When Green Lantern committed himself to villainy, the superhero community was forced to say goodbye to a most trusted ally. But when Hal Jordan came back into the light, one unexpected hero was first in line to welcome him back with open arms.
As far as falls from grace go, no hero fell further than the so-called "greatest" Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. After his home town of Coast City was destroyed by Cyborg Superman, Jordan's grief weakened his willpower considerably, opening him up to possession by the fear entity Parallax. Under the influence of the entity, Green Lantern became the villain Parallax and slaughtered his allies and before destroying the Corps. While Jordan was cleared of his villainous actions once it was revealed he was possessed, many of his former friends and comrades kept their distance, not trusting that Hal wasn't secretly lying about his betrayal.
Except for one teammate of Jordan's, who wasted no time in welcoming his friend back into the fold. In Green Lantern #11 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, one Lantern, long-thought to be dead, has suddenly reappeared alive and well. The Corps member also has a bloodlust for Hal Jordan, who he still believes to be an evil Green Lantern. The reappearance of the lost Lantern stirs up sentiment among both the new and old members of the Corps, and for the first time since Jordan put his Power Ring back on, he finally feels the contempt of his Corpsmen. However, he also notes that of all the people to welcome him back from his time as Parallax, the first to do so was Guy Gardner, his former rival and fellow protector of Sector 2814. It's especially shocking to Jordan, because he was sure that Guy would have been the last to forgive him.
Needless to say, a Green Lantern like Guy Gardner accepting Hal Jordan back is a bit surprising. Guy's generally been portrayed as having a massive chip on his shoulder, desperate to prove that he's the greatest Lantern as opposed to Hal Jordan. However, when a moment arrived that gave Guy the opportunity to gloat, he instead reached out to his old friend and eagerly rekindled their friendly rivalry.
If there’s one thing Guy Gardner knows, it’s how to be disliked. Guy’s attitude has always brought negative attention to himself from both the Green Lanterns and the Justice League. As much as he and Jordan had beef, they’re both Green Lanterns and that's not going to be something Gardner forgets very easily. It's possible that when the rest of the world saw Jordan as a potential threat, Guy shades of himself in Hal: someone who wasn't readily welcomed by the larger hero society. Gardner's acceptance of Hal shows a remarkable character growth and demonstrates that no matter what image people have, anyone is capable of change. Hal Jordan may have gotten back into good standing, but there's no doubt Guy Gardner's welcome was appreciated by the Green Lantern.