DC's First Green Lantern Is the Opposite of Ryan Reynolds' Portrayal
DC's very first Green Lantern was the complete opposite of Hal Jordan and is much more heroic as a result — especially when compared to the Ryan Reynolds portrayal. Many humans of Earth (and even non-humans such as a literal whale) have become Green Lanterns over history, from Hal Jordan to his predecessor Alan Scott to John Stewart and Jessica Cruz and beyond, and the planet has produced more Lanterns in a shorter timespan than any other. But Earth's very first Green Lantern, a Chinese monk from the 7th century, deserves to be remembered by fans and DC Comics alike — and his adventures in Green Lantern: Dragon Lord prove it.
While Hal Jordan is perhaps the most famous human member of the Green Lantern Corps, he was far from the first. The Green Lantern comic series began in 1940 with the character Alan Scott, who didn't even know there were other Green Lanterns in the universe (and the way his ring and associated powers worked was quite different). Showcase #22 would see Hal Jordan in the role of Earth's new Green Lantern, equipped with a new costume and an entirely new backstory involving a crashed alien ship. But while Hal Jordan and Alan Scott used the ring liberally, Earth's very first Green Lantern — the ancient Chinese monk Jong Li — was absolutely terrified of it.
Related: Green Lantern's Jewish Heritage Should Be More Prominent in DC Comics
In Green Lantern: Dragon Lord, written by Doug Moench with art by Paul Gulacy, Joe Rubinstein and James Sinclair, the monk Jong Li's world is forever changed when Imperial soldiers burn down his temple and kill everyone inside in retaliation for harboring the Emperor's escaped concubine who sought sanctuary. With his brothers and Master dead, Jong Li wanders until he is met
Read more on screenrant.com
