In DC Comics, the Green Lantern Corps is one part of a sprawling collection of other Corps that wield the power of the Emotional Spectrum, a vast energy reservoir powered by the emotions of all sentient life. And at the center of every emotion is an entity that acts as the physical embodiment of each, serving as the pure form of a powerful kind of energy that only the most dedicated of ringslingers can harness.
Rarely seen but imperative in their own ways, there are a total of seven sentient entities representing the seven different emotions on the spectrum, along with two that sit just outside of the spectrum but are important nonetheless. Each has their own unique designs and each take on the color and emotions of their respective wavelengths, so let’s dive in and see who’s who!
Ion of Will and Parallax of Fear
First up is the most iconic and well-known entity of all: the Green Lantern Corps’ very own Ion. Looking like a giant whale with flowing, fish-like fins, this green entity came into existence when the first sentient being willed itself to move. Bonded to both Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and Green Lantern Sodam Yat in the past (both of whom took on the name Ion), this entity is a passive creature that imbues its host with omnipotent powers that are near unrivaled in the cosmos, something that the Guardians of the Universe have taken advantage of more than once.
Loosely tied to one another due to the parasitic influence this next insect looking entity has shown to have exerted over various Lanterns in the past — Hal Jordan most famously when he murdered the entire Corps — Parallax is the embodiment of fear and is the mascot for the equally as terrifying Sinestro Corps. Feeding off of the fear that these Yellow Lanterns create in their victims, Parallax was once imprisoned in the Green Lanterns’ Central Power Battery, originally giving the Corps a now conquered flaw that saw their rings ineffective against the color yellow.
The Butcher of Rage and The Predator of Love
Next up is the rageful bull-like entity of the Red Lantern Corps dubbed The Butcher. Brought into existence after the first act of anger and rage led to violence and murder, The Butcher is a wildly powerful and all-consuming being that has taken on the leader of the Red Lanterns, Atrocitus, and even the Spirit of Vengeance himself, Spectre. Often forcing beings around it to act irrational and overly savage in their actions, The Butcher is one of the more violent entities on the Emotional Spectrum and is a manifestation that isn’t easy to conquer.
Following in the overpowering emotion of rage, the equally as powerful emotion of love is guarded by a monster known as The Predator. Representing pure unadulterated and untampered love, this entity is highly dangerous since love without limits can be a very corruptive and manipulative thing. Taking the longtime love interest of Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris, as its host in the past, this emotional embodiment is the icon of the Star Sapphire Corps and is one of the only entities that can be somewhat influenced by its current host, making The Predator a scary-looking yet fortunately not a strictly evil being.
Adara of Hope and Ophidian of Avarice
A more passive, gentle, and uplifting entity, Adara acts as the Blue Lantern Corps’ hope-filled mascot that looks like a giant bird with three heads. Being the most powerful emotion close to the center of the spectrum, the light of hope can only reach its most powerful heights when paired with the willpower of a Green Lantern, but while using a host to channel its power, Adara is affected by no such limitation. Created when the first sentient being prayed and hoped for something better, Adara is a rare embodiment that is one of the most helpful and “good” entities on the Emotional Spectrum.
Not to be left out (and this greedy entity really doesn’t like being left out of things), Ophidian is avarice personified. Looking like a giant snake-like being that’s as slithery as it is corruptive, Ophidian is well known to be one of the most difficult entities to command. Much like the greedy host Ophidian has more or less been stuck with since its inception, the sole member of the Orange Lantern Corps, Larfleeze aka Agent Orange, has kept this entity trapped in his orange power battery for eons, and has slowly been infected by its influence in ways that make Larfleeze — and any being it comes into contact with — want more and more until there is nothing left.
Proselyte of Compassion and The Life and Death Entities
Rounding out the original seven emotions on the spectrum is the compassion entity of the elusive Indigo Tribe called Proselyte. Tied to the idea of converting one to another belief or opinion that they didn’t necessarily have before, Proselyte was born to alleviate the cosmos’ suffering and pain. Just as mysterious as the hidden Indigo Tribe of converted criminals and relative bad beings it represents, Proselyte looks like giant flowy squid and offers its compassion to all sentients in the universe whether they want it or not.
Wrapping things up with two entities that are technically outside of the Emotional Spectrum, the embodiment of life and death are two beings that are unrivaled in their power. Heralded by the Green Lantern villain, Black Hand, the avatar of death, Nekron, is a being that wants to eradicate the Emotional Spectrum entirely while taking as many beings to their grave as possible. Leader of the Black Lanterns that are basically zombies in all but name, Nekron is matched in influence and power only by the Life Entity itself. The source of all life in the DC Universe, the Life Entity is an omnipotent being whose energy comes from all living things, and while it was responsible for the creation of the White Lantern Corps, all rings manifested from its power abide by its rule and influence as an omnipotent entity that has yet to find its limits.
So while these entities are rare in their appearances and even rarer in how they’re harnessed and utilized, the physical embodiments of the energy that powers all emotions are wildly important in the grand scheme of Green Lantern lore as well as the DC Universe as a whole. The Green Lantern Corps might have lucked out with their flagship entity, but the Emotional Spectrum is a vast and all-encompassing idea that has grown in ways that are still being recorded and understood to this day, and as it currently stands, it might only be a matter of time before something new comes into existence to help (or hinder) the heroes of the DC Universe.
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