In DC Comics, Green Lantern and the rage-fueled Red Lanterns being two of the most powerful groups of ring-slingers in the known universe. Recently premiering a new Red Lantern in the pages of Green Lantern, DC’s latest crimson-tinged villain has given Hal Jordan a run for his green constructs, all thanks to an acquired skillset that makes this new foe one of the scariest Lanterns around.

Commanding the power of anger, Red Lanterns utilize their corrosive blood as a weapon and create crimson constructs that aim to terrify. Led by the violent Atrocitus and rostered by sadistic recruits like the killer cat Dex-Starr and the former princess-turned-loyal soldier Bleez, the Red Lanterns aren’t a crew to take lightly.

In Green Lantern #20, an alien blacksmith named Erastus makes his debut as a new Red Lantern prospect who worked as a capable weapons-maker before acquiring his crimson-tinged power, with his unbound rage acting as the perfect tool to hone Erastus’ ability to create objects that kill effectively.

DC's Newest Red Lantern Is a Blacksmith Who Knows How To Create the Perfect Bludgeoning Weapon

Green Lantern #20 - 2025 (Jeremy Adams and Jack Herbert)

Tired of getting shaken down for money by his superiors on his home planet of Alteon-X and fed-up with the unfaithfulness of his fate partner, Aleen, Erastus’ anger and hate eventually boil over, unleashing his Red Lantern power in the form of a scarlet hammer that he uses to slaughter those around him in a terrifying display of workplace violence. Taking on Green Lantern Hal Jordan when he arrives on the scene later in the issue, Erastus gives Hal one helluva fight, forcing him to use full construct armor and even cracking some of his shielding with his explosive hate.

Not usually chosen for their creativity or even their specific talents, a Red Lantern’s ability to let their hate run rampant is paramount to their success, with Erastus’ previous knowledge as a skilled blacksmith giving him a murder weapon perfectly crafted for its intended purpose. Creating a hammer construct but also coating his original one in a scarlet hue, Erastus prefers these familiar tools while in his Red Lantern state, with the potential for what he can create thanks to his weapon knowledge being a huge threat to the Green Lantern Corps as well as the rest of the galaxy.

Red Lantern Erastus Is a Terrifying Villain Who Needed More Time in DC Comics

Green Lantern: Fractured Spectrum’s Ongoing Story Could Change That

Technically never getting a Red Lantern ring by issue’s end — Erastus dies after exploding from all the pent-up rage he harbors during his fight with Hal, leaving only his original blacksmith hammer behind — Erastus being able to amplify his raw talents via the hate that flows through him brings new levels of terror to the Red Lantern Corps, and sets a precedent for recruits to become more than rage-addled warriors. Green Lanterns must be ready for threats like Erastus, with his unfiltered Red Lantern anger and subsequent death because of it, being a cautionary story of someone pushed too far.

Green Lantern #20 is available from DC Comics.