History
Hal Jordan: 1982 - 2006
Harold “Hal” Jordan is the middle child of Martin and Jessica Jordan. As a young child, Hal idolized his father, a test pilot for aviation manufacture Ferris Air until his death on the job in a plane crash. Despite his mother’s wishes, Hal followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the United Sates Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. iT was in the Air Force that Hal and his childhood friend and fellow Air Force cadet, Carol Ferris (daughter of Carl and Christine Ferris, owners of Ferris Air) began a romantic relationship. The two of them were young and both did things that they would later regret, resulting in their break-ups (yes, as in plural). Parting ways, Hal became a hotshot pilot codename “Highball” and was deployed to conflicts in the Middle East, while Carol became an aide to Lt. General Calvin Swanwick and got to work closely with Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, and the seven soldiers of Project: Victory.
Some years later, Jordan was stationed in San Francisco for additional training. After a long day of boring maneuvers and drills, Hal got the call to respond to an emergency. Hal was eager to see some action as he had seen little in his deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. What Hal was not expecting to see was a full-scale battle with the JLA, the Titans, Lantern Corps, and several arms of the US Armed Forces against just five members of the so-called Sinestro Corps; in what would later be called the “Battle of Alcatraz”.
In the battle, Abin Sur was blasted by Sinestro into the fighter jet piloted by Captain Jordan, forcing the pilot to crash land in the bay below the Golden Gate Bridge, Jordan was able to eject from his aircraft and managed to swim himself and the dying alien to shore. As Hal tried to radio for help, Abin Sur scanned Hal with his ring and flashed a whimsical smile. The Abin Sur took Hal by the hand and slipped his ring off his own hand, placing in on the pilot’s middle finger. As the ring calibrated itself to Hal, its translation matrix booted up and let Hal Jordan understand the Lantern’s final words: “I suppose you’ll do…”[1]
Green Lantern Bravo: 2006 - Present
In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Alcatraz, Hal Jordan was confronted by John Stewart, who had to act quickly. To Hal’s surprise and pain, John fired a concussive blast into Hal’s hand, shattering his bones. As he stifled Hal’s screams, John instructed Hal to claim that the injury happened in the crash and to keep his ring hidden from Earth’s military. Once Hal gave a nod, John claimed the body of Abin Sur and flew off. Hal kept his promise (probably out of fear for John) and after his hand was assessed by military doctors, he was dismissed from duty as a pilot. Discharged with a few medals for his service, Hal again met with John and was taken to Oa for training (and advanced medical care to repair his hand).
Hal’s training went smoothly and though his constructs were potent and fast-moving, but to unfocused to maintain multiple constructs in stressful situations. Still, his trainer, Kilowog was satisfied and approved Hal for duty. When he returned to Earth, Hal hoped to join John as a member of the JLA, but was surprised to find that the JLA had been disbanded and John had gone into space on a prolonged mission. Without his partner to show him the ropes in the field, Hal decided to do what he did best: he winged it. Hal fashioned a mask and went to Carol Ferris to get him a job as an executive pilot for Ferris Air and though Carol had this “no dating employees” rule, Hal is quick to brag that it didn’t last long after Carol found Hal’s Lantern
Hal "Highball" Jordan
ring in his locker (I guess Carol had a hero fetish?). By the time John returned, he had to break a reckless Hal in, but the two’s differing styles actually made them a good team.
In 2008, when John left for Oa in mourning, Hal was recruited by his old trainer, Kilowog, to stop Sinestro from collecting archaic Oan relics known as the “lost rings”. The help Hal and Kilowog, the guardians gave them the Incerceptor, an advanced Lantern starship equipped with an advanced AI capable of locating these rings. Their mission only lasted a few months and had little apparent success (but neither did Sinestro) so Hal returned to Earth to join the Justice League and help John train the new recruits of Earth’s Special Lantern Taskforce.[2]
Trivia and Notes
- Hal's address is a nod to his first comic book appearance: Showcase Apartments, Apt #22 (Showcase #22), 59 Gil Broome Avenue (he was created in 1959 by Gil Broome).
- Hal proposed marriage to Carol with a violet lantern ring he thought was innert, but later turned her in the Star Sapphire.
Links and References
- Appearances of Hal Jordan
- Character Gallery: Hal Jordan