax and, failing that, to kill Hal Jordan before he is taken over by the alien entity (they still want to keep the matter under wraps which is why they don’t send the Corps after Parallax; also, they reason Parallax is not yet strong enough that he can’t be captured by a single Green Lantern). Abin Sur reluctantly agrees. Ganthet, unsure but wary of all the recent developments decides to trust himself (from the other universe) and secretly releases Kyle, asking him to travel to Earth and protect Hal Jordan at all costs. Kyle heartily agrees.

A few things have been happening on Earth meanwhile. We’re introduced to Hal Jordan’s life as a test pilot but, as they say, the devil is in the details and not everything is as we know from the classic origin story. For one, Ferris Air has recently completed a partnership with Wayne Enterprises that will take care of its financial/legal issues (there should probably be a scene with Carol Ferris and Bruce Wayne meeting to finalize the deal). Thomas Kalmaku is still Hal’s engineer but there’s another guy working there by the name of Barry Allen, a young up-and-coming engineer from Wayne Enterprises who’s working with Kalmaku.



Like in Green Lantern Rebirth, Sinestro presents himself to Jordan while the latter’s flying a test plane. The test plane crashes against Sinestro who looks undisturbed and simply flies Jordan away to a secluded place in the desert. It’s an awkward encounter as Jordan is stunned at the sudden appearance of the alien and Sinestro doesn’t really know what to say. As he ponders his next move Sinestro tells Jordan a bit about the Green Lantern Corps, quickly turning surprise into curiosity as Jordan inquires more about the Corps, the Guardians, and the Power Rings. Meanwhile, another person who witnessed the alien’s appearance and the plane’s subsequent crash makes a phone call. That person is The Flash.

Abin Sur promptly arrives at Sinestro’s location, much to the latter’s relief who’s about had it with Jordan’s questions. However, now convinced that Sinestro is Parallax, the Ungaran does battle with him as willpower constructs are created and destroyed across the desert landscape. They exchange words as well as blows and Sinestro thus learns that Abin believes him to be Parallax and has been instructed by the Guardians to apprehend him. Reason and anger battle inside Sinestro as he’s confronted by the notion that the Guardians have brainwashed his friend and turned him against him. His constructs grow more fierce, reinforcing Abin’s perception, who draws on more power to defeat his friend. While Sinestro tries to rein in his anger, Abin is now plagued by visions of what will happen should he lose and draws even more power from Parallax to emerge victorious. He’s on the verge of killing his former friend when Kyle Rayner joins the fray. Having battled Parallax before, Kyle realizes the truth and Abin/Parallax now abandons all pretense. Parallax has taken over, and Kyle joins forces with Sinestro as even more willpower constructs take over the landscape.

Unfortunately, Parallax is just too powerful. With Sinestro already weakened from his previous fight and Kyle having endured numerous sessions where the Guardians tried to break his will the outcome is forfeit. Sinestro goes down first, seriously injured. Kyle continues to do battle and is mortally wounded by Parallax. At this exact moment the Justice League makes its appearance as The Flash, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (you can throw in Cyborg and Aquaman too if you want) engage the fear entity in all its glory.



The reason behind the JL’s appearance is quite simple actually. Batman being Batman he had anticipated that the Guardians might imprison Kyle and decide that killing Hal Jordan would be easier than admitting the truth about Parallax and finding a more impregnable prison for him. As such, while he sent Kyle to do his thing he also asked The Flash to deliver a message to his past self. This is the reason why Wayne Enterprises saved Ferris Air from financial ruin and Barry got a job as an engineer there, so Batman could keep an eye on Hal until the time was right.

The rest, as they say, is history. In his dying gasps Kyle gives his ring to Hal who doubts he has what it takes to be a Green Lantern. Kyle however, reassures him and tells him he has faith that Hal will become the Corps’ brightest light.

Hal makes the pledge, takes the ring, and is reborn as a Green Lantern. The fearless test pilot joins the fight with powerful, precise, constructs that support the League’s actions at every turn. Whenever Parallax is about to overcome one of the League Hal has already willed a construct to thwart the yellow entity. The League also receives unexpected help from a group of Green Lanterns sent by Ganthet to support Rayner, which includes Lanterns such as Kilowog and Tomar-Re. Sinestro joins the fray as well. The Lanterns rally around Jordan, syncing their efforts and constructs, defeating Parallax and sending him back to his prison on Oa.



Cut to Oa some days/weeks later. We see the Corps holding a memorial service for their fallen comrades: Abin Sur, protector of Sector 2814 and one of the Corps’ brightest lights; and Kyle Rayner, the Lantern from the future. The Guardians are presiding the ceremony. Most members of the Justice League are there as well paying their respects and so is Jordan who has begun training under Kilowog and Sinestro. Batman is not present at the service. Wonder Woman later finds him alone, standing over Rayner’s memorial. I figure this is how their conversation would go.

Bruce: “I killed him, you know.”

Diana, confused: “This was not your fault.”

Bruce: “Oh, but it was. I have been going over my plan, that is, the plan from my future self, for the past few days. At first I thought it made sense…”

Diana: “Because it did.”

Bruce: “But it didn’t. I kept wondering why I sent Rayner to Oa, alone, and asked Barry to deliver that message.”

Diana remains silent and lets Bruce continue.

Bruce: “I know me, I know how I think, and I know what he thought. I couldn’t leave it to chance. The fate of the universe resting on a kid’s shoulders? Ludicrous. I had to find a way to make Parallax resurface earlier, before he had taken over Jordan. So I sent Rayner back, knowing the Guardians’ fear would be enough to awaken Parallax. They would also try to keep the secret, imprisoning Kyle, thus ensuring he wouldn’t further pollute the timeline. But this time, when Parallax went after Jordan, the Justice League would be there to stop him. I would be there to stop him.”

Diana is stunned. A mixture of emotions rage across her face: surprise, sadness, anger, disappointment.

Bruce: “I used him as bait.”

Diana loses it and slaps Bruce in the face. Bruce doesn’t even flinch.

Diana, almost in agony now: “Why?!”

Bruce, stoic: “Because I’m me.”

Diana: “I thought you could change.”

Bruce: “So did I.”

The two remain silent for a while and then Bruce starts fiddling with a small trinket, a ring.

Diana: “Is that…”

Bruce: “His Power Ring.”

Diana: “But I thought…”

Bruce: “The Guardians decided to pass Abin Sur’s ring to Hal and keep Rayner’s for study.”

Diana: “But then how…”

Bruce: “Let’s just say one of the Guardians agreed it would be best for me to keep it.”

Diana, hard: “What are you going to do with it?”

Bruce, looking back at the memorial: “There may come a time when the Corps needs a new light. And I believe I have the perfect candidate.”

Diana, smiling now: “I believe that too.”

Diana kisses Bruce on the cheek and leaves. Bruce gives her a sad smile and remains. He takes a letter from his coat’s pocket and reads it again, for the umpteenth time. It was his plan, the one from his future self. It had a single line, “Kill Hal Jordan.” Bruce takes out a lighter and burns the letter. Maybe he could change after all.

Final thoughts:

Phew, I hope you liked reading that ‘cause I sure had a fun time writing it. I will readily admit most of the action takes place at the beginning and at the end. The middle would play more like a thriller as we’re shown a few scenes of Abin Sur’s investigation of the yellow impurity (maybe a version of Atrocitus’ prophecy) and, through clever editing and dialogue, are kept guessing as to who is the real Parallax, Abin Sur or Sinestro? Also, as the Guardians question Kyle we can show scenes of the timeline he comes from, how the Corps was defeated, how he became a Green Lantern, etc.

I think it’s a neat way of re-introducing us to the universe of the Green Lantern Corps without defaulting to Hal Jordan’s classic origin story. In fact, with this setup we can ignore most of his training as we’ll assume he’s already a full-fledged Lantern for the next instalment. Plus, we’ve planted further seeds on Sinestro’s mind about whether his bosses are the right protectors for this universe, not to mention Ganthet’s already not seeing eye to eye with the rest of the Guardians. However, and at the risk of sounding proud, I do believe that last scene between Bruce and Diana should remain mostly unaltered. It opens a small window into the intricate labyrinth that is Batman’s mind and suggests there may be something going on with Wonder Woman too.

One last thing. I would definitely recast Mark Strong as Sinestro. He gives off this vibe that he can be a bad guy, yes, but a bad guy that truly believes he’s doing what is best for the universe without descending into caricaturesque villainy.

Will this become a movie? Probably not, but maybe it inspires someone to draw up a comic? I for one would be keen on reading it. Hmm… maybe I can get around to writing a few chapters. See you around!