DC’s Most Underrated Green Lantern Is Finally Making His Return To Earth

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In 1994, DC Comics significantly altered the Green Lantern story with the ‘Emerald Twilight’ storyline. This two-part tale showed the downfall of the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan’s turn into the villain Parallax, and the selection of Kyle Rayner as the new Green Lantern.

After that, Green Lantern fans grew to appreciate Kyle Rayner, who became the sole Green Lantern protecting Earth and the wider universe for ten years. Though he hasn’t been the primary Green Lantern for nearly two decades – instead working as a hero on different worlds – he’s now poised to return to the role.

Kyle Rayner Left Earth Before Hal Jordan Came Back

Although Hal Jordan’s return in Green Lantern: Rebirth is what ultimately ended Kyle Rayner’s time as the main Green Lantern, the groundwork for this change was laid earlier. After a long and successful run with the Justice League in a highly-regarded ’90s comic series, Kyle chose to leave the team in JLA #76.

Instead of leaving the Green Lantern spot on the team empty, DC Comics brought in a new member. This change had been anticipated, as Kyle had been struggling with personal issues during his time with the League.

Despite enduring immense chaos and miscommunication within the team – a period they called the ‘Tower of Babel’ – he later made the ultimate sacrifice to save his teammates during a crisis with the Justice League. When he finally came back, he was so disillusioned with humanity that he decided to leave Earth completely.

DC Comics decided to use this change to introduce John Stewart as the new Green Lantern, a character who was becoming increasingly popular due to his appearances in the animated series. While Kyle Rayner might have eventually rejoined the team, the 2000s saw DC start handling its heroes in a very different way.

As a longtime fan, it was amazing to see DC bring back so many of the classic Silver Age heroes! It started with Oliver Queen as Green Arrow back in 2001, and then Hal Jordan as Green Lantern in 2005. Getting Hal back really seemed to motivate DC to rebuild the classic Justice League – the one from the Satellite Era – and they did that right after the Infinite Crisis event. It was a huge moment for me, seeing those characters return to their roots!

The 2007 Justice League of America series brought back a similar team roster, offering a fresh take on the classic group. While Hal Jordan returned as Earth’s Green Lantern, this created a challenge: what role would Kyle Rayner now play?

Kyle Rayner Has Been A Cosmic DC Hero For Years

After Hal Jordan returned in Green Lantern: Rebirth, Kyle Rayner needed to find a new purpose. He briefly became the host for the Ion entity, channeling its immense willpower. Even after passing that power on to Sodam Yat, Kyle remained a powerful Green Lantern and was selected to join the elite Green Lantern Honor Guard alongside Guy Gardner.

Kyle has been a dedicated member of the Green Lantern Corps through many major events in the DC Universe, including the Blackest Night and even the fall of the Guardians during the Rise of the Third Army. Throughout it all, he continued to serve alongside fellow Lanterns Guy Gardner and John Stewart, protecting the universe.

So, DC did a big reboot with the New 52, and they launched a series called Green Lantern: New Guardians. It was cool because it followed Lanterns who tapped into all the different emotional powers. Eventually, in that series, my guy Kyle Rayner actually learned to control all of them, becoming the White Lantern. It was a pretty epic power-up!

After that, Kyle wasn’t simply a strong Green Lantern – he became one of the most powerful beings in the entire DC Universe. He even ventured past the limits of reality itself to help save everything, restoring the energy source that powers all Green Lantern rings.

So, New Guardians basically turned into a series all about me, Kyle Rayner, and my adventures out in space as a White Lantern. It was awesome, but when that book ended, I kinda got shelved for a few years. Thankfully, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps came along and gave me a spot. I’d used up all my power trying to build a Blue Lantern Central Power Battery, and that’s what led to me getting back into the Green Lantern Corps!

After the Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps comic ended, Kyle briefly rejoined the Titans team during DC’s “New Justice” period. But once that run finished, he quickly went back into space and didn’t receive much attention in the following “Infinite Frontier” stories.

Kyle Rayner Is Finally Set To Become Earth’s Green Lantern Again

Kyle returned to a prominent role in the Green Lantern stories within the DC Universe after a period of absence, starting with the “DC All In” event. He began by partnering with Jo Mullein to oppose the corrupt United Planets, who had seized control of the Green Lantern Corps.

As part of the effort to defeat their enemies and repair the harm the United Planets caused to emotions, Kyle Rayner temporarily regained his abilities as a White Lantern. Since then, he’s been a prominent character in both the main Green Lantern comic series and the Green Lantern Corps series.

He’s been a key player in defending against the Starbreakers and bringing emotional energies back into the universe, alongside his fellow Corps members. He even starred in his own short story within DC’s recent DC K.O. event. Despite his already full plate, it looks like even bigger things are coming up for him.

DC Comics’ upcoming Green Lantern #600 issue offers a sneak peek at future storylines. The extra-long issue will feature Hal Jordan embarking on a confidential mission from Oa, taking him away from Earth. Meanwhile, Kyle Rayner will return to Los Angeles – the city where he originally discovered his power ring – marking a significant homecoming.

It looks like Kyle has returned to Earth for good this time, and will need to get a job, find a place to live, and readjust to life here. To celebrate his return, he’s also debuted a completely new costume, showcasing his creative style.

It might seem sudden, but before Jeremy Adams started writing Green Lantern, he worked on The Flash. While on The Flash, he made Wally West the primary Flash, essentially returning the series to its earlier roots.

Although Hal Jordan is now the established Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner might continue protecting Earth while Hal focuses on larger, universe-level problems. This could finally give Kyle the opportunity to rejoin the Justice League – something he hasn’t done in nearly two decades – or at least team up with other heroes again. Fans of Kyle are eagerly hoping for this to happen.

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2026-01-02 01:48