Kyle Rayner

When the Green Lantern Corps had fallen, a dying Ganthet bestowed the last power ring upon Kyle Rayner, a young Los Angeles freelance artist chosen seemingly at random, making him the sole Green Lantern tasked with carrying on the legacy.

Few characters carry the weight of legacy quite like Kyle Rayner, the Green Lantern who burst onto the scene in 1994's Green Lantern #48, brought to life by writer Ron Marz and artist Bill Willingham at a pivotal, daring moment in DC history. A Modern Age creation through and through, Kyle arrived when the mythology of the ring needed reinvention, and he's been proving his worth ever since — racking up 219 catalog appearances across more than three decades, five of them recognized as key collector issues. His adventures have unfolded across the pages of Green Lantern, JLA, and Green Arrow, where he regularly shares the stage with the absolute cream of the DC Universe: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash. If you want to understand how DC storytelling evolved from the early '90s into the modern era, Kyle Rayner is essential reading — a character whose longevity speaks louder than any origin ever could.