Admittedly, Green Lantern / Hal Jordan is my favorite hero. But there are things that made me love him, and that was rich storytelling and excellent character creation. Yet on this site, and some others as well, I've noticed some real Hal Jordan hate. While I'm not sure if the hate is as strong as it used to be, there seems to be quite a lot of dislike when it comes to the character, mostly because people think he's boring, a Gary Stu, or both. Now I'm not trying to force anyone to like him, but rather trying to clear up some misconceptions and debate some points. That being said, let's begin!
"Hal Jordan Has No Personality"
This is probably one of the main factors that drive people into thinking Hal Jordan is a boring character - his personality. It's considered he has very few personality traits opposed to the other Green Lanterns, and can be very one-note emotionally. But there's actually a lot of layers to Hal's personality that people often overlook or underemphasize, which show how he's different from the other members of the Justice League. He's reckless, and will dive into danger head-first. He's bold, and will stare down anything that treads in his path (even God himself, not joking). He's cocky, and will often put himself above any challenge. He's prideful, a proud lion amongst his past achievements. He's rebellious and will stand up against any kind of authority he disagrees with, no matter what the costs are. He's brash, and will be straight-forward with any opinion that's in his head. He's stupidly stubborn, and would rather get thrown out of a job than quit one. He's emotionally scarred, which is something I'll touch on in the "Hal Is A Cardboard Character" section below. He's a ladies' man, and goes for what he wants when he wants. But most of all, he's damned willful; Hal has watched everything he loved crumble before him and still picked up the pieces to create something just as beautiful, he stands up for what he believes in even if it means punching Batman in the face or fighting until his breath runs out, he fights and fights until he makes the right way. Hal's personality is a defining factor for his character, and that is something I can never express enough.
"Hal's Constructs Are Unoriginal"
When compared to constructs like Kyle Rayner's - which are much more imaginative and artistic -, or John Stewart's - which are more detailed and character-defining -, Hal's constructs look anything but unique. They don't explore the "being able to create anything with your mind" magic of the Green Lanterns and instead rely on the less fancy things. But that's because: they were never supposed to explore it. What's unique about Hal's constructs is that he has the most powerful weapon in the universe, and yet he uses it to make oversized eggbeaters and mouse traps and vacuum cleaners. Using Godly power for the silliest and most down-to-earth means not only distinguishes Hal from what most of us would do with a lantern ring, but also makes him quite the comical ring-wielder.
"Hal Jordan Isn't Special"
Alright, I admit nobody really says this, but it's definitely something that's overlooked. Every main hero has their own gimmick, their own specialty that makes them an idol, a symbol. Superman's is about his innate goodness, Batman's is about the potential of us as human beings, Wonder Woman's is about her love for humanity. But Hal Jordan's gimmick isn't talked about as much as the others, despite it being just as important. Hal's specialty is about - surprise surprise - the willpower in us all. To never give up. Hal, typically in wide-scale events, takes us on these journeys where he's faced against guys that far outclass him. Parallax, Parallax and Sinestro merged together, Zod, pretty much every moment in the Sinestro Corps War. And in the end, he always came on top with some resolve. Saying he "doesn't know how" to give up, or that he's finally overcome his fear. Hal refuses to quit. He refuses to redirect his efforts. He refuses to listen to doubt. He refuses to accept defeat. He refuses to back down. He refuses to accept that which he is not. He'll put his life on the line before letting evil win. Hal Jordan is the ultimate manifestation of human will, and adopting his willpower is what everyone should aim for to reach their dreams. Always believe in yourself - Hal does.
"Hal is A Mary Sue"
"The whole time it was the ring who was the hero, not you." - Sinestro
Since Hal is male, the correct term would be "Gary Stu," but most just call him by Mary Sue. A Mary Sue / Gary Stu is defined as a character who lacks vulnerabilities or flaws for no good reason at all. This can make the character seem overly perfect or just plain boring. Except, Hal is anything but this. He's a trainwreck when it comes to relationships, he's haunted by the tragedies of his past, a lot of his friendships tend to go south. He's dangerously reckless and doesn't think with his head most of the time. He's hot-headed and doesn't do well when it comes to handling his temper. He focuses on what he's good at opposed to everything else in his life, such as the well-being of his mother or neglection of his brothers which he both later lived to regret. Most of everything I put in the personality section above tie into how he's far from a perfect, or boring character.
"Hal Is An Asshole"
Due to his personality, Hal has the possibility of coming off as a bit of an asshole. And that's what I love about him. Whenever he says or does something out of line instead of being a goody-two-shoes hero, it gives him umf. It creates conflict. It sets the story up for consequences. And it makes him damn admirable - that he has the balls to say and do the things he does. And that's because while the protagonist is a jerk (albeit a justified one, something I'll touch on in the "Hal Is A Cardboard Character" section), it doesn't mean he's unlikable. You see, Hal is cocky, brash, bold, etc., yet compelling because he speaks his mind, in contrast to most regular heroes. His honesty and audacity are admirable, and as the story progresses, we get to understand why he's like this. In other words, a jerk character is still likable if he's admirable in some way, and Hal, being the take-shit-from-nobody space maverick, fits that criteria perfectly.
"Hal Shouldn't Be In the Spotlight"
People often say that other Green Lanterns like Kyle and John Stewart should be getting their own solo series instead of Hal. And I don't have a problem with that; there shouldn't be one character hogging up the spotlight in a story of multiple main characters. Yet those same people are also undervaluing Hal and stating he doesn't deserve his own solo series, and that he'd be better off permanently dead while everyone else can shine. But there are reasons Hal is so iconic, well-sold, and known as a Green Lantern. He's been in the spotlight for 60 years, constructing a large and firm fanbase - Hal has cemented itself in the comic book world far too deep to be replaced. Another thing to note is that Hal has something no other Green Lantern has - an archenemy. Batman has the Joker, Superman has Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman has Cheetah (or Circe, whichever one you want to argue), the Flash has Reverse-Flash, Shazam has Black Adam, and Hal Jordan has Sinestro. Together they are green vs yellow, will vs fear, or simply good vs evil. You can't have Hal without Sinestro, and you can't have Sinestro without Hal. Hal Jordan's long-term popularity and recognizable archenemy make him more than worthy to be in the spotlight, and taking him away from it would be like permanently replacing shoelaces with lock laces.
"Hal Is A Cardboard Character"
If you've read everything up to here, you're probably wondering what this section is all about. A cardboard character is basically a character who lacks depth. Weight. Layers of storytelling that give them meaning like loss, character development, things that drive them. Things that make them relatable. I'll be covering a lot on this section especially, since depth is probably the most underappreciated aspect of Hal Jordan there is.
First things first, about Hal's relatability. People think Hal can be unrelatable because, well, how many people do you know are test pilots for the United States Air Force? Is that what you are right now? Is that what you aspire to be? The answer is most likely to be no. People sometimes say the same thing about Batman. They don't think being a billionaire supergenius is very relatable either. But what people are getting wrong about these two is that being a test pilot or a rich brainiac have little-to-nothing to do with what makes them relatable. They aren't Spider-Man; they don't need to struggle with bills and food and a decent job just so we can relate to them (not dissing Spider-Man, and I know there are deeper things that make him relatable as well). Their kind of issues are psychological. Hal looked up to his father greatly - hell, he's the main inspiration for Hal becoming a superhero - and having a father-figure we look up to in life is something a lot of us can understand. Hal lost the majority of his family, including his idolized father; loss is definitely something a lot of us know well. Hal wasted his entire childhood hating the man he blamed for his father's death, and let the anger boil up inside of him for years until he finally learned that very man was dying from his own guilt; when Hal found out, they had one final heart-to-heart; I can personally relate to spending my childhood hating someone for something far in the past, until finally reconciling with them 10 years later and sharing my forgiveness. But most importantly, one of the main causes behind Hal's fearless and take-shit-from-no-one attitude is that he wanted to show the world he wasn't afraid of his father's death. Or his fear that his father, his biggest idol, died afraid. He was willing to do anything to hide his pain, even if it meant becoming the most willful man there is because of it. Masking our insecurities is, in my opinion, the most relatable feeling one can have; trying to fit in, trying to play it tough. If you can share Hal's loss, his happiness, and his inner anxiety, then you can be damn sure he's done a good job at being relatable.
And then there's Hal's character development. Hal Jordan started off as an inexperienced, conceited, obnoxious rookie. Basically Guy Gardner. But when he started further exploring his life as a Green Lantern, everything changed. He's traveled to the other end of the cosmos, he's seen planets that have been paradises for millennia, he's dated hot alien women, he's lost battles that his cockiness didn't think was possible - he's delved so deep into another place with otherwordly creatures that he's been matured, humbled. He's still reckless and cocky and speaks his mind - in fact, these experiences are what made him even more brave and nonchalant -, but he's come a long way since his early days of ring-wielding and is no longer a naive hotshot. Because of this, he can feel disconnected with the old pile of mud that is Earth. After all he's seen, it's kind of hard to take mere Earth seriously. That's why he's still a test pilot. He flies his planes without a ring to truly remind himself that he's still flesh and bone, and just for the thrill of it; he's Hal Jordan, after all.
So that's it. Hal Jordan may not be your favorite, and you have the right to like others over him, but it's safe to say he's earned the amount of respect he's been lacking lately. Hopefully I've cleared away some unneeded hatred for the character and what he stands for. And if not, feel free to debate with me otherwise. I'm open to discussion.
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