GREEN LANTERN CENTRAL POWER BATTERY | BIOGRAPHY | |
Created by John Broome & Gil Kane |
TECHNICAL DATA
Name: Green Lantern Central Power Battery
DCU Creator(s): Guardians of the Universe
Homebase: Oa
Height: 300'
First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 2 #9 (November-December 1961): "The Battle of the Power Rings!"
Creators: John Broome & Gil Kane
HISTORY
The Central Power Battery of the Green Lantern Corps is located on Oa in Space Sector 0. A massive structure, the battery contains the collected willpower of sentient beings across the universe. The power is transmitted to the smaller individual power batteries and finally the power rings worn by the Green Lantern Corps.
Over the years, there have been differing accounts regarding the formation of the Central Power Battery. While the Guardians of the Universe are prone to keeping secrets and reality itself has been found to be subject to change, prior accounts may still have some validity and therefore will be documented for historical purposes.
Stories from Guardians Appa Ali Apsa, Herupa Hando Hu and Zamaron Nadia Safir tell of the migration to the planet Oa from their homeworld of Maltus. Those who would later become known as the Guardians of the Universe sought to make up for the evil deeds of one of their own, Krona. As vast as their powers were, the universe was vaster still. Their struggle and eventual success in the banishment of magic from the universe convinced the Oans of the need to create a colossal Central Power Battery that would amplify their power.
Focusing on a single green crystal, green because it was a mixture of their blue mental energy and a yellow impurity necessary to fix it in form, the Oans with advanced mental development directed their minds at the tiny crystal for millennia, growing it facet by facet until it towered high above the sands of Oa. Using the power of their minds, the carved the crystal into the shape of the massive Central Power Battery. Igniting the Central Power Battery required the combined attention of all Oans. The effort took three weeks and drained the power of fourteen supernovae. The strain on some of the eldest Oans was too much; they were drained beyond all hope of regeneration.[1]
Regardless of the Central Power Battery’s origin, the Guardians realized diverting part of the battery's might into their comparatively frail forms would lessen its effectiveness as the ultimate weapon and therefore constructed the Manhunters. Each Manhunter android was armed with a stun gun and a personal sized power battery, carved from the remnants of the Central Power Battery. The personal batteries drew their power from the Central Power Battery itself.
The Manhunters would later revolt against their masters. After a millennium of war, the Manhunters invaded Oa itself to seize the Central Power Battery. In an act of defiance, the leader of the Manhunters attempted to charge his stun gun against the massive battery. The resulting energy backlash destroyed the stun guns and personal power batteries of Manhunters across the universe.[2]
The Oans continued their plan to bring order to the universe and soon recruited the Halla's. These living agents were given power batteries and pistols just as the Manhunters had. Their success gave way to the next stage in the Guardians plans: the Green Lantern Corps.[3]
It was at this time that the Guardians modified the energy of the Central Power Battery to prevent the energy from being used to probe the origin of the universe.[4]
Rori Dag of Rojira was the first Green Lantern, to be followed by uncountable thousands upon thousands over the next three billion years. It was the war with Darkseid that saw the Corps grow to 3600 strong, but their failed invasion of Apokolips was in part hampered by the difficulties of transmitting the energy of the Central Power Battery to their individual power batteries. The forces of Apokolips crushed the ring wielders and imprisoned one of their number, Raker Qarrigat, as the spoils of war.[5]
In the late 20th Century, the Guardians enlisted the assistance of Superman and Flash to counter the threat of the Anachronoids. To protect the Flash from the rigors of space travel, they designed the power medallion. The Guardians had to divert the Central Power Battery's energy from the power rings of the Green Lantern Corps fuel the Power Medallion. During the duration of the Flash's task, the Green Lantern Corps was temporarily unable to function. The Power Medallion has not appeared since.[6]
The so-called Green Glob and the Emerald Eye(s) of Ekron were prototype will powered weapons created before the power rings. It is not known if they were operational before or after the creation of the Central Power Battery. If after, it remains to be seen if they were or still are connected to the battery.
Another Guardian created weapon, designated as “ Corpse discs” has seen use by a secret section of the Green Lantern Corps, known as the Corpse. The discs operate similar to a power ring, but only for five days maximum without the ability to recharge. As the energy discharge is not green to limit any obvious connections to the Green Lantern, it would seem the discs would not have an active link to the Central Power Battery.[7]
Aside from supplying energy for the power rings, the Central Battery was used to power the projecting stations spread across the surface of Oa. These stations were used to create a virtually impenetrable forcefield surrounding the Guardians' world. The Central Battery powered the transportation system in the maze of tunnels beneath Oa's surface as well as the irising portals allowing entry from the surface. The Oan sciencells also utilized the Central Power Battery’s energy. Each sciencell was specifically designed to hold its’ sometimes unique prisoners. [8]
Additionally, on two occasions the Guardians have used the Central Power Battery to heal beings that had been injured while performing missions on their behalf. The unconscious beings were placed on solidified light beams and suspended within the core of the battery.[9]
SPECIFICATIONS
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Green Lantern Central Power Battery in chronological order click here
- ↑ Green Lantern Corps #223; Secret Origins Vol. 2 #23
- ↑ Justice League of America #141, Secret Origins Vol. 2 #22-#23
- ↑ Green Lantern Vol. 2 #90; Secret Origins Vol. 2 #22-#23
- ↑ Green Lantern Vol. 2 #40
- ↑ Green Lantern Vol. 2 #67; Green Lantern 80-Page Giant #3
- ↑ World's Finest Comics #198
- ↑ Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #7-#9
- ↑ Green Lantern Vol. 2 #44; #116; #194, #196
- ↑ Superman Vol. 1 #247