The Only Sinestro Explainer You Need Before Lanterns

Sinestro is to Green Lantern what Joker is to Batman. He is Hal Jordan's greatest nemesis, and he'll be played by Ulrich Thomsen in HBO's "Lanterns" series. It remains to be seen how large of a role he'll have, but it is interesting how Hal (Kyle Chandler) is seemingly turning to him for advice during his brief appearance in the "Lanterns" trailer. So what is he, and how could he factor into future Green Lantern stories? Looper's video above has all of the answers.

Sinestro was first introduced in 1961's "Green Lantern" #7 by John Broome and Gil Kane. Sinestro kidnaps the entire population of Valdale, and during his investigation, Hal learns from the Guardians of the Universe that Sinestro is behind it. Sinestro was a former Green Lantern who used his newfound power to install himself as a dictator on the world of Korugar. Hal finds Sinestro and negotiates the release of Valdale, trapping Sinestro inside a force bubble.

Sinestro typically finds himself in the middle of many of Hal Jordan's most important adventures. During the "Emerald Twilight" saga, where Hal transforms into the villainous Parallax following the destruction of Coast City, the Guardians of the Universe release Sinestro from his prison to fight Hal. But that fight ends with Hal snapping Sinestro's neck to prove that he's done a full heel turn. However, Sinestro has a tendency to come back from the dead, and when he does so in "Villains United," he forms the Sinestro Corps to counter the Green Lantern Corps, giving yellow rings to various antagonists to bolster his own power.

In the Green Lantern mythos, green rings are used to create hard-light constructs of any item, created through sheer willpower and determination. In contrast, Sinestro's yellow ring is powered by fear. When he creates the Sinestro Corps, he targets individuals who have the ability to instill fear in others. As such, many yellow ring constructs are the stuff of nightmares, preying upon victims' phobias. 

All of this means that Sinestro is a formidable foe. But based on the "Lanterns" trailer and what we know of the series so far, it seems unlikely he's the big bad and will instead have a more muted presence. Hopefully, that sets the stage for a more sizable role in the DCU in the future, since it wouldn't be difficult for Ulrich Thomsen to be the best Sinestro we've had in live-action so far. 

Charlie Callas played Sinestro in the NBC series of TV specials, "Legends of the Superheroes," which was a live-action version of "Super Friends." But the show was far too campy for its own good. Then there's Mark Strong's version in 2011's "Green Lantern," who's one of Hal Jordan's (Ryan Reynolds) allies in the film. However, the ending of "Green Lantern" teases his descent as he adorns a yellow ring, setting him up as the main villain in a sequel that never came to fruition. 

What makes Sinestro interesting is that there's some good in him (or at least there was), and since he and Hal have worked together at some point, there's a begrudging respect between the two. If you want to learn more about Sinestro, check out Looper's video at the top of this article.