How Does Hal Jordan Actually Die in the ‘Green Lantern’ Comics?

Green Lantern fans watching HBO’s new ‘Lanterns’ series just watched John Stewart discover a dead, ringless Hal Jordan sitting on a set of bleachers, and it sent longtime comic readers straight back to one of the darkest chapters in DC history. Hal Jordan does in fact die in the comics, and it has happened more than once. The story behind that death is a twisted, tragic saga that redefined the character for an entire generation of readers.

For anyone new to ‘Green Lantern’ lore wondering how the small screen version connects to the source material, the answer traces back three decades to a storyline that fans still argue about today. It is a tale of grief, villainy, and eventual redemption that turned one of DC’s most beloved heroes into one of its most infamous killers.

Hal Jordan Becomes Parallax in ‘Emerald Twilight’

The most notorious chapter of Hal Jordan’s death began with ‘Emerald Twilight’, the three issue arc that ran through ‘Green Lantern’ vol. 3, issues 48 through 50, published between January and March of 1994 by writer Ron Marz, with art from Bill Willingham, Fred Haynes, and Darryl Banks. The story followed the destruction of Hal’s hometown, Coast City, and out of grief and hopelessness, Hal used his ring to try to recreate the entire city, including the people who had died there.

The Guardians of the Universe erased his creation for violating Green Lantern Corps law, and Hal snapped. Enraged, he siphoned energy from a holographic Guardian projection and set out for the planet Oa, intending to use the Central Power Battery to permanently rebuild Coast City. What followed was nothing short of a rampage across the Corps he once served.

The Guardians sent several Lanterns to try to stop Hal from reaching Oa, but blinded by rage, he cut through all of them, took their rings, and left them for dead. Once he arrived on Oa, Hal battled the renegade former Green Lantern Sinestro, who had been imprisoned in the Main Battery but was released by the Guardians in a last ditch effort to stop him.

The Fall of the Green Lantern Corps

Jordan proceeded to kill Sinestro, as well as his fellow Green Lantern Kilowog, during the climactic battle on Oa. Lost and transformed by his grief, Hal unintentionally killed Kilowog with a powerful burst of energy, a moment that cemented just how dark this period of ‘Green Lantern’ comics truly was. Later stories would reveal that the version of Sinestro who died in that fight was actually a Parallax created illusion meant to help break Hal’s will, though at the time it was presented as their final duel.

The Guardians, realizing their cause was lost, gave all their remaining energy to the Guardian Ganthet before dying themselves. Hal then absorbed all the energy in the Central Power Battery, emerging with a new costume and a new identity. That identity was Parallax, and it turned the once heroic ‘Green Lantern’ into one of DC’s most destructive villains.

The ‘Emerald Twilight’ storyline wiped out much of the supporting cast around Hal as well, since DC’s creative team wanted to reset the status quo, get rid of most of the Green Lanterns, and leave only one behind. It was a controversial move that fans debated for years afterward, and it reshaped the entire ‘Green Lantern Corps’ mythology going forward.

Hal Jordan Sacrifices Himself on ‘The Final Night’

Hal, still trapped as Parallax, eventually met his actual death during Karl Kesel and Stuart Immonen’s 1996 event series ‘The Final Night.’ In that story, a cosmic weapon known as the Sun Eater extinguishes the solar system’s sun, giving Earth’s heroes only five days to figure out how to turn it back on before losing the planet entirely.

Kyle Rayner, the Green Lantern who had taken up the mantle after Hal’s fall, ultimately sought out Hal for help, setting the stage for his final act. In the end, Parallax offers to give up his life to destroy the Sun Eater and reignite the sun, saving the world and partially redeeming himself in the process. Hal Jordan is given a proper memorial afterward, with many of Earth’s heroes showing up to remember his life.

Losing his grip on reality due to the loss of Coast City and the manipulation of the Parallax entity had led Hal down a dark path, which made his sacrifice in ‘The Final Night’ all the more emotional for longtime readers. It is widely regarded as one of DC’s most emotional deaths, even if what came after complicated that legacy.

What Happened After Hal Jordan’s Comic Book Death?

Hal’s story did not end there, since in Geoff Johns and Matthew Dow Smith’s 1999 event ‘Day of Judgment,’ Hal became the new host for the Spectre, a Spirit of Vengeance, or as Hal himself put it, a Spirit of Redemption. That role had previously belonged to Jim Corrigan, and Hal filled it for several years afterward.

Hal redeemed his actions as Parallax during ‘The Final Night,’ but his quick return as the Spectre undermined much of what that sacrifice originally meant to fans. A later retcon allowed Hal to separate his soul from both the Spectre and Parallax, reuniting with his body and returning as a Green Lantern once again.

The ‘Rebirth’ arc effectively restored Hal’s reputation and reset him back to his pre ‘Emerald Twilight’ heroic status, and it remains the version of the character most modern comics have built upon since. ‘Green Lantern: Rebirth’ was lauded by fans, particularly those who had despised Hal’s turn to villainy during ‘Emerald Twilight.’

With HBO’s ‘Lanterns’ now putting its own spin on Hal Jordan’s fate, and plenty of fans already speculating that the show could echo pieces of ‘Emerald Twilight,’ ‘The Final Night,’ or ‘Rebirth,’ it feels like the right moment to ask longtime readers and new viewers alike which version of Hal’s death and return hit them hardest, and whether they think the show will follow the comics down that same painful road to redemption.