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Green Lantern Biography / History
"The Jordan family has a history of heroism. Lawrence was the costumed mystery man Air Wave,
while Martin was a pioneer test pilot for Ferris Aircraft. His sons, Hal and Jack, followed
in his footsteps at Ferris, perhaps to preserve [their fathers memory] after Martin died in a
tragic flight accident.
Hal appeared to have several problems dealing with his job as a test pilot and his private
life, despite dating Carol Ferris, the attractive daughter of Carl Ferris, the company’s
owner. While testing a flight simulator, Hal was enshrouded in a green light and whisked
away, traveling at hundreds of miles at high speed. When he landed he found himself nest
to a crushed alien vessel. Investigating, Hal found a red-skinned alien in a green costume.
The alien, Abin Sur, explained little, but bequeathed Hal a green and black uniform, power
battery, and power ring. Hal was transformed into a Green Lantern. He added a mask to the
outfit to protect his identity.
Hal employed the ring’s database to learn more about the Green Lantern Corps, a group of
intergalactic, ring-wearing heroes like himself, and then used the ring to visit his nearest
compatriot, Tomar-Re. This quest led Hal to Oa and the enigmatic Guardians of the Universe,
who had started the Green Lantern Corps’ power source. The guardians assigned Kiowog of
Bolovix the task of training this fledgling Green Lantern, but throughout his rigorous regimen
Hal had several trainers, including one who would become his greatest enemy – Sinestro.
While training Hall’s private life fell apart as he began to recognize the tremendous
responsibilities the Corps demanded; Hal’s personal turmoil included a brief jail sentence
for drunk driving.
During the first leg of his training, Hal proved himself to the rest of the Corps and the
Guardians by defeating an alien named Legion. Earth’s media recognized Green Lantern as one
of the first of a new generation of super-heroes.
Hal has handled the responsibilities of a Green Lantern with pride and fortitude. While he
continues to hold a special place in his heart for Carol Ferris, Hal has been unable to settle
down to a single job since his duties as a Green lantern come first. There have been times
when Hal has questioned his faith in the Guardians and the Corps, and he has also been
reprimanded for his trials of conscience, but for the most part Hal is known as the pride of
the Green Lantern Corps. As Green Lantern, Hal Jordan was a founding member of the Justice
League of America.
Powers and Weapons
Green Lantern’s power ring, created as a conduit for the incredible energies harnessed by the
power battery created by the Guardians of the Universe, allows him to draw on almost limitless
power for a period of 24 hours. Its abilities are measured by the level of will power wmployed by the wielder. To recharge, Green lantern must touch the ring to his personal power battery every 24 hours.
When creating the Power battery’s green energy, the Guardians discovered that an impurity had
to be built into the battery and the rings; hence the rings worn by the Green Lantern Corps
are powerless against anything yellow.
The power ring can do almost anything. Most often its green energy is channeled into creating
solid shapes such as battering rams or manacles. The ring’s energy lets Green Lantern fly,
survive within the vacuum of space, and translate almost any language on Earth in the known
universe. A built-in failsafe has the ring protect its designated wearer from lethal attacks. If the ring runs out of energy after 24 hours, its constructions will dissipate.
Hal Jordan is a fearless athlete and has been trained to think and fight with and without the
ring. He is an above-average hand-to-hand combatant and an excellent leader in combat
situations.
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