Highlights

  • The different Lantern Corps in the DC Universe are each powered by a specific emotion and have their own unique abilities and strengths.
  • The Blue Lantern Corps uses hope to heal wounds and raise the hopes of all living beings.
  • The Green Lantern Corps, powered by willpower, is the original and most respected among the Lantern Corps and stands for order and righteousness.

The DC Universe is a gargantuan collection of characters, factions, nemeses, and heroes. Among the factions in the DC Comics Universe rests a collection of powerful individuals known as lanterns. The concept started with the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, who was created by Bill Finger and Martin Nodell. Soon after, Hal Jordan was brought into existence, and the Green Lantern Corps made their first appearance in Showcase Vol 1 #22 by John Broome and Gil Kane.

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The Green Lantern Corps would take on a role of its own as its lore and community were explored further. Today, the Green Lantern Corps is just one of many among the emotional power spectrum in the DC Comics. Each emotion has a place in the hierarchy of the spectrum and a corp of its own, powered by the emotional entities that the lanterns channel to use their power. Each lantern corp has its strengths and weaknesses, and not all are as righteous as the Green Lanterns.

Updated on December 25, 2023 by C.M Edwards: The cosmic side of the DC Universe is always expanding, and one of the most interesting aspects of this cosmic realm comes from the Lantern Corps. Most readers and audiences will be familiar with the Green Lantern Corps, the galactic space force of cops that patrol sectors of the universe. However, audiences may not know about the 10 Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. With each Lantern Corps strong in different emotions, which of them would win an all-out Corps War?

10 The Blue Lantern Corps

Capable Of Healing Grievous Wounds

blue lanterns
  • First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol.4 #25
  • Created By: Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis
  • Powered By: Hope
  • Notable Members: Saint Walker, Brother Warth, Brother Hymn

The Blue Lantern Corps first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25 during the Sinestro Corps War. Residing on the planet Odym, the Blue Lanterns are a monastic community of missionaries whose purpose is to spread their blue light of hope to the universe. The Blue Lanterns receive their power from the entity of hope, Adara. They are pacifists for the most part and take no aggressive action. The sole purpose of the Blue Lantern Corps is to raise the hopes of all living beings.

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The power of the Blue Lantern Corps is one of the strongest. They are capable of incredible feats that most other lantern corps aren't, such as charging power rings without a battery and healing the connection between a red lantern and their power ring. Unfortunately, Blue Lanterns are only as strong as their connection to a Green Lantern, since hope is only as strong as the will to act; When separated from a member of the Green Lantern Corps, Blue Lanterns lose their heightened abilities. However, blue lanterns are not useless without a Green Lantern and are more than capable of taking care of themselves with the help of their leader, Saint Walker. Saint Walker is the strongest Blue Lantern due to his unwavering faith in all things working out as they should.

9 Indigo Lantern Corps

Invade & Control Weaker Minds For Compassion

indigo lanterns
  • First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol.4 #25
  • Created By: Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi
  • Powered By: Compassion
  • Notable Members: Indigo-1, Munk, Kreaven

The Indigo Lantern Tribe is a nomadic group with an eccentric Lantern Corps. The Indigo Tribe channels the power of compassion from the entity Proselyte. The members of the Indigo Tribe are among the most sociopathic individuals in the universe and are drafted into the corp to learn empathy. The Indigo Tribe also first appeared as the threat of the Black Lantern Corp drew closer and threatened to destroy all living things. The Indigo Tribe are not typically aggressive but will defend themselves and carry out their duties.

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Among the ranks of Lanterns, the power of indigo is one still shrouded in mystery as they do not use conventional rings like the other corps and possess a variety of strange abilities. The Indigo Lanterns' origin is as unique as their power as it was formed by Notromo, a former slave who was freed by Abun Suur. The two working together, discovered the Indigo Light, and thus the first Indigo Lantern was made.

8 Orange Lantern Corps

Ring Constructs of Former Members, Led By One Member

orange lanterns
  • First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol.4 #25
  • Created By: Geoff Johns & Phillip Tan
  • Powered By: Greed
  • Notable Members: Larfleeze

The Orange Lantern Corp is an outlier on the emotional spectrum and plays a more antagonistic role. It is composed of only one member at all times. This is because the Orange Lantern Corps channels greed from the entity Ophidian.

Upon the first appearance of the Orange Lantern Corps, it was revealed that the alien Larfleeze possesses the only orange lantern battery and ring. The army of the orange lanterns resides in the power ring as prisoners that Larfleeze has killed and consumed Eternity. While the Orange Lantern horde possesses incredible numbers, greed consumes Larfleeze and influences his actions, making him prone to recklessness.

7 Star Sapphire Lantern Corps

The Overpowering Sense of Love

violet lanterns
  • First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol.4 #20
  • Created By: Geoff Johns, Daniel Acuna
  • Powered By: Love
  • Notable Members: Carol Ferris, Zamarons, Wonder Woman

Among the Lantern Corps, the Star Sapphires are among the most dangerous. Channeling one of the strongest emotions in the universe, Star Sapphires use love to power themselves through the entity The Predator. Originally, the Star Sapphire Corps would consist of one chosen bearer possessed by the violet light who would challenge the green lantern as a private dispute between the Zamarans and their male opposites, the Guardians. The Star Sapphire became one of the most iconic female villains in DC continuity. On more than one occasion, a Star Saphire has joined with the League of Villains and the Injustice Gang.

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Later, the Corp was expanded and now consists of women who seek to spread love to the darkest reaches of the universe. The Violet light is a strong and volatile power that can influence its wielder. During the events of Blackest Night, Wonder Woman found herself completely taken over by the light of love and was nearly unable to free herself. The power of the violet light is more parasitic in nature due to love's need to be loved. The numbers of the Star Sapphire Corps continue to grow, and their strength has begun to rival the Green Lanterns. While the Violet Lanter Corps do cause reckless chaos they are capable of extreme violence if the situation calls for it.

6 Red Lantern Corps

Incredibly Aggressive And Light Eating Acidic Vomit

red lanterns
  • First Appearance Green Lantern Vol.4 #25
  • Created By: Geoff Johns & Ethan Von Sciver
  • Powered By: Rage
  • Notable Members: Atrocitus, Dex-Starr, Guy Gardner

The Red Lantern Corps channels the power of hate and rage through the entity called The Butcher. The Red Lantern Corps is also a product of the Green Lantern Corps' making. The leader of the Red Lantern Corps was a former prisoner of the Guardians who sought revenge after the Guardians' first creations, The Manhunters, malfunctioned and wiped out an entire sector. Red Lantern made their first appearance in Green Lanter Vol 4 #25 among the chaos during the corps war.

Atrocitous is a survivor of the massacre whose rage calls out to the Butcher, and he takes hold of the red light to exact his revenge on the Green Lanterns. The red light of the Red Lantern Corp takes hold of its ring bearers and replaces their heartbeat, making it impossible to leave once a member. As one of the most violent Coprs in the universe, the Red Lanterns are widely feared as they think last and act first, leading to catastrophic events in the cosmos.

5 Sinestro Corps

An Army That Grows Thanks To Fear

yellow lanterns
  • First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol.4 #10
  • Created By: Geoff Johns & Ethan Van Sciver
  • Powered By: Fear
  • Notable Members: Sinestro, Amon Sur, Soranik Natu

The Sinestro Corps are the most infamous and have been the long-standing rival to the Green Lantern Corps. The Sinestro Corps, also known as the Yellow Lanterns, channel their power through fear via the entity Parallax. The founder of the Sinestro Corps is Sinestro himself, originally one of the most well-respected Green Lanterns. Sinestro fell from grace when he was tired of the Guardians' methods, which pushed him to find new means to govern the universe. Making their first official appearance in comics in Green Lantern Vol. 4 #10, the Sinestro Core erupted and caused an intergalactic turmoil that spawned the Corpse War.

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Sinestro forged the first yellow lantern ring and began creating a corps of his own. The Yellow Lanterns are at constant war with the Green Lanterns and take any avenue to cause fear and chaos. The yellow light is a direct counter to the light of the Green Lantern, and can easily disrupt their constructs if their will isn't strong enough to overcome their fear. The Sinestro Corps have had some of the most terrifying members in the DC Universe, including Black Adam.

4 Ultraviolet Lantern Corps

Dominate Other Light Bearers With Negative Emotions

ultra violet lanterns
  • First Appearance: Justice League Vol. 4 #2
  • Created By: Scott Snyder & Jorge Jiminez
  • Powered By: Sentient Sun, Umbrax, John Stewart
  • Notable Members: Umbrax, Sinestro,

The Ultra Violet Lantern Corps is a recent addition to the emotional spectrum. It has been described as a part of the invisible emotional spectrum and is dubbed the unseen light. More information is being discovered about them in DC Comics' new Justice League Vol 4 #2 during DC's. The Ultra Violet Corps come from a living planet known as Umbrax, which also serves as the Corps' emotional entity.

Umbrax is the center of the invisible emotional spectrum. The Ultra Violet Corps channels the energy of destruction, self-hate, depression, and negative emotions. The formation of the Ultra Violet Corps acts like an infection that can invade a target's body and connect them to Umbrax like a hive mind. The ultraviolet light can also infect lanterns of almost any color and overwrite them, turning them into Ultra Violet Lanterns.

3 Green Lantern Corps

The Overwhelming Might of Willpower

green lanterns
  • First Appearance: All American Comics #16
  • Created By: John Broome & Gil Kane
  • Powered By: Willpower
  • Notable Members: Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Kilowog

The Green Lanterns are the original lantern corp and stand as the shining example of order and righteousness. The Green Lantern Corps was created by the Guardians, who sought to tap into the massive power provided by the electromagnetic emotional spectrum.

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Since its creation, the Green Lantern Corps has spread to the furthest reaches of the galaxy to protect the innocent and combat threats to universal order. The emotional entity Ion is the source of the green lantern's power, and allows them to channel their will to increase their strength. Will is considered the most powerful of emotions; hence, the Green Lantern Corp has always prevailed. The power of the Green Lantern Corps is universally respected, rivaling that of even the Justice League.

2 Black Lantern Corps

Undying Plague That Can Corrupt All Life

black lanterns
  • First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25
  • Created By: Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Ethan Van Sciver
  • Powered By: Death
  • Notable Members: Nekron, Black Hand, Batman

The Black Lantern Corps is the most dangerous among the Lantern Corps. Nekron, the emotional entity of loss and death, forged the Black Lanterns from the endless sea of the dead. Nekron then waged war on the universe, targeting the different Lantern Corps first and focusing on Earth.

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Nekron used the energy of the Anti-Monitor to force the Black Lantern power battery and unleashed a horde of undead to destroy all life. He used the death of Batman to weaken the heroes who rose to stop him. The Black Lantern Corps does not have conventional constructs like most lanterns. Their only power is being impossible to kill without an indigo or white lantern present. It took the combined might of every living hero in the DC universe to defeat the black lantern invasion.

1 White Lantern Corp

Powered By The Energy Of Life Of All Things

white lanterns
  • First Appearance: Blackest Night #7
  • Created By: Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis
  • Powered By: Life
  • Notable Members: Kyle Rayner, Entity

The White Lantern Corps was a desperate effort to combat the black lantern invasion. Formed when Hal Jordon merged with the emotional entity of life, the white light severed the connection that Nekron forged with heroes who had died and come back to life.

The white light of life seemed to be the only thing that could damage Nekron. It provided an incredible boost to all members who were given life again, enabling them to repel the black light emitted by the Black Lantern Corps.

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