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Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "With great power comes great responsibility."
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| “ | In brightest day, In blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, Beware my power... Green Lantern's light! |
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| ~ The Green Lantern Corps' creed while utilizing their namesake Power Rings. |
The Green Lantern Power Ring is one of the major aspects in DC Comics. It is worn by many warriors of the Green Lantern Corps.
Overview[]
A Green Lantern Ring, also known as a Power Ring, is a piece of jewelry that grants the wearer incredible and incomprehensible powers and abilities by harnessing willpower. They are considered by some to be the most powerful weapons in the known universe. Depending on the skill and willpower of the wearer, it can do almost anything. The first Green Lantern Ring on Earth in modern times was crafted and worn by Alan Scott and powered by the mystical Starheart. His proved to be the exception, the by-product of the efforts of the Guardians of the Universe to contain the magic of the universe. The Guardians also created the more widespread version, powered by individual Green Lantern Power Batteries through a connection to the Central Power Battery on Oa. With the exception of the ring worn by Alan Scott, the current rings are based on the one given to Kyle Rayner when he was the only Green Lantern in existence.
History[]
Oan Power Ring[]
In the days of the original Green Lantern Corps, the Guardian known as Meadlux created a power ring specifically for the Guardians. An Oan power ring possessed the same capabilities as a standard ring, but was fueled by the internal power of its wielder and thus did not need to be recharged. Unlike the traditional Green Lantern Ring, an Oan ring did not contain the impurity that restricted its capabilities against materials colored yellow. The revelation that such a weapon existed caused a great schism within the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps. Officers who had lost close comrades due to adversaries empowered by yellow weaponry lost faith in the Guardians, some of whom, such as Galius Zed, Eddore and Kaylark even went so far as to turn their backs on the Guardians, coveting the rings for themselves. Another group of individuals who took an interest in the Oan rings were the space pirates known as the Free Lancers.
Honor Guard Power Ring[]
There is no known difference in power and ability between the ring of the Honor Guard and the ring of a normal Green Lantern. Only the Honor Guard ring design is different. This was the ring first worn by Kyle Rayner when the Corps was destroyed, and was the first ring to use the new recharging protocol of only needing to be recharged when the ring is depleted. Instead of once every full planetary rotation (24 hours).
Overcharging[]
When in the vicinity of a Blue Lantern, or someone wielding a Blue Lantern Ring, any Green Lantern Ring can be charged to 100% and beyond. An overcharged ring allows its user to travel faster, create larger and stronger constructs, and exert incredible amounts of energy. There is no known limit to which a ring can be overcharged to, but the highest seen is 325%.
Oath[]
All power rings need periodic recharging. The process is not instantaneous so many Green Lanterns recite an oath while the ring charges. The oath is not required to charge the ring, but is recited to reaffirm the person's commitment to the Green Lantern Corps, and to measure the time it takes the ring to charge. While many Green Lanterns create their own oath, the majority use the Corps' official oath as a sign of respect. In the interests of political correctness on the part of DC (or, in context, Hal Jordan), the word "blackest" was replaced by "darkest"; this practice has been abandoned with the reinstating of the Green Lantern Corps due in part to the significance of the Blackest Night comic event. Rot Lop Fan, a Green Lantern from a starless sector, replaces sound with light in his oath.
Powers and Abilities[]
Bright Green Energy Conduit: The rings use pure energy supplied by a Power Battery, which in most cases takes the form of bright green light. This energy is the green light of willpower of the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum. Rot Lop Fan, from a race without eyes, perceives it as the sound "F-Sharp" and his 'ring' is actually a bell. A Green Lantern's ring, considered by some to be one of the most powerful weapons in the known universe, has the ability to affect and use fundamental forces of the known universe, including electromagnetic energies such as gravity, radiation, heat, light, and powerful blasts of concussive force. It is also theorized that the ring also has a basis in other dimensional energies commonly called magic by users of such energies. The ring can also create fields of force formed from an unknown energy that is bound by the users' will. The limitations of such use are the skill, knowledge and imagination of the user. Some of the abilities that a Green Lantern Ring has shown are:
- Energy Projection: The ring can be used to fire blasts of Oan energy or create weapons such as projectiles of them. The ring can project beams of force powered by the will of the user. The ring can be used to produce kryptonite and kryptonite radiation. Kyle generally used fanciful constructs in the shape of advanced technology. Their appearance does not indicate the power of the weapon. The weapon's power is more an indication of the will of the user. Certain users (i.e. Hal Jordan) have been powerful enough to stagger even Superman. If the user wishes, they can alter the form of the blasts such as Kilowog's "booms." Code 1012 is a protocol to incinerate all extraterrestrial weapons and technology in the area.
- Force Field: The ring can create various force fields of various sizes and shapes to protect the wearer and others around him. With the cosmic scope of a Green Lantern's duties, it is only natural that the power ring is designed for operation in space. The ring creates a force field around the wearer, protecting them from the hazards of the void including filtration of stellar radiation and microscopic particulate matter which would ordinarily be fatal should the space debris strike the ring wielder at high speeds. An atmosphere appropriate to the ring wielder's biology is created inside the force-field while body temperature is maintained and waste products are removed. Gravitational stresses which could cause injury are stabilized for the ring wielder. Theoretically, a ring wielder could use the ring as their sole source of life support. The force field seems to be created instantaneously whether this is due to programming or an instinctive reaction from intensive training has not been established. It could be considered as a subroutine of the ring's automatic defensive system, but as of yet this theory has not been proven. The only exception to that was attacks based on the color yellow. The newer version of the ring is not limited by the color yellow.
- Energy Construct Creation: The ring can form constructs of Oan energy. The primary function of the Power Ring is to provide a weapon capable of transforming the wearer's thoughts into physical constructs through the wearer's strength of willpower. A Green Lantern can create any particular items or construct that they can imagine as long as they have the willpower necessary to will it into existence. The constructs are made out of bright green energy, which is a tangible form of pure willpower, and they exist only as long as a Green Lantern is fueling it with their willpower. Items created by the rings are not indestructible and are only as powerful as the willpower of the Green Lantern creating them. The types of constructs usually reflects the ring wearer's personality. For example, Kyle Rayner was an artist, so his constructs reflect his strong imagination. John Stewart is an architect so his constructs often appear mechanical as if he designed them in his mind before making them a reality.
Trivia[]
- Although usually the rings require that their wearer be conscious for active usage, the Guardians on Planet Oa have shown the ability to control them no matter what their regular user might be doing. In some cases, this means moving the Lantern in question without their consent or sometimes even knowledge.
- There are 2 alternate versions of the Green Lantern Power Rings:
- Ring of Evil: in a world where the Nazi Party won World War II, Heinrich Himmler created a golden ring infused with the souls of twelve Nazi "priests" and the dream of the demon Karelia. Fifty years later. this ring was lost when a renegade Nazi stole it and handed it to the enemy of the Party. Trying to repeat the ritual, Karelia created a new ring, but this time using the Lanterns of the Green as sacrifice. Their souls were absorbed into the ring, which changed the double thunderbolt to the Green Lantern symbol. The wielder of this Green Ring of Evil was Guy Gardner, who lost in battle against John Stewart, who in turn reclaimed the souls of the Lanterns of the Green and absorbed them into his golden ring, turning it green.
- Ring of Volthoom: ???.