Emotional spectrum

The emotional spectrum is a fictional concept in the DC Comics shared universe, primarily within the Green Lantern mythos. Within the comics, it is the power source for the power rings of the Green Lantern Corps. The spectrum is divided into the seven colors of the rainbow, with each color corresponding to a different emotion: red for hate, orange for avarice, yellow for fear, green for willpower, blue for hope, indigo for compassion, and violet for love. A power ring's wielder channels one of these emotions to fuel his or her ring.

Introduced by Geoff Johns and Ethan van Sciver in the 2005 miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth, the emotional spectrum has become a fundamental part of the Green Lantern canon. Although originally only the Green Lanterns utilized the spectrum, the formation of corps around the six other colors is explored in the "Sinestro Corps War" and "Green Lantern: The Blackest Night" storylines.

Emotional manifestations

Emotional manifestations are a small pantheon of cosmic entities depicted in the DC Universe comic books, primarily in the Green Lantern series. They are each meant to be pure embodiments of particular emotions, according to The Guardians of the Universe. Each emotion corresponds with a color in what the Guardians refer to as the "emotional spectrum." The currently identified manifestations are Parallax, from the yellow portion of the spectrum embodying pure fear, Ion, from the green portion of the spectrum embodying pure willpower. Five additional manifestations still exist with the revelation of a complete emotional spectrum.

Known Manifestations

Parallax

Parallax is the pure embodiment of fear and is generated by the yellow range of the emotional spectrum. It resembles a large yellow parasitic looking insect.

Parallax was initially trapped by the Guardians in the Central Battery on Oa. Its presence in the battery eventually became the "yellow impurity" that rendered the Green Lantern Corps power rings useless against the color. As the Guardians further embraced willpower and suppressed their emotions, they hid the knowledge of Parallax's imprisonment and repressed its memory.

Parallax was eventually revived with the help of Sinestro, and used his imprisonment within the Central Battery to look for a suitable host, eventually choosing Hal Jordan due to his strong willpower and confidence. Parallax began manipulating him through his ring, inspiring self-doubt and fear.

Following Coast City's destruction, Hal Jordan went on a rampage murdering several members of the Green Lantern Corps, absorbing the power in the Central Battery on Oa, and then destroying it, thus freeing Parallax from his prison, and allowing him to BOND with Jordan. Taking advantage of Jordan's anger and guilt, Parallax gained an increasing control over him and very nearly destroyed the universe through him.

When Jordan sacrificed himself to reignite the sun (The Final Night) Parallax went with his soul when he died. When Jordan was resurrected as the Spectre, Parallax returned as well. Eventually, Parallax overpowered the Spectre and Hal and was able to take control of his body once again. Eventually, Hal and the Spectre worked together and separated Hal’s soul, the Spectre, and Parallax. Ganthet was able to reunite Hal's soul with his recently returned body and resurrect him. Hal, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner then fought Parallax and re-imprisoned him in the Central Battery. Armed with the knowledge of the source of the Power ring’s yellow weakness, the Green Lantern Corps is able to overcome their fears and thus remove the weakness from their ring.

Parallax was recently freed by the Sinestro Corps, and was transferred to the Yellow Central Battery on Qward. After Kyle was separated from the Ion symbiote, Parallax possessed his body and took control of him, becoming a member of the Sinestro Corps. Parallax was later separated from Kyle and contained within Hal's, John's, Guy's, and Kyle's Power Batteries.

Ion

Ion is the embodiment of willpower and appears as a large green cetacean-like animal. Representing the stability of willpower, the Ion entity serves to support its host, providing a vast supply of power in return for the willpower to which it is exposed. Conversely, Parallax dominates its host, controlling it to inspire fear in others. The existence of the Ion symbiote was revealed when it was initially removed from Kyle Rayner. Curiously, the entity itself has several physical characteristics emulated by the Guardians and their Corps. The Guardians' insignia appears in a pattern on the creature's dorsal side, a monk fish-like appendage, ending in a lantern-like lure.

The Ion symbiote bonded with Kyle at some point after the events of Zero Hour. Kyle was granted enormous powers following his confrontation with Oblivion and again later following his absorption of the energies from the Corps stolen by Parallax who left them in the Sun after Hal Jordan's death. Kyle used these enhanced powers to recharge the Green Lantern Corps and give the Guardians new life. He was then rebonded later with Ion following his absorption of the Starheart from Jade. The Ion symbiote has boosted Kyle’s own abilities and allows him to create energy constructs without the aid of a Power ring and no longer need periodical recharging with a Power Battery.

During the Sinestro Corps War, the Ion entity was held captive on Qward after it was taken from Kyle Rayner. Rescued by a team of Lanterns, it was returned to Oa, where the Guardians of the Universe bonded the Ion entity with Sodam Yat, a Green Lantern rookie from the planet Daxam, as the Guardians "ultimate weapon."

Writer Geoff Johns revealed in a interview with Newsarama that Green Lantern #43 would debut new "entities" representing the colored energies of the emotional spectrum (similar to Parallax for fear and Ion for willpower). "You'll see two new entities – one kind of revealed in Green Lantern #43, and another full out in Green Lantern #44. But the entities are these living creatures that are born out of this power," Johns said.

Others who tap the Emotional spectrum

Rainbow Girl

The 30th century super-heroine Rainbow Girl, Dori Aandraison from Xolnar, wields the powers of the mysterious emotional spectrum resulting in unpredictable mood swings. She is able to tap red (anger), blue (hope) and green (willpower) energies when she and other members of the Legion of Substitute Heroes come to the aid of Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes in their battle against the xenophobic Justice League of Earth. She is also able to create a pheromone field, that surrounds her in coruscating light resembling a rainbow, giving her an irresistible personality to everyone. She does not fully understand her powers and uses them more for fun.