Like Moon Knight, DC Should Highlight Jewish Heritage of Green Lantern More
For fans who do not know, among DC’s most important Green Lanterns is Hal Jordan’s backstory and its little-known Jewish element that could add some more depth to the character. Does Green Lantern deserve his Jewish heritage being more highlighted in shows and movies? Here’s why the answer is a resounding yes.
The franchise of Green Lantern isn’t really as popular as it used to be, owing to a horrible 2011 live-action movie and later, being overshadowed by other more relatable heroes in the DC mythos. However, the character still remains as one of the few Jewish superheroes in DC history – and DC should have capitalized more on this trait of their most popular space cop.
Hal Jordan Is Actually Jewish!
The honor of being the most famous Green Lantern doesn’t go to Hal Jordan, but it goes to Alan Scott, who made his debut in 1941. Scott’s popularity came down drastically alongside other superheroes after the end of World War II (except Superman), but DC went on to revisit Green Lantern in 1959. This version, as we know as Hal Jordan, was used as a test pilot who got his ring from an alien who was on his deathbed. Owing to the ongoing space race between the Soviet Union and the United States, this combination of spaceships and pilots resulted in a popular series for DC comics.
While the backstory for Hal Jordan would be further explored through the decades, one element would not: his Jewish heritage. While Jordan was raised as a Catholic after his father, his mother was Jewish – which makes Jordan Jewish too. These mentions of his heritage are very few but clues to Jordan’s identity as a Jew exist within the mythos of Green Lantern itself.
The Green Lantern Universe Has Ties To Judaism
As per the Green Lantern lore, our universe is further divided into 3,600 sectors by the Guardians of the Universe (also known as the custodians of the power rings of Green Lantern). 36 is also seen as a significant number in Judaism: there are 36 candles that are used during 8 days of Hanukkah, and 36 is also a multiple of 18 (18 being correspondent to חַי, which is the Hebrew word for life). Most importantly, 36 is also the number of “Lamed Vav Tzadikim” or Righteous Ones, who act as agents of light fighting off the darkness and helping others – while their identities remain a mystery.
Moon Knight’s Success Suggests Green Lantern Might Benefit from Jewish Influence
The Jewish heritage of Hal Jordan ought to be explored in much greater detail, considering the massive amount of Jewish symbolism seen in the Green Lantern universe. It would also serve to make Hal Jordan more interesting, or at least add some depth to his lackluster backstory when compared to other DC heroes.
