Battle of the Week: Green Lantern (John Stewart) vs. Magneto

John Stewart, a.k.a. Green Lantern, is our latest Character of the Month! Throughout February, we're going to have several articles about the cosmic hero, but we're also going to test his abilities as a combatant. When it was announced Stewart would be the latest individual to enter the Battle of the Week, plenty of people said they want Magneto to take on the ring-slinger. Seriously, a lot of you reached out with this idea. So, why not give the people what they want for Green Lantern's first match?

Will Stewart and his Green Power Ring walk all over the iconic character from Marvel or will the location give Magneto everything he needs to win? Even if you're confident about who should win, take some time to really think it through. Imagine how it would play out and then, once you're ready, cast your vote and leap into the comments. What advantages do they each have? Disadvantages? Who's the better tactician? Will the location help one more than the other? Use this as an opportunity to not only have fun thinking about the fight, but also to share your knowledge of these characters and learn more about them! You have until Friday morning to make up your mind, so that's plenty of time to do a fair amount of research and really think this one through.

Match Rules

• Combatants are in character. This means their usual set of morals apply.
• This is a random encounter (no prep for either side). Both sides have no immediate knowledge of their opponents, either.
• Magneto has proper control of his powers and they aren't fluctuating.
• The fight starts in Times Square. Assume they begin roughly 100 feet apart and visible. Times Square isn't populated, but the rest of the city is. The entire city is on limits as well.
• If you're very unfamiliar with New York, click here to see a map.
• Incapacitation, knockout, BFR (battlefield removal, a.k.a. knocking the enemy so far away that there's no way the fight could continue in the near future) or death all count as elimination. Making a tactical retreat counts as a loss, too. "What's a tactical retreat?" It's leaving the fight with the intention of not returning to the battle in the near future. Going to another spot in the environment to catch your breath for a moment or for a tactical advantage is not a tactical retreat.
• Hey, you know what would be really cool? Treating everyone else in the debate with respect. If you think someone's saying something that just isn't true, go ahead and stick to the facts to point out why. There's no need at all to drop insults just because you disagree with someone. Seriously, this is just talking about a fictional fight, there's no need for immaturity and mudslinging.
• If you think the poll isn't going how it should, making an informative post about why a character is being underestimated and spreading the word is far more useful than just complaining.
• One more thing: you don't need to write an essay to have your post highlighted in Friday's article. Sometimes concise posts can be way more effective than a flood of paragraphs.

Check the homepage this Friday for an updated article with the following:

• The results of the poll.
• Thoughts from the staff.
• Viner arguments for both characters.
• If we're lucky, blurbs from industry talent.

Want to make a suggestion for John Stewart's next Battle of the Week? Tell us below or share it via twitter.

I'd like to say Magneto, but I'm guessing John Stewart is more versatile. I'll wait and see some arguments though.

ugg really?

not that interested mainly because John absolutely stomps this

I'm actually kind of tempted to say spite. But I don't know enough about Magneto to say so

Green Lantern takes this. Too versatile and too much raw power

So, yeah, Magneto takes this for the following reasons. Plus, a few others that I'm sure I may have missed.

1) Magneto is far more experienced and powerful than John.

2) New York City. Literally, anywhere on Earth, Magneto would probably take John, but with all of that metal, NYC is literally Magneto's playground.

3) Magneto is less tied down by inhibitions. John would be too afraid of injuring civilians to really let loose. Magneto isn't necessarily subject to the same moral constraints.

Magneto has this in the bag, 9/10. Assuming he doesn't get thrown into space (which he won't) he'll simply use his Omega Level powers to throw buildings, cars, etc. all up in John Stewart's face. Max has taken down armies of Sentinels, the entirety of the X-Men, and the Red Skull without breaking a sweat.

What is the ring made of?

Interesting battle, I say that John would win. I think his Lantern powers will suprass Magneto's magnetic abilities even if they are supercharged.

I'll take the guy who's shields have withstood a supernova and exploding planet.......

Oh hell what have you done

@aurelian: will power and Guardian sweat and tears

Excellent question .I voted John stewart but that simple detail could change everything.

A Green Lantern is already capable enough to defeat Dr. Polaris, who's pretty much Magneto on steroids. Sure that was Hal Jordan but John Stewart shouldn't be too far. Magneto is going down.

Going with Magneto. While Stewart possesses the edge in versatility by a rather large margin, Magneto has 2 main advantages in this fight, and a trump card that he can use if necessary.

His first advantage is hours shields. Constructs aren't breaking through them, as they casually took his from Thor and she hulk. As far as energy blasting goes, they tanked attacks from galactus, and the Phoenix (Jean). In addition, I doubt it's in character for John to blitz, so he will most certainly have time to get his shields up.

Magneto's second advantage is the environment. New York city contains so much metal that Magneto will likely never run out. Multiple skyscrapers will be flying at John before he gets a chance to make a construct. I believe that because of this, John will be forced on the defensive, as skyscrapers will come at him from all sides. I'm not so sure John's shields could take that many hits.

And finally, Erik has a trump card that kills all possibility of John emerging victorious, that being the fact that Stewart has iron in his blood. This means that Magneto can quote literally control his every move and, if John makes him angry, rip the iron out if his blood, killing him.

For all the above reasons, I urge everyone to vote for Magneto.

@44orhsaj: and that is?

Couldnt magneto just take the ring off him? I know theyre controlled by the user but so is mljonir and magneto has no trouble with that

@thenewbluebeetle007: Just throwing this out there. Like someone has stated before, John's shields have took exploding planets and Supernovas. Just making the debate livelier

John Stewart. It was during cosmic Odyssey...He also incapacitated martian manhunter easily....I don't think Magneto stands a chance honestly.

But interested enough to click and share your opinion though, eh? ;)

It will depend on the versions of these characters, pre AvX Magneto can take down N52 Stewart for sure, even more so does Stewart himself against the current depowered Mags.

@trionace: magnetos shields have withstood a black hole, pheonix, galactus

@trionace: and max' s shields have taken hits from galactus and phoenix.

In addition, if the ring is made of metal, then John has already lost.

To win, John would have to get through his shields, which I don't see him doing. In addition, if Magneto feels he is losing, he will simply utilize the iron in John's body to kill him.

I don't know the context of him withstanding a black hole but so has iron man at one point. Pseudo black holes are never as powerful as actual black holes. I would like an issue number with this feat. As for with standing the Phoenix and galactus, black panther withstood a blast from Phoenix force namor as well but that doesn't mean his durability is to much for a green lantern. Hulk also tanked an eye blast from galactus in secret wars, doesn't mean galactus can't one shot him easily. Sometimes weaker characters tank attacks from characters they shouldn't be able to tank attacks from. The Phoenix has destroyed a universe before (in a what if? admittedly but I believe its canon for pheonix), and galactus destroys galaxies effortlessly. Magnetos force fields can't withstand that kind of power.

I don't believe he will be able to manipulate the ring through Johns force fields. Plus lantern rings are protected against this. And John Stewart actually has super speed.

As I said above taking blasts from Phoenix and galactus don't mean much here. Weaker characters have done it like black panther and professor hulk. It means little given the amount of times characters have tanked attacks from characters out of there league. Unless your arguing Magnetos force fields are universal level (there not) there is no reason those feats should matter here. John was able to beat superman on the draw in superman sacrifice (the same story line superman managed to move fast enough to the point Wally could react but do nothing to stop superman IIRC). Magneto isn't having the chance to do anything here. Plus rings are protected against this sort of thing, and there isn't evidence that magneto can manipulate the ring through Johns force field.

Too close to call aka I really just don't know.

Didn't Dr. Polaris manipulate Kyle's ring at some point?

Green lanterns are always op against earth opponents

John stomps here, he is to versatile , and too powerful for magneto to handle.

Oh man, this one is exciting to think about. Constructs vs constructs, constructs everywhere!!

The only difference maker for me is I truly believe that the green light of willpower is stronger than metal. I think Magneto would surprise John at first with his unique power, but Stewart's ring would shield him from the initial attack. John is an experienced lantern and has faced some powerful otherworldly threats. John takes this fight but Magneto would probably bring a majority of the city down in the process.

GL wins 7/10

uh... but... well played sir

@44orhsaj: really? You're bringing up AvX? That story, while people bash it too much, was filed with PIS. They had Psylocke tie with daredevil even though she has TP. They had storm hold her own against panther in a h2h fight. They had captain America not even be knocked unconscious by gambit blowing up his uniform. Let's not use that story in our arguments. And besides, phoenix Jean was vastly more powerful than phoenix namor.

Hulk is still pretty damn durable...

Mags has solo'd armies of X-Men. There is no evidence stating that John's force fields would protect mags from getting the iron in his blood. In fact Dr Polaris has manipulated GL rings iirc.

Also, Deathstroke has tagged the flash, does that mean that eobard Thawne is slow because slower characters have done the same feats? No it doesn't. You're relying a little too much on ABC logic at this point, when Magneto has CONSISTENTLY had some of the best shields in comics.

Jon stewart wins. He can pick Magneto up in a bubble and just fly into space with him.

@thenewbluebeetle007:

It was forged by the guardians so im pretty sure it isnt made of metal but some other material the guardians used, anyway i doubt magneto would be able to affect john, considering john has exceeded the rings limitations when he wanted to rebuild mojo, also if i may add i could be wrong about, this but out of the many green lantern books i own, the ring would probably tell john of magnetos powers or what is going, then his aura might protect him from anything magneto might be able to use against him like you said the iron in his body. Also john is to versatile, magneto wouldn't really able to do much here.

Yup

I think the setting really helps Magneto overcome Stewart

@JohnAdams: is there any direct feat that says that the ring would be able to protect him like that? I've read a fair bit of GLC myself and I don't recall them ever protecting against something inside their body. Also, the ring doesn't know about someone in a different universe.

"John is more versatile" doesn't mean anything. Unless you can show me how his versatility breaks through max's shields and protects the iron in his own body, John loses.

This one is absolutely 100 % Close to call no doubt about it,

~MiB

Its canon and it happened. The point is weaker characters always tank hits from stronger characters, it doesn't mean they actually can tank hits from stronger characters. I'll ask again, are you trying to argue magneto can tank universe destroying attacks? Because Jean was that powerful. If you say magneto cannot tank universe destroying attacks you are saying the feat is unmeasurable and therefore unusable.

Its either PIS or Phoenix never blasted him with full power making it unmeasurable. He isn't capable of tanking the full power of the Phoenix. Magneto has been hurt by less than Phoenix or galactus, like uni power spider-man for example....

Not durable enough to take a hit from galactus.

When has Polaris manipulated GL rings? Regardless Magneto has no knowledge of John so this isn't going to be his go to move. Most X-men would be fodder to a green lantern so magneto taking them on means little.

Your the one who is using feats of magneto taking hits from abstracts to justify magnetos durability so don't try to accuse me of doing the same. We can apply the exact same thinking to magnetos durability. His shields are clearly not capable of withstanding hits from abstracts. And my argument isn't John tagged superman, its that he out reacted him by supermans own admission which is a lot different than what deathstroke does.

On the next page superman punches through Johns construct and its said Wally is fast enough to see it coming but do nothing about it. So superman was even utilizing super speed at the time.

The environment is actually an advantage to both characters, which makes sense because both characters are known to use the environment to their advantage.

Obviously there is a lot of metal and technology that Magneto can use in the area to bombard John, but John is not just powerful, he's also cunning. He often lures his opponents into devastating traps that draw on his experience as an architect.

Gallery

Not only that, but John's skill with his ring has let him go toe-to-toe with a shapeshifting Durlan who was channeling Daxamite (Kryptonian-level) powers.

Gallery

I don't think Magneto can out-power or out think John, so I'm giving this one to him.

1) GL blew up a planet and sheilded himself from a supernova.

2) Dude Stewart knows to take this fight out of the city as soon as possible and since they're in New York that means he'd force him into the sea where Max wouldn't have metal.

Oh also, this is off topic but John Stewart's nickname in the army in JLU was "Diggles".

Arrow watchers get hyped

@johnadams: Just a question. Does Magneto have any notable reaction feats. Because John Stewart is a whole lot faster

They never revealed his nickname. He stopped Flash from saying it.

There are a few things to take into consideration if someone said. Firstly, both character's biggest strength comes their highly durable shields, however, Magneto has the edge because his shields have withstood strikes that would destroy John's constructs, namely Thor's hammer, an enraged Hulk, the Phoenix force, Xavier's psionic attacks, and a black hole. And while Lantern has his fare share of high end durability feats, his never tanked them the same Magneto has. With some of the examples mentioned above, Magneto shrugged them off, while Lantern had to use the most of his will power to withstand high end attacks.

Also, there is something about Magneto's in story powers that is neglected. Due to Magneto's Electromagnetism, possesses a degree of energy manipulation. Constructs made by Lantern are energy based (but they are activated by will), and so, these energy constructs may have a particular magnetic signature, which Erik can shape and control. Ergo, Magneto is capable of reducing the potency of John's construct, or even destroy them with a thought. Another method of using this is by encompassing John's constructs with his own magnetic field, causing him to take control of Lantern's constructs. Another technique Mags can use is by enveloping Lantern's ring with magnetism and thin ripping it away from his finger, which is an instant win for Erik.

And finally, there's Magneto's ultimate trump card, his last resort maneuver would be to control the Iron in John's blood. If Magneto manages to somehow get past some high end shields and access John's blood, then it's game over for Green Lantern.

My vote goes for Magneto.

This is an awesome, awesome fight. I'm not familiar with all their feats but I'm leaning towards John on this. His shields should be able to stop pretty much everything that Magneto throws at him; plus I think John is capable of taking the fight outside of NY and removing Mag's advantage.

On first glance I'd say GL wins easily but with some thought I'd say its to close to call if not favoring Magneto just because of the morality thing.

@trionace: He manipulated a FTL bullet

You'd have to be a straight up fanboy to believe Magneto wins.