Occupation:
Test Pilot
Base of Operations:
Coast City / Oa
Martial Status:
Single
Height:
6 feet
Weight:
186 lbs.
Hair:
Brown
Eyes:
Brown
Current Group Affiliation:
Green Lantern Corps
Former Group Affiliation:
Justice League of America
First Appearance:
Showcase #22 (Setember/October, 1959)
Known Powers:
None
Equipment:
The Green Lantern Power Ring allows Hal Jordan to fly, survive in space and do nearly anything the bearer can will. His ring is limited only by a 24-hour time limit (after which it needs to be recharged) and a weakness against anything yellow.
Bio-History:
While testing a flight simulator, test pilot Hal Jordan found himself transported to a crashed UFO where he was met by a dying alien. Before he died, the alien gave Hal a green ring and a uniform. Hal discovered that Abin Sur had been part of an intergalactic peacekeeping force known as Green Lanterns. Directed by a blue-skinned race known as the Guardians of the Universe, the Green Lanterns used special rings which allowed them to fly, survive in space, and do nearly anything the bearer can will. These rings were limited only by a 24-hour time limit (after which it needs to be recharged) and a weakness against anything yellow.
Tragically, this seemingly picture-perfect hero’s life began to spiral out of control after the destruction of Coast City. In the course of something like three issues, Hal went mad, killed most of the Green Lanterns and Guardians, and the last power ring fell into the hands of freelance artist Kyle Rayner. Hal left Earth, and ultimately decided the ultimate solution was to take the leftover instabilities from the Crisis on Infinite Earths and use them to unmake the universe, then remake it the way he wanted. (See Zero Hour.) Calling himself Parallax, he nearly succeeded, until a group of other heroes managed to recreate the “Big Bang,” allowing the universe to re-form itself naturally.
Parallax finally sacrificed himself to save the Earth when a giant space-going creature was devouring the Sun. While some saw it as merely a continuation of his “God complex,” others saw it as an act of redemption, the final sacrifice of a hero.
Jordan returned to Earth when the world and Heaven itself were threatened by the power of the Spectre—God’s Wrath incarnate. Seeking a new host for the Spectre (the previous one, Jim Corrigan, was no longer interested now that he had finally earned a place in heaven), Earth’s heroes settled on the only other soul who had the will: Hal Jordan. He agreed, seeking a chance to redeem himself, having no idea what he was getting into. As the Spectre, he can sense the guilt in mortals’ (and immortals’) minds. No longer recognizable as Hal Jordan, he roams the Earth on his mission of vengeance... or redemption.
Current Status:
During a struggle with Parallax, Hal Jordan's spirit has been reunited with his body, returning back to Green Lantern.
Hal Jordan as Parallax
Hal Jordan as The Spectre
