Warning: this article contains spoilers for Future State: Swamp Thing #1!
Obsidian, the son of the Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott, has been missing in action from the DC Universe for some time, but now he has returned, just in time for Future State. He makes his shocking return in the pages of Future State: Swamp Thing #1 by writer Ram V, artist Mike Perkins and colorist June Chung; the issue, part of DC’s look forward into the potential futures of their most popular heroes, is in stores now.
Obsidian, AKA Todd Rice, is the son of Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern who first appeared way back in 1940. Obsidian has a twin sister named Jade, and both inherited powers from their father. Jade inherited the Green Lantern powers and has served as a Green Lantern herself. Obsidian, on the other hand, inherited shadow-based powers; powers his father acquired while fighting an evil wizard. Obsidian has a special connection to the Shadowlands, a dimension of darkness; he can manipulate shadows and use them in a variety of ways, such as to augment his strength and achieve invisibility. Save for a short-lived New 52 version that appeared in Earth-2, the character has been missing from continuity since 2011, but now he is back, and serving a sinister purpose.
In the world of Future State, Swamp Thing survived an event that devastated humanity, journeying to New York City to try and find any remaining humans. Though a rare sight in this world, Swamp Thing and his plant-based progeny find a human, who tells them that S.T.A.R. Fortress, a futuristic version of S.T.A.R. Labs, is under the control of someone called the Undying Man, and these humans want to warn of his secret, as well as the “coming of the Obsidian Sun.” Readers then see Obsidian floating in a tank, surrounded by armed guards. In the next panel, the Undying Man promises to "plunge this world and all things green into the everlasting darkness."
Though Future State is only one of many possible futures, DC have made it clear that the line is relevant to the larger continuity of upcoming stories, begging many questions. Where has Obsidian been all this time? What is his history in this new Multiverse? And what exactly is the Obsidian Sun? Ever since DC Rebirth in 2016, DC has slowly begun reintroducing elements of the pre-New 52 DC back into continuity. The Justice Society, including Obsidian’s father, were brought back to the mainstream DC Universe, so it makes sense that Obsidian himself would return as well, but it's obviously noteworthy to fans that while his father Adam Scott has been seen since, there were fewer hints about his son, opening up the possibility that Obsidian may have returned with an all-new backstory.
What his return means for Swamp Thing, Green Lantern and the rest of the DC Universe remains to be seen, but Obsidian's dark powers seem set to hurt the Earth during a far-flung future from which society may not recover. The return of this fan favorite character is cause for celebration for readers, but in the actual DC Universe - which is more and more embracing its post-apocalyptic, post-human "Kamandi" period of history as canon for DC's future - it could spell the end of humanity.