It seems that the true threat people need to fear isn’t a rogue Superman, but an out of control Green Lantern. The fallen Lantern Sinestro gives insight into the true curse of a Green Lantern’s Power Ring and how it could spell trouble for Earth.
He might be one of the most gallant protectors of the DC Universe, but the idea of a Superman going evil is an idea few want to entertain. With his tremendous power, not only would the Man of Steel be able to do devastating things in record time, there would be few members of the Justice League capable of stopping him. Even kryptonite, red sun radiation generators, and an army of magic users would find difficulty in reining in an out of control Clark Kent. While Superman has shown no indication that this could actually happen, the fear of the Kryptonian losing it and going on a rampage still frightens some.
But the real threat might not even be coming from Superman, but his League teammate, Green Lantern. The former Green Lantern, Sinestro, explained how in Green Lantern Corps #14 by Dave Gibbons, Patrick Gleason, and Angel Unzueta. The DC Universe is under assault by the Sinestro Corps, and Green Lantern Soranik Natu has ventured to Korugar, both her and Sinestro’s home planet, in order to keep peace. Unfortunately, Sinestro is already there, and he puts up a powerful fight against the junior Lantern. However, despite having the advantage, Sinestro informs Soranik that he plans on keeping her alive, knowing that a perceived victory against him will inspire Korugar to make the Green Lantern their most depended-on figure again. According to Sinestro, the true curse of a Green Lantern is knowing that they alone can save their world.
Green Lanterns Have A Curse That Superman Doesn’t
Of course, only Sinestro could see being a Green Lantern as a curse. After all, he was booted from the Corps following the discovery of him abusing his power in order to create a totalitarian regime on Korugar. His expulsion from the Green Lanterns was one of his biggest motivating factors that led him to creating the Sinestro Corps. But despite his past actions, Sinestro seems to think that his overt desire for control was actually a byproduct of being a Green Lantern.
Superman turning evil is such an incomprehensible idea it’s almost ridiculous considering he’s practically a multiversal paragon of goodness. But endless power being able to corrupt a Green Lantern is a much more likely scenario. Sinestro raises a good point that if a Lantern’s world begs or demands their help, it’s very likely that a Lantern would do so since they have a personal connection. But with all that power and trust, it’s not unthinkable that someone could easily turn to the dark side in order to try and establish peace, especially when they have one of the DCU’s most powerful artifacts. Superman breaking bad is scary, but a Green Lantern imposing their will in the name of justice is downright terrifying.
