Hal Jordan

This article is about the fictional superhero. For the computer programmer and U.S. congressional candidate, see United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2010.
Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan as depicted in Green Lantern Gallery #1 (December 1996). Art by Gil Kane (penciler), Kevin Nowlan (inker), and Matt Hollingsworth (colorist).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceShowcase #22
(October 1959)
Created byJohn Broome
Gil Kane
In-story information
Full nameHarold "Hal" Jordan
SpeciesHuman
Place of originCoast City
Team affiliationsGreen Lantern Corps
Justice League
United States Air Force
White Lantern Corps
Justice League Europe
PartnershipsFlash (Barry Allen)
Green Arrow
Carol Ferris
John Stewart
Notable aliasesGreen Lantern
Pol Manning
Parallax
Spectre
Highball
Abilities
  • Trained aircraft pilot
  • Skilled hand-to-hand combatant
  • Use of power ring grants:
    • Flight
    • Enhanced strength, speed, and durability
    • Energy projection
    • Force field
    • Generation of hard-light constructs
    • Real-time translation of all languages
    • Space travel
    • Limited cellular regeneration

Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in Showcase #22 (October 1959). Hal Jordan is a reinvention of the previous Green Lantern, who appeared in 1940s comic books as the character Alan Scott.

Hal Jordan is a former fighter pilot who works for Ferris Aircraft as a test pilot, a member and occasionally leader of an intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corps, as well as a founding member of the Justice League, DC's flagship superhero team, alongside well-known heroes such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. He fights evil across the universe with a ring that grants him various superpowers but is usually portrayed as one of the protectors of Sector 2814, where Earth resides. His powers derive from his power ring and Green Lantern battery, which, in the hands of someone capable of overcoming great fear, allows the user to channel their willpower into creating all fantastic constructs. Jordan uses this power to fly, even through the vacuum of space, to create shields, swords, and lasers, and to construct his Green Lantern costume, which protects his secret identity in his civilian life on Earth. Jordan and all other Green Lanterns are monitored and empowered by the mysterious Guardians of the Universe, who were developed by editor Julius Schwartz. Broome had originally conceived years prior in a story featuring Captain Comet in Strange Adventures #22 (July 1952) entitled "Guardians of the Clockwork Universe".[1]

During the 1990s, Jordan also appeared as a villain. The Emerald Twilight and Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! storylines see him become the villain Parallax following Mongul's destruction of his hometown Coast City, kill most of the Green Lantern Corps, and threaten to destroy the universe.[2] In subsequent years, Parallax is revealed to be an evil cosmic entity who corrupted Jordan. Between his stint as Parallax and return to being a Green Lantern, Jordan also briefly served as the Spectre, an agent of God and the embodiment of his wrath.

Outside of comics, Hal Jordan has appeared in various animated projects, video games and live-action. Jordan's original design in the comics was based on actor Paul Newman,[3] and the character is ranked 7th on IGN's in the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes in 2011.[4] In 2013, Jordan placed 4th on IGN's Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics.[5]

Hal Jordan's first live action appearance was in the 1978 television special Legends of the Superheroes, where he was played by Howard Murphy. He made his cinematic debut in the 2011 film Green Lantern, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, and will be portrayed by Kyle Chandler in the DC Universe original series Lanterns. In animation, Jordan has notably been voiced by Jonah Hill, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rye, and Josh Keaton.

  1. ^ comic book urban legends revealed #148 Archived 2015-09-09 at the Wayback Machine, comicbookresources.com
  2. ^ Green Lantern (vol. 3) #50: Emerald Twilight, Part Three: The Future
  3. ^ Stowe, Dusty (3 August 2017). "15 Things You Didn't Know About Green Lantern". Screenrant.com. Valnet, Inc. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. ^ "IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes". Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (November 19, 2013). "The Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics". IGN. Retrieved November 1, 2015.