DC fans all when Green Lantern’s character. As one of the first instances of the ‘identity’ amnesia trope used in the DC Universe at the time, Guy Gardner went through a massive change in character to make him completely unrecognizable. He was the exact opposite of himself, becoming a man who liked poetry and was a little too nice to the wrong people.
While it was a funny instance and provided plenty of moments for laughs, it may have just been the thing Guy Gardner needed to show his true nature deep down inside. It was among the first times that Gardner was able to express his feelings, whether it was his original intention or not, he may have fixed his character. The Justice League International was the best thing for the Green Lantern, and became exactly what he needed to improve upon himself.
The personality change came about in Justice League #5 (by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire) when Guy went searching for his ring that rolled off his finger when Batman punched him, and upon finding it hit his head on a table. It was a bad day for the Green Lantern, humiliated and embarrassed for himself, he decided to switch it up and trick the Justice League International into believing he had changed. He started being nice to everyone and became best friends with Captain Marvel, the hero he used to call “white bread” because of how overly respectful Billy was to the others. Guy’s new personality subjected his teammates to the pain of what he would be like as the person they wanted him to be by going over the top with his presentation.
The Justice League International started preferring Guy back to his original ways, in Justice League International (1987) #8 (by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire), Batman became annoyed at the Green Lantern for his new tendency to share way too much information with the enemy. His kindness presented as a way to get people to like him and perhaps showed a peak into the mind of Gardner, who wanted nothing more than to be wanted. While the JLI eventually adjusted to his new personality, Guy was becoming more welcomed in the group with this change, and soon people knew him as this nice guy.
Becoming part of the group was something Guy had always wanted in Justice League International, evident in issue #23 (Giffen, DeMatteis, Maguire, Rubinstein) when Gardner told Mister Miracle he’d rather stick around and antagonize him. While that may have been a one-off line, it may have shown his mentality with the entirety of the JLI showing his intent to stick around and antagonize these people that became something like a family to him. These events showed the Green Lantern had it in him to be a nice guy, and deep down he had a heart of gold and a willingness to do the right thing in the face of danger. Batman knocked some sense in Gardner, and he became all the better for it, leading people to see his true intentions of doing good, despite his crass and cocky attitude.
In many ways, Guy Gardner was the classic trope of a "scoundrel with a heart of gold” and this event showed a peek into the mind of the Green Lantern. Batman knocking him out was just the thing he needed to humble him and set him straight. Guy Gardner needed the Justice League International and the team needed him, his true self. While many thought it was a fun event, the Green Lantern’s character was secretly saved by Batman punching him out.
