Warning: Spoilers for Kneel Before Zod (2024) #7 ahead!While the Guardians of Oa certainly have their faults, it is indisputable that their Green Lanterns have produced some of the most powerful figures in the DC Universe. Of these elite forces, however, few of them compare to the might of the oldest Green Lantern in existence – a figure who has just returned to comics in the most unexpected way.

Kneel Before Zod #7 – written by Joe Casey, with art by Dan McDaid – continues the Kryptonian warlord’s increasingly strange misadventures, as General Zod finds himself in command of a prison ship. One of the prisoners – the supervillain Emerald Empress – rampages through the corridors with her weapon, the Emerald Eye of Ekron. Before Zod can properly confront her, a massive space-faring head attacks the ship, adding to the chaos.

Continuity-keen readers will recognize this head as Ekron, drawn toward his missing eye; sure enough, after consuming Zod, the Empress, and restoring his eye to its socket, Ekron departs.

DC’s Massively Powerful Green Lantern EKRON Makes A Triumphant Return

Kneel Before Zod #7 – Written By Joe Casey; Art By Dan McDaid, David Baron, & Troy Petari

Ekron and his eye have one of the most fascinating and convoluted histories in all of DC. Traditionally the weapon of the Emerald Empress, the eye first appeared in Adventure Comics (1938) #352, in the Legion of Super-Heroes’ far-off future, as an artifact of immense power which the Empress discovered in the ruins of the planet Venegar. It wasn’t until much later, in 52 (2006) #20, that Ekron’s head was reintroduced as a massive Green Lantern construct, piloted by the Green Lantern of Venegar’s sector.

As for the Eye itself, it has proven to be a weapon of immense power. At its most basic, the Eye can unleash devastating energy blasts, and it has also been shown to manipulate energy similarly to a Green Lantern’s ring. The Eye also is capable of emitting significant psionic influence, compelling others to bear it while driving its bearers toward madness and destruction. Legion of Super-Heroes Annual (2010) #1 features an excellent showcase of the Eye’s raw power, showing how it is nigh indestructible and capable of exerting influence on a planetary scale.

Ekron Regaining His Eye Could Have Major Implications For The DC Universe

The Ekron Era Begins

All of this history charts a fascinating timeline for Ekron. As of Kneel Before Zod #7, Ekron has re-obtained his eye in the present; meanwhile, DC canon dictates that the Eye will be buried in an ancient temple in the Legion’s distant future. This means that there is currently an approximately thousand-year span of time that is unaccounted for in which Ekron possesses both eyes and commands his full power. Ekron is one of the Green Lantern’s most powerful and enigmatic figures – and now it seems his reign has just begun.