The legacy Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, might just be the best version of the Corps' greatest threat. When possessed by the fear entity Parallax, Kyle knew exactly what gave him an edge over the space demon's previous host, Hal Jordan.
Despite not being the first Earthling to ever wield a Green Lantern Power Ring, Kyle Rayner has a few notable achievements to his name. After Hal Jordan became possessed by the fear entity Parallax and destroyed the Corps, Kyle was chosen by the Guardian of the Universe Ganthet to carry on the Lantern's light. Despite his misgivings, Kyle Rayner became Green Lantern and kept the flame of the Corps from burning out for years. Kyle might not have had the privilege of Corps training or mentorship like his predecessors, but he took the ring ring intuitively thanks, in part, to his natural imagination as an artist.
However, that very skill, while a great tool for a Green Lantern, made Kyle one of the DC Universe's most dangerous threats. In Green Lantern #21 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, the Green Lantern Corps has come under assault by the fallen Lantern Sinestro. As the Lanterns reckon with the attack, the Sinestro Corps moves on with the plan of wholesale slaughter across the universe. With no other option, the survivors of the Sinestro Corps' first wave rally around the Green Lantern Central Power Battery to charge up for their counterattack. Unfortunately, Sinestro's army has booby-trapped the Power Battery and Hal finds himself confronted by the newest host of Parallax, Kyle Rayner. The corrupted version of Kyle toys with Hal, telling Jordan that he improved on the Green Lantern mantle before and now, thanks to Kyle's artistic talents, Parallax is going to be much more deadly than before.
Which Green Lantern Makes A Better Parallax?
There are two things necessary for a Green Lantern’s Power Ring to operate properly. A powerful will and a decent imagination. When it comes to willpower, Hal Jordan has one of the strongest resolves in the entire DC Universe. However, he’s not the most creative person. And while Kyle may not be as well known for his willpower, Kyle became Ion, the godlike Green Lantern for a brief time. Add in his amazing artistic vision, he becomes a much better candidate for possession by Parallax than Hal ever was.
As Parallax, Hal Jordan wrought untold levels of destruction. He slaughtered a number of his allies and single-handedly destroyed the Green Lantern Corps. And while that’s an impressive, if not morbid, feat, Kyle could easily do that and then some. Barring Jordan, Kyle is one of the Earth’s best ring-slingers, and he stood out from the pack by being one of the few Lanterns who could conjure up much more intricate and detailed constructs than his allies. Kyle excels in visualization which, ironically, also makes him one of the best choices of Lanterns to corrupt. By seizing control of Kyle Rayner, Parallax took control of one of the most artistic and effective Green Lanterns around.