In the latest issue of Heroes Reborn, Marvel’s version of DC’s Green Lantern just twisted the power of the White Lanterns into something horrific.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for “The Most Hated Man in the Heavens” by Jason Aaron, James Stokoe, and VC’s Cory Petit, from Heroes Reborn #3, on sale now.
In the new Heroes Reborn series, the Marvel Universe has been remade by Mephisto into a world devoid of the Avengers. The absence of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has led to the rise of the Squadron Supreme as the premier heroes of the world, which brings with it a host of new problems.
Colonel Joseph Ledger, aka Doctor Spectrum, is a member of the Squadron and Marvel’s version of DC’s Green Lantern. As such, Spectrum creates light constructs like a Green Lantern, but also houses one of the most terrifying realms in any universe in a way that raises concerns about what DC’s White Lanterns could one day become.
Doctor Spectrum, Marvel’s Overpowered Green Lantern
Joseph Ledger discovered the Power Prism that grants him his incredible abilities while serving in the U.S. Air Force and subsequently joined the Squadron Supreme as Doctor Spectrum. He has already proven to be supremely powerful in this new world, single-handedly defeating an Infinity Ring wielding Thanos, but displayed far deadlier power in a later battle with a Starbrand hosting Rocket Raccoon.
The cosmically powered combatants appear to be evenly matched for most of the battle, but Spectrum has a terrifying trick up his sleeve. With the confrontation continuing to escalate, the Doctor unleashes the power of a horrifying reality upon Rocket that the Squadron member previously absorbed into himself: the Cancerverse.
The Cancerverse: Life Unchecked in the Marvel Universe
First introduced in 2009’s Realm of Kings #1 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Leonardo Manco, and Mahmud Asrar, the Cancerverse is a reality wherein Death has been destroyed by the original Captain Marvel and a group of corrupt gods. The result is a universe that has quite literally become a horrific bloated corpse that literally cannot die.
In a world that has been completely freed from the power of Death, reality metastasized into a massive, aggressive cancer that houses equally aggressive beings that likewise cannot die. The fact that Spectrum has proven able to absorb and weaponize such a place is absolutely horrific, as Rocket Raccoon discovered firsthand.
White Lanterns: Could DC’s Champions of Life Turn Malignant?
In 2009’s Blackest Night by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, death came for the DC Universe in the form of the Black Lanterns, who were reanimated corpses literally endowed with the power of death. To combat this threat, the White Lanterns were formed, who used the pure power of life to combat their counterparts.
While the power of the White Lanterns have thus far been used for benevolent purposes, the existence of Marvel’s Cancerverse proves that power over death could ultimately prove to be a disaster. Life and death are meant to be balances for one another, and the weaponization of either, even something as beneficial as life, could ultimately lead to the destruction of everything. This means that while the White Lanterns currently act as a force for good, a single bad decision or misuse of their power could result in a horror similar to that already seen by their Marvel Universe counterpart.
About The Author