Sinestro may not be a Green Lantern anymore, but he shows how they could improve their technology with a failsafe to keep bad hands out of their rings.
The Green Lanterns they may have one of the best weapons in the universe, but their number one enemy has found a sinister way to improve them. When his own body was taken over, Sinestro revealed how he’s taken Power Rings to a brutal new level.
The Green Lantern Corps has kept the DC Universe safe for centuries, largely thanks to the collective willpower of its members. This determination has made them the best candidates to wear the Power Ring, a weapon that can imagine anything its users can think of. Thaal Sinestro was once a member of the Green Lantern Corps, until he was exiled for grossly abusing his power. However, he knew the Ring of Power intimately and had the Arms of Quard forge a new ring for him, one that operated from fear rather than willpower. With this new heirloom, Sinestro was able to form a powerful rival in his former organization.
Sinestro’s Power Rings have a deadly twist
But Sinestro has done more than just copy the Green Lantern rings and found a way to keep them out of the hands of others. In Green Lantern #46 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke, the blackest night rages and Indigo-1 has teamed up with Hal Jordan to bring together the leaders of the various events of the Emotional Spectrum. After gathering Sinestro, Indigo-1 brings his team to Korugar, where Mongul has decided to make his base as he usurps Sinestro’s body. Sinestro fights to wrest control of his army from Mongul, but the villain easily defeats him thanks to his many Yellow Power Rings. However, Sinestro reveals that he had installed a failsafe in his rings and activates it, causing numerous spikes to pierce Mongul and severely injure him.
Fitting such a contingency into a Power Ring is a pretty clever idea, as it’s not uncommon for Green Lanterns to lose their rings. Hal Jordan lost his to Batman the first time he met him in the New 52 origin of the Justice League, and various Lanterns have lost theirs to extremely powerful villains in the past. Not the most common occurrence, but losing a Power Ring does happen. Having such a powerful “just in case” function isn’t the worst idea the Green Lanterns could borrow from Sinestro.
The Green Lanterns could protect his ring easier with Sinestro’s method
Granted it wouldn’t be very heroic if Green Lantern’s ring shot spikes at anyone who touched it, but it would help keep the ring out of some truly sinister hands. Not to mention that Power Rings can create anything users desire, so they could just as easily fashion handcuffs and spikes. But no matter what he creates, Sinestro realizes that the Power Rings are too dangerous for anyone but their designated Lanterns to use. of Sinestro violent backup plan may not be the green lanterns way, but it’s something that could revolutionize Power Rings for the future.
