Warning: Contains spoilers for Absolute Power: Task Force VII #3
Summary
- Green Lantern’s true power lies in having the choice to use willpower for good or evil.
- The focus shifts from being powered by rings to the inherent willpower of individuals, emphasizing choice.
- Jadestone’s evolution as a villain shows the importance of choosing good over fear as a Green Lantern hero.
What makes the Green Lanterns strong is their willpower. While this truth most often means the courage to face their greatest fears and to keep their light burning against evil’s might, DC has just altered what it means to be a Green Lantern – and it makes absolute sense. In addition to having the power to overcome great fear, willpower now means having the power to will something into being — and so, having the power of free will.
As a new evil Justice League steals DC heroes’ iconic costumes and even their powers thanks to the massive Absolute Power event, Green Lantern is one of the many victims to fall to the onslaught. In Absolute Power: Task Force VII #3 by Jeremy Adams and Marco Santucci, the Green Lantern villain Jadestone makes his first big debut, and this Amazo’s aim is to eliminate the Justice Society of America.
After stealing Alan Scott’s Starheart, Jadestone undergoes an evolution that brings him to sentience. What this android Lantern discovers is something I’ve been waiting for DC to explain: that having willpower means having a choice to fight for good or evil.
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A Green Lantern’s True Power Is Free Will
Willpower Isn’t Just About Overcoming Fear
Many fans may assume that being a Green Lantern means fighting for good, but that hasn’t always been the case. Hal Jordan’s long-time villain, Sinestro, was once his friend and mentor — and a famous Green Lantern, too. However, Sinestro used his willpower to enforce martial law on his own planet and become a dictator. Usually, this heel turn is seen as the birth of the Sinestro Corps, which is powered by fear. Really, I think it’s just an example of a Green Lantern’s ever-available free will.
Willpower is just the opportunity to make a decision and see it through to existence in the world, for good or ill.
The crux of a Green Lantern’s power is how they act of their own accord and use their imagination to solve complicated problems. In my experience, willpower is just the opportunity to make a decision and see it through to existence in the world, for good or ill. What Jadestone discovers, even after proving that Alan Scott is the strongest Lantern, is that he has a choice. Jadestone doesn’t have to obey Amanda Waller. With Alan Scott’s Starheart powering his engine, he realizes another option — he can save people instead.
Jadestone Has a Choice: Which Green Lantern Will He Be?
The Path of Evil – or the Path of Alan Scott?
Jadestone asks Alan just why he saves people, and Green Lantern responds that it’s not solely in his programming — it’s a choice that he makes. In this one exchange, the whole of the Green Lantern mythos shifts, chanhing the focus from the Lanterns being powered by their rings to the humans who have the willpower already within, ring or not. I think that’s the point of a hero: having the courage to choose good every time. With Alan Scott’s manifest willpower helping him become DC’s strongest hero, Jadestone just might make the same choice.
While it’s assumed that the good guys will make good choices, Jadestone’s evolution shows me a more complicated path that I genuinely enjoy as a long-time Green Lantern fan. Having willpower is not just about overcoming fear, but making the choice to overcome fear and do what’s right every day. In my opinion, Jadestone, while introduced as a villain, is already becoming a Green Lantern hero that just might save the day — as long as he makes the right choice using his willpower.
Absolute Power: Task Force VII #3 is available now from DC Comics!
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ABSOLUTE POWER: TASK FORCE VII #3 (2024) |
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Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name given to multiple enforcers of intergalactic justice in the DC Universe. Green Lanterns can harness the cosmic energy of willpower, and create unique spectral objects to face off against their enemies. Though some Green Lanterns have assisted with the Justice League, they primarily belong to the Green Lantern Corps.
- Created By
- Martin Nodell , Bill Finger , John Broome , Gil Kane , Dennis O’Neil , Neal Adams
- First Appearance
- All-American Comics
- Alias
- Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Sojourner Mullein
- Alliance
- Justice League, Justice Society of America, Green Lantern Corps
- Comic Books
- Green Lantern #1
Summary
Several individuals have taken up the name, powers, and duties of the Green Lantern since the character was created for DC comics in the 1940s. But no matter who takes on the name, members of the Green Lanterns, an intergalactic force for protection and justice, seek to eliminate evil and keep Earth (and other planets) safe.
