How Powerful Is Sinestro Really?

Thaal Sinestro is an immensely powerful villain within the DC universe. He's a perpetual thorn in the side to anyone who wields a Green Lantern's ring, but is he really all that strong? Or does he just get lucky? For a full overview of Sinestro's might, check out Looper's video above. But here are the basic details behind just how scared any Green Lantern should be of Sinestro.

Sinestro was initially a Green Lantern himself, after Prohl Gosgotha crash lands on his homeworld of Korugar. Sinestro claims Prohl's ring and leaves him to die, allowing him to join the Green Lantern Corps. He's a good guy for a little bit and even trains Earth's first Green Lantern Corps member, Hal Jordan. But given how he let Prohl die, it was always clear Sinestro was due for a heel turn. He eventually becomes a tyrannical ruler over Korugar, but once the Guardians of the Universe, basically the Green Lanterns' bosses, learn what he's doing, he's stripped of his ring and sent to the Antimatter Universe. 

Of course, he gets out and winds up kidnapping an entire town on Earth. Hal stops him despite Sinestro wielding a yellow ring at this point, which should be enough to overpower a Green Lantern — yellow is one of their major weaknesses. But never underestimate Hal's sheer willpower. So far, Sinestro doesn't sound like that much of a threat to the wider universe since he's been stopped pretty easily. But as the comics have evolved (and become more convoluted), Sinestro has only grown in power, with even more impressive feats under his belt. 

If Green Lanterns are powered by willpower, then Yellow Lanterns receive strength through fear. Specifically, the ability to instill fear in others, and this stems from the cosmic parasite known as Parallax. During the "Emerald Twilight" arc, Hal becomes infected with Parallax. This results in him becoming the bad guy. Hal only becomes infected in the first place due to Sinestro unleashing Parallax, but this comes back to bite him when Hal kills him later on while under Parallax's influence.

Sinestro would use this same trick again, after he gets revived when he forms the Sinestro Corps, which is effectively just a rebranding of the Yellow Lantern Corps. But Sinestro gets some heavy hitters on his team, like the Anti-Monitor and Superboy-Prime. Sinestro once more unleashes Parallax, which goes on to infect another Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner. Sinestro sure does love setting Parallax loose, but it's a good ploy. The entity completely overwhelms Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner, causing them to commit atrocious acts. It's later in "Green Lantern" #20 (written by Geoff Johns), during "The Wrath of the First Green Lantern" arc, that Sinestro personally functions as Parallax's host, managing to retain control over his thoughts and body. 

In terms of how powerful Sinestro really is, he's one of the stronger power ring wielders. However, he's still gotten his butt handed to him plenty over the years. More than anything, Sinestro is a cunning and shrewd adversary who knows how to target an enemy's main weakness. Sinestro probably doesn't rank among the most powerful DC villains, but no Green Lantern would ever want to underestimate him, either. For more proof of that, watch Looper's video above.