21

Does Marvel have an equivalent of the Green Lantern?

I know there's "Nova", but I mean is there a superhero or villain in Marvel that has the same powers as — or "close to" that of — the Green Lantern?

For example:

  • a ring

  • some kind of powers that look like a light show

  • can make constructs similar to a Lantern Corp-er

3
  • 2
    Not sure if any of these will exactly match your criteria, but this site has a long list of characters from all comic that can make energy constructs.
    – eshier
    Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 2:07
  • Is a literal ring necessary? Because Star Brand (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Brand) comes pretty darn close.
    – mweiss
    Commented Jun 21, 2019 at 1:31
  • @mweiss — I'd say Star Brand counts, if DC's response is anything to go by.
    – Gaultheria
    Commented Jun 25, 2019 at 19:19

4 Answers 4

37

Freedom Ring

Freedom Ring (real name Curtis Doyle) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Robert Kirkman. Curtis first appeared in Marvel Team-Up vol. 3 #20 (July 2006), becoming Freedom Ring in the next issue. He appeared across the series' storyline "Freedom Ring" for five issues. The character is depicted as a normal civilian who comes across a ring that grants him the ability to alter reality.

[...]

Curtis Doyle originally had no inherent super-powers on his own. However, the character comes into possession of a ring crafted from a fragment of a destroyed Cosmic Cube which allows the wearer to alter reality within a radius of roughly 15 feet (4.6m) around him, giving him a 30-foot (9.1 m) sphere of reality he can alter.

After his first attempt as Freedom Ring, he altered his physiology to give himself superhuman strength, speed, stamina and durability.

        Freedom Ring, in costume

Source: Wikipedia

The Cosmic Ring gives Curtis Doyle the powers of flight, super-strength, increased durability, the ability to generate objects, and a way to overcome the paralysis of his legs. Generated objects first manifest in a shimmer of light and then take on a normal appearance:

Comic book page.
Image source

7
  • 20
    Does anyone else find it odd that Wikipedia feels the need to qualify him as a "fictional" superhero? Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 13:10
  • 17
    @CobaltZorch that's probably because of these people .
    – mikołak
    Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 13:27
  • 1
    @CobaltZorch I find it odd that they described something as a "30 foot sphere". In full context its obvious they meant a sphere with a diameter of 30 feet, but the phrase by itself is meaningless. Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 21:50
  • 4
    @CobaltZorch: Not odd at all; an encyclopedia shouldn't blithely describe something non-real as if it were real, even if most native-English-speaking adult readers would recognize that it couldn't possibly be real. (And anyway, "fictional" is more specific than merely "not real"; consider e.g. ether, which is neither real nor fictional.)
    – ruakh
    Commented Jun 21, 2019 at 6:58
  • 4
    @CobaltZorch It's actually from a decision made fairly early on in Wikipedia's history. People would write about fictional characters from an in-universe point of view, and it would often come off as if they were real. Consensus was that this was a bad thing, so a guideline was created that, among many things, said that you should only write from a real-world perspective, and clearly identify that which is fictional. One of the easiest ways to do this was to explicitly say the character is fictional.
    – trlkly
    Commented Jun 22, 2019 at 17:56
41

The first Marvel pendant to Green lantern was Doctor Spectrum.

Doctor Spectrum was originally introduced in 1969 a member of the Squadron Sinister, an evil pastiche of Justice League, where he was the stand-in for Green Lantern. Later, in 1971, Marvel invented a parallel Earth reminescent of the DC Universe, with a good version of the Squadron, now called Squadron Supreme, in the role of the Justice League (and a good Doctor Spectrum filling in for GT).

Later still, in 2004, the Squadron Supreme was rebooted with J. Michael Straczynski at the helm in the title Supreme Power and spin-offs, featuring yet another version of Doctor Spectrum.

There was also a female version at one point, introduced in 2005 in The Thunderbolts.

All versions of Doctor Spectrum derive their abilities from an alien gem called the Power Prism, worn on the back of the hand. It bestows on a host the ability to project and manipulate light energy in various colors; create light energy constructs of various shapes, sizes and colors; flight; protection from the rigors of space and the ability to become intangible. The Power Prism is vulnerable to ultra-violet light.

This article has information about these versions (and more) of Doctor Spectrum.

The original evil Doctor Spectrum The original evil Doctor Spectrum

enter image description here Squadron Supreme version

enter image description here Supreme Power version

enter image description here Female Doctor Spectrum

1
  • +1 Doctor Spectrum is the first green lantern copy. Commented Jun 20, 2019 at 14:03
17

A few characters named Quasar wear the Quantum Bands, a piece of superscience jewelry that lets one create light constructs through its control of electro-magnetic radiation, although said constructs can be completely invisible. These bands have been gifted by Eon to multiple heroes. The manifestation of these light constructs often seems to consist of invisible armor across their bodies or spheres of light around their hands with which they pummel opponents. They can construct more complex items, but they can also blast the same energy out, removing the need to create a more complex construct.

Phyla Vell holding an energy sword Quasar constructs a re-entry shell Quasar blasts energy

1
  • 7
    Nova's power comes from the Nova force. The quantum bands are usually associated with Quasar (all your pictures depict iterations of Quasar, not Nova(s))
    – Jack
    Commented Jun 21, 2019 at 0:52
2

Ms. Marvel (MCU)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's iteration of Ms. Marvel has powers remarkably similar to the Green Lantern's iconic ring constructs. She even refers to her abilities as "hard light" constructs (emphasis mine):

Kamala Khan accessorizes her Captain Marvel outfit with an antique bangle sent by her grandmother from Pakistan. […] The bangle activates hidden powers in Kamala, however, allowing her to create blasts of solid crystalline energy that she calls "hard light."

- Marvel Studios’ The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline

Image of Ms. Marvel in action, showcasing her hard light constructs Image of Ms. Marvel in action, showcasing her hard light constructs Image of Ms. Marvel in action, showcasing her hard light constructs

(Images above are from Marvel Studios’ The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline)

While she doesn't have an iconic ring like the Green Lanterns, Kamala's bangle (actually a Quantum Band) acted as the catalyst to unlock her latent ability to generate constructs made of solidified light energy.

Just like a Green Lantern, she can manipulate this "hard light" into various shapes and forms, though mostly simple ones for now. She's not quite at the level of creating the intricate, complex shapes we've seen the Lanterns form. One thing she can do, though, is shape her "hard light" into a fist, similar to what some Green Lanterns do.

There are also a few key differences between Ms. Marvel and the Green Lanterns. For one, she can't fly or soar through the skies like her emerald-clad counterparts (at least not yet). And she doesn't have an equivalent to the iconic "In brightest day..." oath that Green Lanterns recite. But who knows, maybe she'll come up with her own cool catchphrase in the future!

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.