# Green Lantern Vs Superman - Using the ring to bathe him in red sunlight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-books-manga\ **Created:** [May 9, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801 "2023-05-09T14:25:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Celtic\_Kitsune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celtic_kitsune/32/12086_2.png) [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/1 "2023-05-09T14:25:57Z")
Reading the Batman and Robin thread reminded me of this. OK first off my knowledge of the DC Universe mostly comes from the, rather awesome, early 2000’s Justice League cartoon and I have a very passing knowledge of the whole Injustice thing mostly because friends were playing the game so please bear with me. Anyway they were talking about how to defeat evil Superman and I suggested that Green Lantern could use his ring to open a wormhole or portal of some kind from close to a red sun and so bathe Superman in red light and render him powerless. They didn’t go for this but couldn’t really explain why it wouldn’t do the trick. I always did think that if the only limit on the Green Lantern ring is the users imagination they didn’t really use it in particularly imaginative ways. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/2 "2023-05-09T14:40:20Z")
> [@Celtic\_Kitsune](#): > > They didn’t go for this but couldn’t really explain why it wouldn’t do the trick. Basically, the Lantern Rings (Green in particular), don’t have the ability to open their own wormholes. They give the wearer abilities to navigate them, but not to be created whole-cloth. There’s one that goes to OA that the rings give the Lanterns power to use, but I’m not sure of any others. The better way, if you wanted to bathe Superman in the light of a red sun, would be to get Cyborg to open a Boom Tube to a red run and push Superman through. Also, playing with light/color refraction, if you were to get another colored Ring wielder (and don’t ask me which would work because my brain is stuck in the world of comics, not science right now), you may be able to hard light create a shield around Superman that would refract the rays closer to red. I _think_ that would work. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/3 "2023-05-09T14:44:19Z")
IIRC, in **Ganthet’s Tale** GL used his ring to rocket away from his target when taking aim with what _would’ve_ been a green-light-beam attack, which got redshifted along the color spectrum like he planned… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/4 "2023-05-09T14:50:16Z")
> [@TruePisces](#): > > Basically, the Lantern Rings (Green in particular), don’t have the ability to open their own wormholes. Silver Age Green Lantern used his ring to do whatever the hell he wanted. Justice League turned into children? GL can turn them back into adults using his ring. I’m sure creating a green “red sunlight” flashlight would be child’s play for Silver Age GL. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/5 "2023-05-09T14:52:16Z")
Maybe the [Red Lantern Corps](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Lantern_Corps_(New_Earth)) could help him. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/6 "2023-05-09T14:55:11Z")
Sure, if you get them angry enough. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/7 "2023-05-09T15:12:52Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Silver Age Green Lantern used his ring to do whatever the hell he wanted. He should have turned Snapper Carr into something tolerable. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/8 "2023-05-09T15:15:48Z")
Note–during the Silver Age, GL used his Ring to simulate Green Kryptonite radiation. It worked. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/9 "2023-05-09T15:17:23Z")
Part of Superman’s costume is yellow making him rather immune to Green Lantern’s ring powers. GL has used many indirect methods of getting around the color yellow. If these guys did have a fight I’d think Greenie would first try to get hold of some kryptonite, maybe he can even make some with the ring. Can GL move fast enough to defeat Supes using any means without a pre-emptive strike? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/10 "2023-05-09T15:22:36Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Part of Superman’s costume is yellow making him rather immune to Green Lantern’s ring powers. At some point, the GL’s inability to affect the color yellow was removed, though I haven’t read the books in a couple of years, so I don’t know if that’s been re-instated recently. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/11 "2023-05-09T15:33:47Z")
I think part of the choice of being a Lantern isn’t just fearlessness, it’s lack of imagination. Hence everybody just blasting their opponents with rays or hammers, or forming a shield. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/12 "2023-05-09T15:38:13Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > I think part of the choice of being a Lantern isn’t just fearlessness, it’s lack of imagination. I think that’s sometimes a lack of imagination on the part of the writers, as much as it is lack of imagination on the part of the characters. I’ve read GL stories in which the Lanterns use their ring powers for unusual things, but generally, they are, indeed, portrayed as using those same few abilities. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/13 "2023-05-09T15:48:47Z")
That’s disappointing to hear. I suppose he just deal with Superman by just creating his own Superman with the ring. I never could see GL as a good character, I didn’t even follow him into the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/14 "2023-05-09T17:48:41Z")
Like that would be difficult. _Guy Gardner walks up to Atrocitus_ **Guy:** Hey, you know that guy over there? _points to Superman_. He said the you’re a putz who can barely make a pink sparkle, let alone a red sun. _Guy steps back, leaving the way free for Atrocitus to either show Superman just how big a red sun he can make, or try to pummel the hell out of Supes. Either way, Guy is ready to jump in when things look interesting._ ---
**Author:** ![Celtic\_Kitsune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celtic_kitsune/32/12086_2.png) [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/15 "2023-05-16T06:18:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Can GL move fast enough to defeat Supes using any means without a pre-emptive strike? Actually I’m wrong, I read the ‘Red Son’ comic which featured a Superman who grew up in the Soviet Union. He defeated Green Lantern by removing his ring at superspeed. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/16 "2023-05-16T13:55:26Z")
It’s hard to tell. I don’t believe comic books are accurate accounts of superhero activities. They’re obviously presenting the stories in a manner best suited for the media and providing the greatest entertainment value. We never know if these details about who is faster/stronger/smarter than who else are a reliable measure. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/17 "2023-05-16T15:18:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They’re obviously presenting the stories in a manner best suited for the media and providing the greatest entertainment value. Exactly so. There are eternal debates among comic book fans over “Who would win in a fight between [Hero X] and [Hero Y]” - one of the most common debates is over Superman versus Batman. A lot of it boils down to the story that’s being told in that particular issue, as well as the reality that the power levels and abilities of superheroes are regularly tinkered with by the writers and publishers, and what’s true today about a particular hero may not be true tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/18 "2023-05-16T15:46:35Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > There are eternal debates among comic book fans over “Who would win in a fight between [Hero X] and [Hero Y]” And the answer to most of those is “Batman, if he’s prepared.” And he’s always prepared. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2023, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-lantern-vs-superman-using-the-ring-to-bathe-him-in-red-sunlight/983801/19 "2023-05-31T03:04:41Z")
Post-crisis Superman would not be affected by light from a red sun, he just would not be able to draw power from it. But he would still have all his stored power from the yellow sun, stored up like a battery within his cells, meaning, GL could just lock him up in a dark, sunless room (created by his power ring) and waiting for the power to run out. But that would be a hella boring fight.