Green Lantern (DC animated universe)

Guy Gardner

In the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day," a thug who is thwarted by Kyle Rayner when he attempts to steal Jimmy Olsen's camera bears a strong resemblance to Guy Gardner, sporting a red haired bowl-cut.

Hal Jordan

Hal Jordan has a single appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing Part II: Time Warped". When time becomes fluid, John Stewart is unexpectedly replaced by Hal. He quickly introduces himself to his bewildered teammates and continues on as if nothing happened, explaining that the ring has brought him "up to speed". Later, as the assembled heroes close in on the time-warping villain responsible, Hal reverts back to John, causing an annoyed Static to say "Make up your mind!" Hal was VOICED by Adam Baldwin in this episode.

Kyle Rayner

Kyle Rayner appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day." He was voiced by Michael P. Greco. Kyle was a newspaper commercial artist for the Daily Planet (and an aspiring comic book artist; in the beginning of the episode he shows Jimmy Olsen a Rejection letter from DC Comics) when he was chosen by the Lantern ring. The ring had come from Abin Sur, who sent it off with his dying breath (having been shot down to Earth by Sinestro). Mere moments after receiving the ring, Kyle had to fight for his life against Sinestro. With Superman's help, Kyle defeated Sinestro and confirmed his place amongst the Lantern Corps. This story is closer to the origin of Hal Jordan, which is augmented by the fact that the animated Kyle Rayner looks more like Hal than Kyle (Kyle having brown hair here, like Hal, rather than his usual black hair). During one of the battle scenes, the fight is taken to an Air Force base; "Col. Hal Jordan" can be seen stenciled on the side of one of the fighter jets shown.

Later, the decision to pass on using Kyle in Justice League in favor of John Stewart caused mild controversy amongst fans. Stewart was established in Justice League as having been a Lantern for 10–15 years, which seemed to directly contradict the continuity established as having Abin Sur as Sector 2814's Lantern (the sector including Earth) and Rayner following him. This error was slowly fixed in the series by explaining further that Stewart's time as a Lantern before the actual timeframe of Justice League was spent in a different sector than 2814, and that he returned very recently to Earth. His return, it seems, was to take Abin Sur's place as the 2814 Lantern while Kyle was brought to Katma Tui for training (referenced in the episode "Hearts and Minds"). Kyle is seen amongst the mourners at Superman's funeral in "Hereafter", and finally returns with a speaking part in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return". This time, he is played by Will Friedle. Stewart is still stationed in 2814, and Kyle is stationed on Oa, acting as a sort of field commander for the Lanterns posted there. In his Justice League Unlimited appearance, Kyle has adopted a "variant" costume and hairstyle from the comics (thus lowering the resemblance to Hal Jordan).

John Stewart

John Stewart (voiced by Phil LaMarr) is one of the founding members of the Justice League, as seen in the animated series of the same name and its subsequent Justice League Unlimited. His characterization initially differed from the comics version by being a former United States Marine and having not been explicitly revealed to have studied architecture. Since then the comic book version has been updated to reflect these changes.

In a development not seen in any other version of the Green Lantern mythos, Stewart's eyes glow green as a side effect of his fifteen years of exposure to the power ring's radiation; the glow fades when the ring runs out energy or if he is physically separated from the ring. Bruce Timm said this was done to give Stewart's face a more visually interesting look, as they decided to stick with the comic book tradition of depicting John Stewart without a mask. By many accounts, the ring is also effective against yellow, contradicting an age-old weakness of the Lantern Corps. This is in continuity with the earlier appearance of Kyle Rayner on Superman: The Animated Series. There have been a few instances in the show of something yellow somehow counteracting the Lantern energy, but he is never explicitly shown to have the same weakness from the comics.

Having two main characters with similar names (John and J'onn) can lead to minor confusion (Flash sometimes collectively refers to them as the two Johns); the closed captioning of some episodes misspell John's name as J'onn and vice versa.

Characterization

One development during these series was the serialized love story that developed between his character and Hawkgirl (real name: Shayera Hol). Shortly after they admitted their feelings for each other, "Starcrossed" occurred, revealing that Hawkgirl was a spy for the Thanagarian forces, and that she has betrayed their secrets to her home Thanagarians. During Shayera's self-imposed exile, the League expanded to 57 members (in the retitled Justice League Unlimited) and Stewart found a new girlfriend: superheroine and supermodel Mari Jiwi McCabe/Vixen. However, the episode "The Once and Future Thing" revealed that the hero Warhawk, first seen in Batman Beyond, was the future son of himself and Shayera. He was also shown to be a role model to Static in Static Shock.

Katma Tui also makes an appearance in the episode Hearts and Minds, where it is discovered that they once loved one another. He has appeared to have lost his ability to control his ring efficiently because of a losing fight with Despero. She tried to retrain him, but he does not take well to it. When Despero threatens both women, it is HawkGirl's being in danger that refocuses him and reveals that his feelings for her are stronger than his with Katma.

Guardians of the Universe

In the episode "In Brightest Day..." of Superman: The Animated Series, they approach Superman for him to help Kyle Rayner in defeating Sinestro. There is only one female Oan, who appears to be head of the council (this predates the actual appearance of female Guardians in the mainstream continuity comics).

In the Justice League animated series episode "In Blackest Night" they attend John Stewart's trial, and later tried to defend Oa from an attack by the Manhunters. They also appear in the same red robes as their comic counterparts, as opposed to the Green lantern uniform worn by them in Superman: The Animated Series.

In Justice League Unlimited they appear briefly in the beginning of "The Return" where they deny Stewart's request to leave Earth and take a tour of duty on Oa.

Green Lantern Corps

The Green Lantern Corps appear in a few episodes of the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series, including "In Blackest Night," "Hearts and Minds", and "The Return." Several Corps members also make cameos in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day," which featured Kyle Rayner.

Arisia Rrab

She appears briefly in the Superman episode "In Brightest Day."1

In the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return" Arisia can briefly be seen as a member of the Green Lantern Corps guarding the planet Oa. 2

Salaak

He has had a small cameo role in the Justice League animated series.

Stel

Stel's likeness is seen as a non speaking role in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return".

Abin Sur

Abin Sur was featured in an animated episode of Superman: The Animated Series involving Kyle Rayner and Sinestro. The episode was called "In Brightest Day" (a nod to the Green Lantern Oath), but the person who voices Abin Sur is uncredited. In the episode, Abin is used for Kyle's GL origin in much the same way he was used for Hal Jordan's. Abin battles with Sinestro, who is hunting Green Lanterns and stealing their rings. He crashes his spaceship on earth and sends his ring off to find a suitable replacement just before his death. Abin Sur became the first of three characters killed in Superman: The Animated Series.

Tomar-Re

Tomar-Re has a silent cameo in the Justice League two-part episode "In Blackest Night".

Tomar-Re also appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return".

Katma Tui

Katma Tui has a brief, non-speaking appearance in the Superman episode "In Brightest Day".

Katma Tui Justice League episode "Hearts and Minds" voiced by Kim Mai Guest. In the animated continuity, Katma seems to be the primary trainer of new Lantern recruits - taking the job over from the cartoon's version of Kilowog - and is portrayed as one of the more senior members of the Lanterns. John Stewart was among her students when he first joined the Corps. They fell in love, but were separated when their assigned sectors were too far away from each other. At the beginning of the episode, Katma is first seen leading a group of Lanterns in a losing battle with the forces of Despero, whose Py'tar energy seems to match and even exceed the Lantern energy. Katma seems to sacrifice herself so as to allow Kilowog to get away, which permits him to make it to Earth and tell John of her plight. Katma managed to survive and infiltrated Despero's ranks on his home planet, Kalanor, secretly funneling information to the resistance forces opposing him. John, in his search for Katma, ends up engaging and losing to Despero, which affects his ability to use his ring. Katma is forced to try and retrain him, an activity John took to very poorly. Angered by Katma's seemingly dispassionate treatment of John, Hawkgirl none-too-subtly implied that Katma's affair with John was her merely using him as a boytoy. When Despero was finally defeated, Katma offered John a place alongside her to help rebuild Kalanor, but John gently declined so as to remain a member of the League and fulfill his current assignment of patrolling Sector 2814.

Katma reappears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return" with many other Green Lanterns who came to destroy Amazo for seemingly destroying Oa. Like most of the Lanterns in this episode, she sported a design change, purely for aesthetic purposes, according to the DVD commentary.

Kilowog

Kilowog has appeared in a few episodes of Justice League, voiced by Dennis Haysbert. This portrayal of Kilowog casts him in a more jovial light, although at no loss of his significant competence as a Lantern. The first appearance by Kilowog was "In Blackest Night", where Kilowog was one of several Green Lanterns attending the trial of John Stewart for the crime of destroying an entire planet. The Lanterns, unfortunately, were not there to support John, but rather join in the crowd's vocal abuse of Stewart. This was a wrinkle of his teammates' behavior that Kilowog believed to be wrong, but he didn't have the courage to say so until Hawkgirl confronted the Lanterns for abandoning John. Kilowog then realized that John deserved his trust and support, and went to the trial to speak in John's defense.

His next - and to date, most substantial - appearance was in the episode "Hearts and Minds". After a battle with Despero's forces on Kalanor, Kilowog arrived at Earth badly injured, and when John found him, his mention of Katma Tui sent John off to find Katma. J'onn J'onzz brought Kilowog back to health, and he and Flash went to go find John's lantern battery so Kilowog could recharge (it is here that Kilowog expresses a willingness - and ability - to eat almost anything, be it ice cream still in the container or a VHS copy of Old Yeller, declaring them both to be equally "delicious!"). Kilowog brings Flash, J'onn, and Hawkgirl to Kalanor to join the fight against Despero that Katma and John have already been participating in. In determining how to fight Despero and his Flame of Py'tar, Kilowog suggests a carbon bomb, a complex explosive that he himself ends up constructing to exact perfection (leading to Flash's new title for him: Kilowog, the man of a thousand talents). The bomb ends up not being used, as the Py'tar is alive and suffering under Despero's reign, but Kilowog's actions in the episode still prove quite impressive. In this episode he and The Flash are shown to be very friendly with each other. Also, he, along with Kyle Rayner, Katma, and a few other GL's, is among the grievers at Superman's funeral in the episode "Hereafter". He has no lines.

His only appearance in Justice League Unlimited has been as one of the many angry Green Lanterns in "The Return", who are enraged at Amazo for seemingly destroying Oa. He has no lines here (nor do most of the Lanterns), but he does show up to take place in the large line-up of willing executioners once the Lanterns find Amazo.

Galius Zed

Galius Zed appeared in the Justice League episode "In Blackest Night" voiced by Rene Auberjonois. He was one of several Green Lanterns attending the trial of John Stewart for the crime of destroying an entire planet. The Lanterns were not there to support John, but rather join in the crowd's vocal abuse of Stewart. The other Justice League members later confronted him and the other Green Lanterns present about this. In Hearts and Minds, he and Arkkis Chummuck are killed in battle by Despero's forces on Kalanor.

Supporting characters

Obsidian

Obsidian has made brief cameo appearances in the animated television series Justice League Unlimited in which he is a member of the eponymous Justice League. As he has no speaking role in the series, it is not possible to discern origins or character, or if Green Lantern Alan Scott exists in the DC animated universe. This version recently received a figure from the Justice League Unlimited toyline.

Villains

Major Disaster

In the final season of Justice League Unlimited, Major Disaster appears as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society. He appears during the battle in Gorilla City when he blasts out of the ground. Later, he sided with Gorilla Grodd against Lex Luthor.

Evil Star

In Justice League Unlimited, Evil Star was seen at Roulette's Metabrawl and is reported to be a member of the Secret Society led by Gorilla Grodd. The Flash (inhabiting the body of Lex Luthor) once called him "Evil-Head Guy" in the episode, "The Great Brain Robbery", and he was one of the few members of the Secret Society that survived the final Apokoliptian assault on Earth.

Goldface

In Justice League Unlimited, Goldface (voiced by an uncredited Lex Lang) appears as a recent member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society when he is seen during the raid on Gorilla City turning the gorillas into gold. When the Secret Society holds a meeting with Luthor to discuss their plans, Luthor makes an example out of Goldface and uses a device on his belt to hurt Goldface's face. He survived, for he was then seen during the mutiny within the Secret Society, when he sided against Luthor and was subsequently frozen by Killer Frost, along with the other mutineers.

Solomon Grundy

Grundy appeared in the 2000s animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, first in the episode "Injustice for All". He was voiced by Mark Hamill. In this series, his origin was that of a mobster (also named Cyrus Gold) who eventually crossed the wrong people. He was killed, cursed, then dumped in a mystical swamp, rising again 25 years later as a soulless monster, forever seeking his lost soul without being aware of it. He is often paired with Copperhead to comedic timing in various episodes.

Later, Grundy became a more sympathetic figure, even a hero of sorts, by helping Doctor Fate save the world from a monstrous, bloodthirsty, Thanagarian deity named Ichthultu (based on the H. P. Lovecraftian Cthulhu) that he calls "Snake-Face". He befriends Hawkgirl, calling her "Bird-Nose". Fate's team in the episode is a pastiche of Marvel's Defenders, with Grundy standing in for the Hulk, Aquaman standing in for Namor, Doctor Fate standing in for Doctor Strange, and Hawkgirl standing in for both Valkyrie and Nighthawk. "Bird-Nose" was Hulk's nickname for Nighthawk, and other heroes have referred to him as such. Grundy attacks Ichthultu on his own, under the impression that the soul-devouring monster is in possession of his own soul. He is poisoned in the attempt, but his efforts allow Hawkgirl to kill the monster. Even the normally staunch Hawkgirl weeps for him, and comforts him in his last moments, assuring him that his soul is waiting for him when he dies. His epitaph simply reads, "Solomon Grundy — Born on a Monday", a reference to the poem after which he was named.

Grundy would later return in the series (voiced by Bruce Timm), resurrected by a dark spell cast by a group of young amateurs, with his memory of his past incarnation severely addled and lacking the ability to speak. Mindless and uncontrollable, he goes on a destructive rampage, his power augmented to levels far beyond his original self by the magic animating him. After a lengthy battle with the Justice League, he regains a small fraction of his memory when he beholds Hawkgirl, whom he has accepted as a friend, and he submits to Shayera, who sorrowfully kills him to put him out of his misery.

Javelin

In Justice League Unlimited, Javelin appears as one of the latest recruits of the Secret Society.

Manhunters

The Manhunters have appeared in the Justice League episode "In Blackest Night", where they were voiced by James Remar. Like their comic counterparts, they were the first before the Lantern Corps. However according to the Guardians, "they couldn't understand the subtle gradations between good and evil" (probably meaning draconian justice), and as such were reprogrammed for other tasks such as hunting and guarding. Though the Manhunters did not overtly expressed resentment for this demotion, they began secretly plotting their revenge against the Guardians for their perceived betrayal.

The Manhunters bring Green Lantern John Stewart to trial for accidentally destroying the planet Ajuris 4. Unknown to the masses, the planet's destruction was faked with the help of Kanjar Ro as part of the Manhunters' plan to overthrow the Oans and take the Corps' power source, which they believe is rightfully theirs. Their gambit successfully draws five of the Guardians away from Oa to testify for John, as well as several unassigned Green Lanterns, leaving Oa severely weakened when the Manhunters attack in force. The Justice League clears John's name and then aids in defeating the Manhunters, assisted by the Corps. The lead Manhunter manages to absorb the power of the Central Battery, shedding his metallic form and becoming a giant energy being. John recites the Green Lantern oath while absorbing the energy of the battery, and by extension the Manhunter, into his ring. He then expels the evil of the Manhunter and restores the Central Battery. This was based on the comics story No Man Escapes The Manhunters, which appeared in Justice League of America #140-141 (1977).

Mongul

In the Justice League animated series, Mongul first appears in the episode "War World" voiced by Eric Roberts. He is the ruler of War World and sends Superman to the gladiator pits of his domain. However, he is defeated and disappears.

In the Justice League Unlimited episode "For the Man Who Has Everything" (which is an adaptation of the comic story of the same name), Mongul tricked Superman by sending him an alien parasite (a Black Mercy Plant) disguised as a birthday present. The Black Mercy trapped Superman in a coma, while making him live an imaginary life in his mind, a life in which Krypton had never exploded, he had grown to adulthood there and was now leading a happy family life with his wife Loana (mixing elements of both Lois Lane and Lana Lang) and son Van-El. With help from Batman and Wonder Woman (who had also come to give him birthday presents), Superman escaped the trance, with the illusionary Krypton exploding, much as it did in the real world. Wonder Woman then trapped Mongul with his own parasite. The viewers never see the fantasy Mongul has when he is trapped, but we have a brief moment where we hear screams and sounds of war, while Mongul gives a small smirk of satisfaction.

Doctor Polaris

In Justice League Unlimited, Dr. Polaris (wearing his original costume and played by voice actor Michael Rosenbaum, who also plays the Flash) is seen as a member of the new Secret Society led by Gorilla Grodd; here, he is portrayed as one of the Legion's most powerful members.
Polaris and the Key rescue Lex Luthor from the pursuing cops and brought him to Grodd. He, Lex Luthor, and Key raid the Blackhawks old base and battle Hawkgirl, Flash, Fire and a retired Blackhawk and are able to get away by putting the base on self-destruct which is aborted. In this episode Fire is able to weaken him by heating up the area. Dr. Polaris returns in the episode "The Great Brain Robbery", in which he attempts to wrest control of the organization from Lex Luthor. Luthor reveals that when he augmented Polaris' powers, he installed failsafes that allow him override Polaris' powers.

Star Sapphire

Star Sapphire appears in episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Olivia d'Abo.

Star Sapphire is invited to join Lex Luthor's Injustice Gang: a group of villains gathered to plot the destruction of the Justice League. She is initially repelled by the idea of working with "common criminals," but seems to warm to the amount of money that Luthor promises each of them (something that keeps her from quitting after their initial plan fails). In the Injustice Gang's final battle with the Justice League, she is defeated by Green Lantern. The character is later recruited to the second incarnation of the Injustice Gang, lead by Aresia, whose goal is to destroy the men of the world. When Aresia reveals the group's agenda, she joins enthusiastically. While aligned with this team, she successfully tricks Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl into believing that she still wants to live in a world with men, luring them into a trap that subdues both them and Wonder Woman's mother: Hippolyta. Later on, she and Aresia flee with Hippolyta aboard Aresia's plane. Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl pursue them, and she is knocked out of the fight when Wonder Woman wrenches one of the plane's laser cannons free from its housing and hurls it at her from behind; plunging her into the sea.

Along with several other supervillains, she joins in the mayhem that reigns in Metropolis shortly after Superman's supposed death at the hands of the Superman Revenge Squad, but is again defeated by Green Lantern. She joins Grodd's Secret Society in the final episode of Justice League Unlimited. During the mutiny led by Grodd, she sides with Luthor, and thus is among the survivors who arrive on Earth in time to warn of Darkseid's impending invasion. She joins the rest of the Secret Society and the Justice League in fighting off the forces of Apokolips, and is depicted fighting parademons over the Great Wall of China beside Wonder Woman, Shining Knight, and Vigilante. During the battle, she is struck unconscious by a beam from an Apokoliptan cannon, but is saved from falling to her death by Shining Knight. She is last seen fleeing the Metro Tower along with the other surviving members of the Secret Society.

The animated version of Star Sapphire receives her power from the stone in her mask, giving her Green Lantern-like abilities that enable her to form shields, create energy constructs, fire power blasts, and create a full-body field that enables her to fly and travel through deep space. Her origins are never elaborated upon, making it difficult to tell which version of Star Sapphire she's based on. In appearance, however, she seems most similar to Carol Ferris. While Ferris is depicted as an American in comic books, the Justice League Star Sapphire has a British accent.

Shark

The third Shark is seen as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society in Justice League Unlimited.

Sinestro

Sinestro appears multiple times in the DCAU. His origins, while not explicitly developed, follow the same dramatic line of his comics origin. Sinestro was a Green Lantern whom the Guardians determined was unfit to wield the power of the ring. His yellow ring is of unexplained origin, and since the animated Green Lanterns have no weakness to yellow, the color is essentially just a small tribute to the comics. His constructs tend to be very imaginative in comparison with John Stewart, the main Green Lantern in the series, and he often creates mythical beasts to engage his opponents. He is also right-handed, while he is left-handed in the comics, and is bulkier than his lanky comic book counterpart. This version of Sinestro was voiced by Ted Levine.

Sinestro first appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day...", where he battles against the newly-recruited Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. Sinestro later appears in the Justice League series as part of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society, as well as in a crossover with Static Shock. Since John Stewart is the Green Lantern featured in both stories, it is made clear that Sinestro has a grudge against the Green Lantern Corps in general, as opposed to a specific vendetta against Rayner. He is also a member of the new Secret Society on the final season of Justice League Unlimited, featured as a powerful and competent member of a train heist in the episode "The Great Brain Robbery", as well as saving the lives of several members of the Secret Society from Darkseid in "Alive!" with the help of Star Sapphire.

Sonar

The Bito Wladon version of Sonar appears in Justice League Unlimited voiced by an uncredited Corey Burton. He appears as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society. In the episode Grudge Match, he helped Roulette with her new "Metabrawl: Glamour Slam", but he was defeated by Black Canary and Huntress.

Sportsmaster

In the Justice League episode "Legends," the Sportsman (voiced by Michael McKean) is based on the original Sportsmaster.

In Justice League Unlimited, Sportsmaster made a brief appearance as the first opponent seen being defeated by Wildcat in the secret metahuman tournament Meta-Brawl held by Roulette. He later appears as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society.

Tattooed Man

The first Tattooed Man has appeared in Justice League Unlimited. He appeared as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society. He was briefly seen during the Society's attack in Gorilla City where he was punched by Batman.

Vandal Savage

Vandal Savage is seen in several episodes of the animated series Justice League voiced by Phil Morris. This version of Savage, in addition to being an immortal, has enhanced healing properties in the style of Wolverine. His origin is the same as that of his comic book counterpart, except it is revealed in the episode "Maid of Honor" his age is half of that in the comics - 25,000 years.
The League first encounters Savage in the three-part episode "The Savage Time", when he manages to alter history and cause [...] Germany to win World War II. The only League member affected by the time alteration is Batman (as the rest were shielded by Green Lantern's energy at the time) and they eventually find a portal to the past and undo Vandal's treachery.

Next, in "Maid of Honor", Savage, claiming to be the "grandson" of himself, was engaged to Princess Audrey of Kasnia, but was secretly working with a secret faction of the Kasnian military to install a railgun onto the International Space Station, thereby allowing Kasnia, through Savage, to dictate control over the world. The League once again foiled him and Savage was incarcerated in Kasnia, but later escaped at some unspecified time.
Savage's last appearance was in "Hereafter", when, a few months after the supposed death of Superman, he used a gravity controlling device to kill the League, but accidentally unbalanced Earth's orbit and killed the rest of the human race. Savage spent 30,000 years alone, feeling ashamed of his desire for control and the catastrophe it had unleashed. After discovering Superman - who had actually been sent to the future rather than killed - in his present, he worked with the Man of Steel to finish construction of a time machine he'd developed, allowing him to send Superman back and change history. In the end, Savage witnessed the changes Superman had achieved as Metropolis came to life again, and faded from existence with the words "Thank you, my friend" on his lips.