WARNING: Contains Spoilers for Absolute Green Lantern #1!DC’s Absolute Green Lantern has just released its debut issue, and calling Hal Jordan’s new status quo “wild” would be an understatement. The Absolute Universe has completely reimagined the hero in a shocking new way, essentially transforming him into an unkillable monster and giving him an unexpected connection to one of Marvel’s most iconic characters.

Green Lantern and the Hulk now share more than just the color green.

Al Ewing, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Lucas Gattoni’s Absolute Green Lantern #1 makes it immediately clear that the Absolute Universe is no place of mercy for Hal Jordan. The issue opens with Hal wandering a long stretch of road when a police officer stops to check on him, only to find him disoriented, terrified, and in shock.

The encounter ends with the chilling implication that Hal kills the officer after the cop mistakes him for being armed and draws his gun. The full extent of Hal’s transformation isn’t revealed until later when he massacres an entire diner full of people before revealing the horrifying truth that he is unkillable in this universe.

“You’re Not Going to Let Me Die, Are You?”: Hal Jordan’s Alien Upgrade Makes Him Unkillable

Cover B Juliet Nneka Variant for Absolute Green Lantern #2 (2025)

It’s clear that Hal didn’t intend to kill the cop and is deeply distressed by what happened. When he enters the diner, his odd behavior and refusal to remove his hand from his pocket quickly draw the attention of the staff and customers. Hal does a terrible job explaining his situation, making himself seem even more suspicious as he essentially its to killing a cop. Tension escalates when a man grabs Hal’s hidden hand, expecting to find a weapon, only to reveal that Hal’s hand is an inky black mess, which immediately lashes out and kills the man.

Desperate, Hal warns the others that he’s trying to hold back what appears to be an alien entity that has latched onto him, something eerily similar to Marvel’s symbiotes. He explains that the entity reacts to perceived threats, but the people don’t listen. A waitress pulls a gun and shoots Hal, triggering the creature to lash out, killing everyone in the diner. Now wounded, Hal initially feels relieved, hoping the bullet will end both him and the entity inside him. However, the inky black mass seeps over his wound, only to pull away and reveal him fully healed. Realizing the horrifying truth, Hal says, “You’re not going to let me die, are you?”

DC Basically Just Gave Green Lantern Hulk’s Most Devastating Power

Cover I 1:25 Martin Simmonds Variant for Absolute Green Lantern #1 (2025)

Whatever has attached itself to Hal has no qualms about killing, yet it seems personally invested in keeping him alive, healing fatal wounds within seconds. Now serving as the host to a symbiote-like entity, Hal is effectively an unkillable monster. His newfound condition mirrors that of the Hulk, who is similarly incapable of dying, a parallel that feels all the more deliberate given that Absolute Green Lantern is written by Al Ewing, the mastermind behind The Immortal Hulk. With that, Green Lantern and the Hulk now share more than just the color green.

Absolute Green Lantern #1 is available now from DC Comics!