Kyle Rayner may have had his doubters when he took up the mantle of Green Lantern, but no one defends his work more than the man who preceded him, Hal Jordan.
Far from the first Earthling to become a protector of Sector 2814, Kyle made a notable splash in comics when he became Green Lantern. Hal Jordan, who was heartbroken after his hometown was destroyed, killed other Corps members and the leaders of the Green Lanterns, the Guardians of the Universe, as a result of his anguish. Such a dramatic change in status quo was followed up by the last remaining Guardian, Ganthet, recruiting Kyle to carry on as the Green Light of Will’s sole bearer. Kyle faced criticisms both in-universe and in real life for being an unprepared and unworthy Green Lantern.
But the man who once destroyed the Corps won’t hear any insults to Rayner’s honor. In Green Lantern: Rebirth #5 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, Hal Jordan confronts Sinestro for the first time since the Green Lantern went rogue. The two slug it out as they replay their history with one another over and over again. Sinestro proclaims that he’s influenced the fear entity Parallax (the same being that pushed Hal to lose his mind) to attack the Earth. The villain gleefully tells Hal that after Parallax has laid waste to Earth, he’s going to kill Kyle Rayner, the “alley rat” that’s plagued Sinestro as much as Jordan has. Hal defends Kyle, saying that he “held the torch when no one else did. When no one else could.“
To make the moment even better, Kyle comes in and helps Hal finish off Sinestro and the Green Lanterns finally have their first official meeting. The line is a fantastic acknowledgement of the burden that was placed on Rayner’s shoulders when the Corps was destroyed and how he rose to the occasion. Dialogue like this serves as a good bit of meta commentary on the important role legacy characters can play in stories.
Comic books are no stranger to massive changes in status quo, but fans tend to balk at different directions. New characters can be made with the best of intentions, but there’s no guarantee they won’t be met with criticism at best and outright rejection at worst. Kyle came into the DC Universe at a time of radical change, so it’s no surprise that some fans may have had some hard feelings about him. But Jordan’s defense of Rayner reminds fans that he kept the story going when the absolute worst had happened. Despite the awfulness, Kyle kept the property alive in the same way he kept the Corps alive. Hal Jordan raises a fantastic point when he says that the scrappiest Green Lantern deserves respect.
