Green Lantern Was Chosen By Superman, NOT His Ring

Superman and Green Lantern have faced impossible odds at each other’s side, but neither of them know the full story of how Hal Jordan got the ring. That’s because Hal Jordan wasn’t there when Superman was chosen as Green Lantern. But to be fair, Superman doesn’t remember voting for Hal to receive the ring, either.

The storytellers of DC Comics have tweaked the mythology of the Green Lanterns plenty of times over the years, famously revealing that Hal Jordan became Green Lantern due in large part to the fact that he was closest to his predecessor, and therefore easiest for the ring to fetch. That luck would fuel Hal to eventually prove himself to the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, demonstrating he isn’t just good, but the greatest Lantern of all time. Thankfully, the truth behind his selection doesn’t rely on luck at all — meaning Hal wasn’t just proving himself to his skeptical superiors. He was also proving Superman was right to choose him as the Green Lantern before they ever became friends.

This secret detail in the origin of Hal Jordan is first revealed in Action Comics #642, in a story titled “The Decision.” The story of the dying Green Lantern Abin Sur begins the same way every fan already knows: the Lantern crashes in a remote location, slowly bleeding out, and in desperate need of finding his successor. Knowing his time is running out, Abin Sur gives his magic ring a direct order: “My successor will be absolutely without fear. Find my successor.” What happens next is a secret most fans never learned, and which even Hal Jordan is oblivious to. When the ring’s energy returns with Superman chosen as the next Green Lantern, the twist is just beginning.

Nobody can blame Abin Sur’s ring, since Superman truly is the most fearless superhero on the face of the Earth at the time. But Abin Sur is a veteran of alien conflicts, and recognizes that “Clark Kent” is more than just a human being — and as a non-native inhabitant of the Space Sector, is ineligible to succeed him as Green Lantern. But the ring doesn’t just inform Abin Sur that Superman is Kryptonian… it also reveals he has the exact character and experience to choose who SHOULD be entrusted with the ring and rank of Earth’s new Green Lantern. And it doesn’t take the Man of Steel long to spot a hero in the making.

Having apparently interviewed Hal Jordan after he was inexplicably denied his chance to become an astronaut, the test pilot’s character and conviction left a mark on The Daily Planet reporter. So much so that even as he begins to explain why Hal Jordan is the man Abin Sur wants to speak with, the fading alien is two steps ahead, wiping Superman’s memory of the entire event. After sending him on his way, Abin Sur’s ring begins its search for DC’s Greatest Green Lantern, Hal Jordan — and the rest, as they say, is history. Even if Superman has no memory of helping make it. Nobody tell Guy Gardner.

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Andrew Dyce
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Screen Rant Editor Andrew Dyce was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Despite calling the vast nothingness of the Canadian prairies home (or perhaps because of it) film and television have been a passion since birth. As a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a degree in English Literature, Andrew has grown to appreciate the story and writing behind everything from blockbuster comic book movies to schlocky B-movie action.

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