DC’s New RED LANTERN Admits the Dark Secret of His Powers

Summary

Alan Scott faces a powerful new Red Lantern with a dark secret about his powers in issue #5 of
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern
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The Red Lantern’s connection to Alan Scott makes their feud deeply personal and intense.
Alan Scott has his work cut out for him as he seeks to stop the Crimson Flame yet save the Red Lantern–his former lover.

Warning: contains potential spoilers for Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #5!

DC’s powerful new Red Lantern just revealed the dark secret of his new powers to Green Lantern. The Alan Scott incarnation of Green Lantern has had his hands full with the Red Lantern, a former lover who has been turned into a dark and terrifying villain. In a preview for Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #5, the Red Lantern admits these powers come with a price.

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #5 is written by Tim Sheridan and drawn by Cian Tormey. Alan Scott and the Red Lantern are in the fight of their lives, with Alan having siphoned some of the power of the Crimson Flame for himself. The Red Lantern tries to tell Alan the Crimson Flame only burns for him, but Alan will not listen.

Finally, as the preview draws to a close, the Red Lantern tells Alan that the Crimson Flame is the only thing keeping him alive, and he will not let anyone take it from him.

DC’s New Red Lantern Is Just as Deadly As Atrocitus

The Red Lantern Has a Deep Personal Connection to Alan Scott

DC’s new Red Lantern has provided Alan Scott with a foe worthy of his powers. In many ways, the Red Lantern is a twisted mirror of Green Lantern. The Red Lantern, a Soviet spy posing as an American serviceman, was possessed by the Crimson Flame while trying to study it. After his transformation, the Red Lantern becomes a nemesis for Alan Scott. Complicating matters was, before his corruption, the Red Lantern had been Alan Scott’s lover, making the feud between them a deeply personal one, and one that will not end well for all parties involved.

Sheridan and Tormey’s Alan Scott: The Green Lantern has helped redefine the DC icon for a new era. The creative team has shown, in some truly heart-breaking scenarios, the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the early to mid 20th century. They have also redefined Alan Scott’s relationship with the Justice Society, revealing he was forced to join for fear of being publicly outed. Finally, they introduced the Red Lantern. While seemingly having no connection to the Red Lantern Corps, the Red Lantern is still every bit as deadly and powerful.

Comic book art: Green Lantern Alan Scott in a romantic pose with his love interest Johnny.

“Bonded. Eternally. Inextricably.”: Green Lantern’s Tragic Romance Gives Alan Scott DC’s Best Love Story in Years

The latest twist in Alan Scott’s unfolding love story doesn’t just rewrite Green Lantern lore — it sets the bar for superhero romances from every era.

Will Green Lantern Overcome the Crimson Flame?

And Will the Red Lantern Survive If He Does?

Image of Alan Scott holding his Lantern while a green light comes out of his ring.

Yet, as seen in this preview, the power of the Crimson Flame is all that is keeping the Red Lantern alive. Green Lantern, who has now tasted the Flame’s power, beseeches the Red Lantern to defect. The Red Lantern, knowing the Crimson Flame is all that stands between him and death, is afraid the United States will take it from him. He may be justified in believing this, as America has been actively seeking the Crimson Flame for themselves. The Flame has chosen the Red Lantern as its host, and to take it is to condemn him to death.

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #5 is on sale March 26 from DC Comics!