Green Lantern's New Lantern Type Rewrites the Franchise's Color Rules

Published Sep 7, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words. Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II. Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno. There's a new type of Lantern in Green Lantern lore, and these hyper-powerful 'Alpha Guardians' change the rules of how the franchise's iconic Lantern colors even work. In 2004, Geoff Johns' iconic Green Lantern run introduced the 'Emotional Spectrum' - a force of incredible power, with each color of the rainbow attributed to its own emotional force and corresponding Lantern Corps. The idea was an instant smash hit, and the rage-powered Red Lanterns, fear-inducing Sinestro Corps and mysterious Indigo Tribe quickly became a vital part of the DC Universe, at times lending their powers to iconic characters like Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman (who's about to become a Black Lantern in upcoming issues of Superman.) Green Lantern Introduces New 'Alpha Guardian' Lanterns However, Morgan Hampton, Juan José Ryp, Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, Arif Prianto, Matt Herms and Dave Sharpe's Green Lantern Corps #19 rewrites the rules of 'Lantern colors' as fans understand them. Recent issues have seen the Emotional Entities - the cosmic embodiment of each emotion - at odds with the galactic heroes and villains who wield their powers. Thankfully, Guy Gardner was able to negotiate an alliance, reconnecting the Emotional Entities with the combined Corps, and housing them in new individual 'Alpha Guardians' who will act as direct hosts for each entity. This new team comprises one representative from each traditional Corps (or at least, almost all of them - more on that shortly.) Green Lantern's New 'Alpha Guardians' Team Lantern Lantern Color Emotional Entity First Appearance Created by Key Facts Razer Red (Rage) The Butcher Green Lantern Vol. 7 #6 Giancarlo Volpe and Jim Krieg One of the few beings in the galaxy to belong to the Blue, Green and Red Lantern Corps in his lifetime, Razer is a tragic but heroic ally of Hal Jordan. Larfleeze Orange (Avarice) Ophidian Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25 Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver A fan-favorite character, Larfleeze kills anyone who seeks to harness the Orange Light of Avarice, turning them into a constuct within his Corps. Soranik Natu Yellow (Fear) Parallax Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1 Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons and Patrick Gleason The daughter of the villainous Sinestro, Soranik is a gifted surgeon who reluctantly took control of her father's Corps, hoping to turn them into a force for good. Aya Green (Will) Ion Green Lantern Vol 7. #24 Jim Krieg, Giancarlo Volpe and Ernie Altbacker A sentient AI whose willpower granted her physical form and a connection to the Emotional Spectrum. Saint Walker Blue (Hope) Adara Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25 Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver The first Blue Lantern, Walker is a former prophet who fulfilled his world's greatest religious prophecy by becoming the messiah he sought. (Speculation) Fatality Indigo (Compassion) Proselyte Green Lantern Vol. 3 #82 Ron Marz and Darryl Banks An alien warrior who targeted Green Lantern John Stewart for his part in the destruction of her homeworld, Fatality later found purpose and heroism through the power of the Violet Light of Love. Bonded directly to the embodiment of the power of each part of the Emotional Spectrum, these Alpha Guardians are likely to be the most powerful Lanterns of all time, while also having the responsibility of 'feeding' the godlike beings they're bonded to on strong emotions. That's particularly important, given what just happened to all the OTHER Lanterns in the DC Universe... DC's Regular Lanterns Are Transformed As the Alpha Guardians become the embodiment of each emotion, the regular Lanterns are losing their specificity for a more wide-reaching power set. After the various Corps unite into a single organization, the bargain with the Emotional Entities allows Lanterns who previously specialized to become 'chrome' Lanterns, tapped into the whole Emotional Spectrum. As the majority of the combined Corps transform into 'chrome' Lanterns, it seems this will be the standard for Lanterns in DC lore for the foreseeable future. However, this upgrade depends on keeping the Emotional Entities satisfied and 'well fed' on their emotions of choice, making the Alpha Guardians the vital ingredient of this gigantic new united Corps. To that end, the Alpha Guardians will seemingly act as a separate team to other Lanterns, with DC announcing future adventures in solicit information for upcoming issues... What's Next for DC's Alpha Guardians? The upcoming Green Lantern Corps #20 will see the Corps take a breath following their recent battle for survival and mass transformation, but issues #21 and #22 will focus on the Alpha Guardians. It seems longtime Green Lantern Sojourner 'Jo' Mullein will act as the team's liaison to the larger Corps, with Krona - one of the biggest villains in Green Lantern lore - on the horizon. The issue summaries read: Corps leader Jess has her hands full trying to establish rules of order for the new Alpha Guardians when Jo Mullein drops a new problem on her desk. The inter- planetary pirates Jo beat down claim they were on legitimate business, and their solicitors want a word with the Corps' legal representatives, or Jo's going to face the consequences! KRONA RETURNS! Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner have entered the Well of the Emotional Entities in a desperate attempt to find Hal Jordan, who is lost in the universe following a cryptic hint from the Book of Oa. They'll need the new chromatic Alpha Lanterns to work together and manage their powers to face what's on the other side: the decrepit surviving Guardians of the Universe and the monstrous reborn Krona! A former member of the Guardians of the Universe with near-omnipotent power, Krona is as bad as it gets for the combined Corps, and will surely act as a baptism of fire for the Alpha Guardians as a team. Thankfully, they may have another member fans haven't yet met... What About the Violet Lanterns? One lingering question regarding the Alpha Guardians is who will act as host to the Predator, becoming the steward of the Violet Power of Love. While the Predator is shown among the Emotional Entities when bargaining with Guy Gardner, the final image of the Alpha Guardians doesn't show the creature or its host. Indeed, it appears that former 'Violet Lantern' Fatality is actually bonding with Proselyte, the embodiment of the Indigo Light of Compassion. Switching colors would be an odd but not impossible move, hence why we can't be 100% sure the comic's final image definitely depicts Fatality. However, assuming it does, that leaves open the question of who will act as the Violet Alpha Guardian. The most likely candidate is Carol Ferris - the Star Sapphire of Earth, and Hal Jordan's primary love interest. DC has recently increased Star Sapphire's profile as a member of the Justice League Unlimited, so it would make sense she'd receive this upgrade. DC lore just rewrote the Lantern Corps, turning the majority of Lanterns into jack-of-all-trades 'chrome' Lanterns while turning its new Alpha Guardians into the ultimate embodiments of their chosen emotional forces (and colors.) Fans can expect future Green Lantern Corps issues to reveal even more about this new cadre of elite Lanterns. Green Lantern Corps #19 is available now from DC Comics. Created By Martin Nodell, Bill Finger, John Broome, Gil Kane, Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams Cast Ryan Reynolds First Appearance All-American Comics Alias Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Sojourner Mullein Alliance Justice League, Justice Society of America, Green Lantern Corps Movies Green Lantern