Lanterns: Who is Sinestro?

This article contains spoilers for Lanterns, season 1, episode 4

Finally, the renegade Green Lantern has arrived. After a brief tease at the end of Lanterns’ second episode, we now see in full the conversation between Hal Jordan and his mentor Sinestro. Despite the gravitas that Ulrich Thomsen brings to the brief exchange, despite the instant power of a The Silence of the Lambs homage used to frame the interaction, Sinestro remains the biggest stumbling block to casual fans brought in by the show’s True Detective approach. We can accept space cops with wishing rings; but why does the bad guy look just like the devil, and why does he have such an obvious name?

Yet those who know the comics recognize in Thomsen’s performance some of the grandeur of the character on the page. For more than 60 years, Sinestro has not just been one of the most destructive villains in the DC Universe, but also one of its most compelling; a truly tragic figure whose cunning is only matched by his compelling worldview and connection to Jordan. The comics establish Sinestro as a complex figure whose evil deeds are means to a greater end, making him a sympathetic bad guy, no matter how diabolical he may appear.

When he first appeared in 1961’s Green Lantern #7, by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro seemed like a basic sci-fi villain. At the behest of the Weaponers of the Anti-Matter planet of Qward, whom Hal Jordan had already fought several times, Sinestro apparently kidnaps an entire city as part of that classic Silver Age plot, to trap the hero and kill him. Despite the central cliché, Green Lantern #7 already shows Sinestro to be a villain with greater depth than his fellow evildoers. That depth only grows as writers further develop the character over the next several years.

Thaal Sinestro hails from the planet Korugar, where he became the Green Lantern of Sector 1417. Trained by Abin Sur, Hal Jordan’s predecessor in Sector 2814, Sinestro immediately proved himself to be an exemplary Lantern, thanks to his keen mind and vast willpower. Despite his reputation, Sinestro always loved the power granted him by the Green Lantern ring, and he slowly began to embrace that power more openly. He became convinced that the only way to keep his people safe and to maintain justice was to rule his people harshly.

Sinestro became the dictator of Korugar, but he managed to hide his methods from the Guardians, who chose Sinestro to mentor Abin Sur’s replacement, Hal Jordan. Although initially horified by Hal’s reckless approach, Sinestro recognized in the Earthling great potential and something of a kindred spirit. Like Sinestro, Hal mistrusted the Guardians and doubted that their machinations would keep the universe safe.

However, Hal’s actions eventually drew the Guardians’ attention to Korugar, where they saw that he had become a dictator. Disgusted, the Guardians stripped Sinestro of his power and banished him to the Anti-Matter Universe. There, Sinestro allied with the Weaponers of Qward, who fashioned for him a ring to oppose that of the Green Lanterns. Sinestro wore a yellow ring, which exploited the Green Lanterns’ weakness to anything colored yellow.

While the yellow ring granted Sinestro incredible power, it is his cunning that makes him dangerous. He would lay traps that undermined the various Green Lanterns, destroying the home world of the Lantern Kilowog and infecting Kyle Rayner’s mother with a deadly disease. Even when the Guardians executed him for his crimes and trapped his soul in the Central Power Battery that energizes all of the rings, Sinestro found a way to depower nearly every ring, effectively decimating the Green Lantern Corps. From inside the Power Battery, Sinestro possessed John Stewart and infected Hal Jordan with the Parallax fear entity, turning the latter into a genocidal villain.

More recently, Sinestro used the Parallax entity to form his own version of the Green Lantern Corps, dubbed the Sinestro Corps. Where the Green Lanterns use their willpower to enforce justice, the Sinestro Corps channel fear, creating order on a universal scale.

Even when leading an army of monsters to terrify planets into submission, Sinestro believes his motives are pure. He has seen how chaos can lead to misery and injustice. He has seen how even great people give into their basest instincts. And he has seen how the plans of the Guardians of the Universe are themselves reckless and craven. Sinestro believes that fear and order are the only way to save the galaxy, and he’s willing to do anything and manipulate anyone to achieve that goal.

It’s that steadfast belief in himself and his methods that makes Sinestro such a dangerous figure, even when trapped in a cell at the start of Lanterns. As we saw in the previous episode, the Guardians have their own sneaky plans with John Stewart, and Hal Jordan has reasons to be suspicious. That’s particularly true when Manhunters are involved, as they also stem from the Guardians’ failed plans. So it makes sense that Hal would consult the one person who mistrusts the Guardians as much as he does.

Of course, Sinestro responds to Hal’s questions by listening attentively and asking sympathetic questions. And that’s exactly what makes him dangerous, especially as Hal feels more and more threatened. Sinestro clearly senses fear, and fear will give him the opportunity to manipulate Hal and seek out his own form of justice, devilish as it may seem.

Lanterns airs new episodes every Sunday at 9pm EST on HBO and HBO Max.

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