10 Best Green Lantern Costumes in DC Comic History, Ranked

Summary

• Green Lantern has evolved over time with various costumes and characters.
• Iconic designs include Hal Jordan’s Parallax Armor, Green Lantern/Spectre mash-up, and Guy Gardner’s signature jacket.
• Other notable costumes are Kyle Rayner’s original Lantern uniform, John Stewart’s Future Emerald Knight design, and Batman’s Green Lantern.

As one of the oldest mantles in comics, Green Lantern has long served as a source of adventure, science fiction and mystery in DC Comics. Beginning in the Golden Age, the hero was reimagined for a younger generation in the Silver Age, leading to the creation of the Green Lantern Corps. With over three thousand Lanterns existing at any given time, there have been a variety of costumes worn by various characters using the moniker.

Green Lantern continues to be one of the most versatile corners of DC, leading the franchise throughout the 2000s following the return of Hal Jordan. Every decade has seen its share of reinventions, redesigns and creations of new heroes, and they all bring their own unique looks. From evil transformations to personalized masks, the Corps has no shortage of excellent designs, especially for the humans. And these are some of the best Green Lantern costume designs and outfits ever created.

10 Hal Jordan’s Parallax Armor

During the 1990s, DC resorted to a variety of extreme changes to its universe, from the “Death of Superman” to Batman getting his back broken in “Knightfall.” One of the most iconic of these was Hal Jordan’s fall from grace when, in the aftermath of the destruction of Coast City, he turned into the villain Parallax. Armed with multiple power rings, the now evil Justice Leaguer set off for Oa, where he sought to challenge the Guardians of the Universe. Along the way, he adopted a brand-new look.

Parallax Hal Jordan ditched the basic Green Lantern uniform for an armored, battle-ready suit, one with ’90s-style shoulder pads and a starker use of black and white. While it may be associated with a villainous side of Hal, it does remain one of his best looks — just not as iconic as his standard uniform.

9 Green Lantern’s Spectre Costume

After his death during the “Final Night” story, Hal Jordan made his return to the DCU following a decade-long absence, with Kyle Rayner stepping into the role as the JLA’s Lantern. However, rather than a traditional resurrection, the hero became the new host for the Spectre, DC’s Spirit of Vengeance, before his full return. The hero made his first appearance as the entity during the Day of Judgment event (Geoff Johns, Matt Smith & Steve Mitchell).

The Green Lantern/Spectre mash-up is actually a brilliant combination of both heroes’ designs, uniting the science fiction of Hal’s story with the mysticism of the wraith. Not only did the character reveal make for a fun twist in Day of Judgment (Geoff Johns, Matt Smith & Steve Mitchell), it also led to some great character moments in Green Lantern Rebirth (Geoff Johns & Ethan Van Sciver).

8 Guy Gardner’s Signature Jacket

Guy Gardner first burst onto the scene during DC’s Silver Age, revealed as the hero that Abin Sur’s ring would have gone to had Hal been unavailable. While not his original occupation, the character has been retconned as an ex-cop, something that, when combined with his hotheaded nature, makes him a great foil to other heroes. The character’s love of style and his loud personality can be seen in his uniform, one of the few Lanterns who wears Earth-inspired clothing.

The Baltimore native, not content to be just another uniformed Lantern, sports a biker-inspired sleeveless jacket over his standard suit, something that’s inseparable from the hero. The costume fits his bombastic attitude to a tee, showcasing independence and contempt for authority, something that reappeared when he served on the Justice League under Batman. The fact the hero doesn’t bother with a mask makes it even better.

7 Kyle Rayner’s Original Lantern Uniform

Following Hal Jordan’s turn to evil, Kyle Rayner was handpicked by the Guardians of the Universe to become his successor. An artist by trade, the young hero has since earned a reputation for using some of the most creative constructs of the Corps. This is even reflected in his unique costume.

Kyle Rayner was the first human Green Lantern to take on a radically different look from the Corps since its creation, trading the green torso appearance of other Lanterns for a white one. In addition, he was given a unique mask, and wears his symbol on the left side of his chest. To be fair, the costume is hit or miss, but for fans of ’90s comics, this was a breath of fresh air.

6 John Stewart’s Future Emerald Knight Design

During DC’s Future State, readers were shown creative and transformative futures for the world’s core heroes, from gladiator Superman to Batman as a fugitive. Among the best of these was Geoff Thorne’s new direction for John Stewart, who was landed in the midst of a New Gods war — and sent on the path to ascend to a god himself. This ended in him becoming the Emerald Knight.

John Stewart’s Emerald Knight design made him the best-looking Green Lantern around, giving him a sleeveless costume and a battle-ready look. With a mastery over the power of will, the hero’s costume became one of the brightest of the Corps, with the green practically alive with color and light.

5 Batman’s Green Lantern Costume

The Elseworlds story In Darkest Knight presents readers with an alternate universe where Bruce Wayne becomes a Green Lantern. Since then, this cosmic version of the Caped Crusader has returned in various Crisis events and multiversal adventures, most recently aiding Hal Jordan in Green Lantern #9-11 (Grant Morrison & Liam Sharp).

The Batman version of Green Lantern is an excellent blend of the two heroes, incorporating the Corps mask into The Dark Knight’s cowl, and merging his cape into the uniform. While the original version of this Elseworlds hero trimmed the cowl, his return in the 2018 series made for one of the best Batman and Green Lantern costumes.

4 Simon Baz’s New 52 Lantern Uniform

Simon Baz became a Green Lantern during the New 52, and was shown to have faced racial and religious profiling as a younger man. After a ring made its way to him, he became a Lantern, but was conflicted by his feelings towards becoming, in effect, a police officer of the galaxy. Since then, he has become a prominent member of the Corps, most often associated with Jessica Cruz.

Simon Baz has the most personalized costume of the human Lanterns, with a luchador-esque mask and a sleeveless uniform. For readers who enjoy the world of wrestling, this Green Lantern is the perfect visual choice, and shows how fun a Corpsman’s creativity and individualism can be.

3 Abin Sur’s Golden Age Costume (Earth-20)

As the hero whose death triggered Hal Jordan becoming Green Lantern, Abin Sur holds a special place in DC history. However, readers have mostly known the Prime Earth Sur through his death. On Earth-20, he became the most important Green Lantern, though one inspired more by Alan Scott than the Corps.

Abin Sur of Earth-20 takes Alan Scott’s Golden Age design and turns it cosmic, ditching the shirt collar of the JSA founder and making the Lantern chest symbol a beacon of light. Whether readers prefer this version of Scott’s costume will come down to taste, with one representing a street-level side of heroism, the other a more fantastical one.

2 Alan Scott, The Original Green Lantern Costume

The Golden Age of comics was a time when the superhero was still a novel concept, and creators turned in a long list of unique, vibrant and colorful heroes. Among these was Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern. After finding a mysterious lantern beneath the wreckage of a train crash, he is granted magical powers, that allow him to fly, walk through walls and the standard energy beam. The hero was designed with a red shirt, green and purple cape and green pants, a color scheme that surprisingly worked brilliantly — and still does.

For those who enjoy the Golden Age, it’s tough to find a better, more fitting caped costume than Scott, whose homemade-looking costume represents that era of superhero perfectly. Interestingly, the design actually closely mirrors Bob Kane’s original Batman design (though Kane didn’t create the original Lantern).

1 Hal Jordan: The Definitive Green Lantern Costume

Since the dawn of the Silver Age and retirement of Alan Scott from ongoing comics, Hal Jordan has become DC’s signature Green Lantern. Alongside Barry Allen, his creation signaled the end of the Golden Age, and a move towards the youth of the late ’50s and 1960s to captivate readers. From the jump, Jordan was something completely different, trading in Scott’s red sweater and purple cape for the black, green and white uniform readers know and love.

Hal Jordan’s modern uniform, especially under artists like Liam Sharp and Ethan van Sciver, stands out as one of the best, most recognizable costumes in DC. While it’s not much different from the standard Lantern, something about the fit on Hal just works, and creators have recognized the need for him to be unique, giving each human Lantern their own look.