The darkest chapter in the DC Universe could have been avoided if it wasn't for Green Lantern. Green Lantern #43 reveals that one oversight of Hal Jordan put the world on the path to the zombie apocalypse in Blackest Night.
The Blackest Night was one of the most terrifying and devastating things to ever happen to the DC Universe. Originally a prophecy written in the Guardians of the Universe's Book of Oa, a forbidden chapter spoke of a dark period that would cap off a conflict between the various factions of the Emotional Spectrum. The prophecy spoke of a Black Lantern Corps, an army composed of reanimated beings from across the universe, all serving the Lord of the Unliving, Nekron. Though the DC Universe survived the terrible ordeal, it wasn't without a number of losses, in addition to the turmoil, heroes endured fighting their deceased loved ones.
And it seems that some responsibility of the Blackest Night could fall on Hal Jordan's shoulders. In Green Lantern #43 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke, the villainous Black Hand recounts his experiences with the titular hero, all the way back to the first time he met Green Lantern. As seen during Green Lantern’s “Secret Origin” arc, the future leader of the Red Lantern Corps, Atrocitus, came to Earth to seek out the power hidden within William Hand. Atrocitus created the Cosmic Divining Rod, a weapon he could use to seek out Hand, as well as drain the power of any Green Lantern. However, Hand procured the device for himself during Hal Jordan's confrontation with Atrocitus. Black Hand would later use the Cosmic Divining Rod during his criminal endeavors, but Jordan never seemed to recognize where Hand's weapon came from.
Green Lantern Helped Cause The Blackest Night
To Jordan’s credit, it’s not like he was aware about the prophecy of the Blackest Night. The Guardians kept that secret locked up tight for years until the event came to fruition. However, a bit more attention on Hal’s part could have gone a long way. Jordan could have easily recognized the weapon Black Hand used, and even pieced it together that Hand was the young man targeted by Atrocitus. If he had, he might have recognized that Black Hand was a serious threat and helped prevent one of the DCU’s worst assaults.
Hal Jordan isn’t known for being particularly bright, but he’s usually portrayed as being a good cop. However, this minor oversight led to zombies overrunning the DC Universe. If he had identified Black Hand’s weapon, he’d have recognized that Black Hand was the source of a cosmic power. Instead of letting him run around on Earth, Hand could have been contained in the Green Lantern Sciencells. But because Green Lantern failed to spot this one minor thing, the Black Lantern Corps nearly tore the DC Universe apart.
