Guy Gardner

Guy Gardner was chosen as a backup candidate to Hal Jordan when Abin Sur's ring sought a worthy successor on Earth — close enough in proximity, but just far enough away to be passed over. Years later, Guy finally claimed his own Green Lantern ring, channeling his abrasive, never-back-down attitude into one of the Corps' most formidable — if contentious — members.

Few characters in DC's Bronze Age arrived with as much attitude as Guy Gardner, who burst onto the scene in Green Lantern #194 in 1985, courtesy of Steve Englehart and Joe Staton. Over four decades — and 248 catalog appearances — he's carved out a legacy stubborn enough to rival anyone in the DC universe, headlining his own titles in Guy Gardner, Guy Gardner: Warrior, and Green Lantern while sharing pages with heavyweights like Batman, Martian Manhunter, and The Flash. Fourteen of those appearances carry key-issue status, a testament to how much this guy (pun intended) has mattered to collectors and readers alike. If you want a DC figure who's equal parts polarizing and indispensable, with a run stretching all the way to 2026, Guy Gardner is absolutely worth your shelf space.