8 Members Of The Green Lantern Corps Most Likely To Show Up In JUSTICE LEAGUE Next Year
It was recently reported that Justice League will feature a member of the Green Lantern Corps, but which one? We've rounded up the most likely possibilities, but they may not be the names you expected...
There have been rumours about Green Lantern showing up in the DC Films Universe for some time now, but after Justice League producers made it clear that he would be in neither of those movies ahead of the release of Green Lantern Corps in 2020, pretty much everyone was disappointed. It's lucky then that a recent report pointed to one unidentified ring bearer showing up in movie next November.
There are a long list of possibilities when it comes to which character that could be, but unfortunately, we probably won't find out for sure until the Zack Snyder helmed release reaches the big screen.
What you'll find here though is a look at the eight most exciting possibilities ranked from least to most likely. While there are obviously some names here which will be instantly familiar to comic book readers, you may be surprised by some of the others mentioned, especially as they're not exactly as well known as the Corps members the source material often chooses to put the spotlight on...
8. Sinestro
The 2011 Green Lantern movie introducing Sinestro as a member of the Green Lantern Corps makes me think this us unlikely, but stranger things have happened, and the DC Films Universe could very well utilise him as a hero of sorts until he's paired up with Hal Jordan in the 2020 release and we learn more of his villainous nature there. Perhaps it's the death of Abin Sur that brings him to Earth, and that's something that could very easily be tied to Darkseid (especially after the comics retconned it so that Atrocitus was involved).
If Sinestro fails to find his old friend but ends up helping the League by providing some much needed exposition about Darkseid and Steppenwolf, we could even get an after-credits scene with Hal discovering the ring which makes him a hero in what would be a perfect tease for Green Lantern Corps. The potential to do this villain justice - no pun intended - could be here, but my gut tells me that we'll be waiting until 2020 for that instead.
7. Raker Qarrigat
As of right now, we don't know how much time we'll spend on Apokalips, but Raker Qarrigat appearing would be a great way to tease the existence of the Green Lantern Corps and may go some way in helping explain why they join the war against Darkseid somewhere down the line. Created by Walt Simonson, Raker was the Green Lantern for the sector Apokolips lies in, but when he went there to confront the despot, he got more than he bargained for.
After having both his hand and ring crushed by the villain, he attempted to lead a number of (ultimately unsuccessful) rebellions against Darkseid, but ended up becoming a prisoner of war on Apokolips. He waited for years to be rescued only to later realise the Guardians of the Universe had wiped him from their history books due to their shame of handing him over to the villain. Raker could thereby be used as a villain in Green Lantern Corps, but it would be great to see him make the heroic sacrifice him comic book counterpart did.
6. Kyle Rayner
Following the destruction of the Green Lantern Corps by Hal Jordan, Guardian of the Universe Ganthet chose Kyle Rayner to be the last ring bearer. While Hal and the rest of the Corps would ultimately return, it would be interesting for Justice League to introduce him as the only one of them left in a world where Parallax has already destroyed the heroic ring bearers. That's a plot thread which could easily be explored in the 2020 movie (in fact, the title alone could be a reference to Kyle's attempts to bring the Corps back), and when you look at where Kyle is now as the massively powerful White Lantern, this is character with a lot of potential.
Is he interesting enough to justify being included here though? Kyle certainly has his fair share of fans and a long list of good points, but there are bigger names who could be chosen, so I think him making his presence felt outside of Green Lantern Corps is probably unlikely, but certainly possible, for now.
5. Batman
Wait, what?! Yes, the Dark Knight only wore Hal Jordan's ring for a few minutes, but during that time, he was a pretty formidable member of the Corps. It's entirely possible that a villain like Steppenwolf would have a Green Lantern ring in his possession, so what's to say Batman couldn't try that on and use what little charge it has left to even the odds against the big bad? It would be an unexpected and very cool moment, and introduces moviegoers to the concept of these rings bearers without shoehorning in a cameo from one of them.
After no longer being able to control the ring, perhaps it could fly off Batman's finger and find its way to another human (possibly one of those mentiond here) in an after-credits scene which sets up Green Lantern Corps and brings a human Lantern back to Sector 2814? Some of you will no doubt hate the thought of Batman wielding a ring like this in Justice League, but I think it has the potential to be an amazing moment!
4. Jessica Cruz
Let's be honest, Justice League is a bit of a sausage fest right now. With only one woman on the team, it looks like Mera will have to step up in a big way to help change that, but why not introduce a female member of the Green Lantern Corps too? While her background would have to be simplified to remove Power Ring and links to Earth-3 (though that could be addressed somewhere down the line if it's a direction Warner Bros. wishes to go in), Jessica is a very interesting character who could serve as a badass new role model to young girls - and boys - everywhere after being introduced in Justice League.
Similar to how she's paired up with Simon Baz in the comic books right now, Jessica could team-up with a fan-favourite like Hal Jordan or John Stewart in Green Lantern Corps, but making her a member of the League is a pretty exciting prospect. The fact that the character was created by Geoff Johns also has to go some way in helping her case here!
3. Hal Jordan
If it was up to me (and many other fans for that matter), Hal Jordan would have been standing alongside the rest of the team on that group shot of the Justice League released during this year's Comic-Con. The response to the 2011 movie starring the character makes me thing it's unlikely he'll be the one who shows up here, but damn it, that doesn't mean I don't want it to happen! With Geoff Johns overseeing the DC Films Universe, I don't think Hal will remain on the shelf for long, but it seems more likely to me that Green Lantern Corps will feature him either as Parallax or as a mentor to a couple of new recruits.
However, there's still a good chance Warner Bros. decides to redeem him in Justice League, and a surprise appearance which sets up both that 2020 movie and him taking on a key role in the sequel is definitely possible. For most, Hal personifies what it means to be a member of the Corps, and he deserves another chance on the big screen sooner rather than later.
2. Kilowog
Zack Snyder is a big comic book fan, but what he did to Jimmy Olsen in Batman v Superman proves that he's not afraid to take some massive liberties with the source material every now and again. We know that Justice League is going to kick off with a flashback to Darkseid's first attack on Earth, and I wouldn't be remotely surprised if a character like Kilowog is somehow involved in that battle alongside the humans, Atlanteans, and Amazonians.
His appearance could help explain why the Green Lantern Corps choose to stay away from Earth - at least until the 2020 movie - as the Guardians of the Universe may have an issue with the way the splitting up of the three Mother Boxes was handled, and Kilowog being an ancient member of the Corps who once served Earth would make sense. Knowing Snyder, we could even see his death, but either way, this would be a cool Easter Egg which goes at least some way in setting up the role of the ring bearers in the DC Films Universe.
1. John Stewart
Diversity appears to be playing a large role in the DC Films Universe (and particularly the Justice League movie), so it would make sense for John Stewart to be the human Green Lantern who shows up here to assist the heroes. To many fans, he is THE Green Lantern due to the fact that they grew up with him as Hal Jordan's successor in both the comic books and the popular Justice League Unlimited animated series.
Just like if Wally West had been chosen for the big screen version of The Flash, there are an awful lot of people who will be on board with this from the start. It helps of course that John is a great character, while his military background means his constructs are very unique and would help add a different flavour to Green Lantern's role on the team. Hal doesn't have to be dead or evil for this to work as he could easily just be M.I.A. or off in space, but John being the one to show up and warn the League that Darkseid is coming makes perfect sense.
Which of these members of the Green Lantern Corps do you think is most likely to show up in Justice League next November? As always, let us know your thoughts in the usual place.