Throughout the years, many superheroes have carried the mantle of the magical ring wielding Green Lantern – but Alan Scott was the first. Inspired by the characters of Greek and Norse myths, Martin Nodell and Bill Finger introduced Scott in All-American Comics #16 in 1940. His origin story reveals that thousands of year ago, a mythical “green flame” fell to Earth and spoke to a mystic named Chang. The meteor prophesied that it would act three times: once to bring death, once to bring life and once to bring power. It brought death to the villagers who sought to destroy it, life to an insane patient of Arkham Asylum who came in possession of it and power to young railroad engineer Alan Scott.
The powers of the meteor now incapsulated within a magical ring, Scott uses this ring to fly, walk through solid objects, temporarily paralyze or blind people, hypnotize them, create rays of energy, melt metal, cause dangerous objects to glow, and time travel, among other things. The only thing Scott’s powers proved powerless too was any wood or plant-based objects. Throughout his early comic appearances as the Green Lantern, the storyline bounced between serious adventure and light comedy. Many of these early outings featured his nemesis, the zombie Solomon Grundy. Since Grundy is already dead, and made up primarily of wood, he proved to be a considerably difficult opponent. Scott also became a founding member of the Justice Society of America, alongside Doctor Fate, Hour-Man, Spectre, Sandman, Atom, Flash, and Hawkman.
Subsequent storylines showed Scott on Earth-Two married to Rose and Thorn, and bearing the twins Obsidian and Jade who would become superheroes of the team Infinity Inc. Following DC’s reboot, which merged the worlds of Earth-One and Earth-Two, Scott was briefly reimagined as an elder statesman of the DC Universe. However, when DC brought back the Multiverse concept, Scott was reintroduced as a young, gay, media mogul on the new Earth-Two. In this version, Scott’s powers stem from his role as champion of the Green, an entity embodying all botanical life on Earth. Outside of comics, Scott’s Green Lantern has played a role in various live-action and animated television series as well as video games and action figure waves.
But did you know the hero is now the latest DC Comics collectible figure to receive the Funko Pop! treatment? This limited edition Funko Speciality Series Pop figure showcases Scott in his Green Lantern getup, complete with purple cape, mask and Green Lantern power battery. Scott’s figure does not have a release date as of yet, but the Funko website promises that Green Lantern’s light will be shining on shelves soon.
