Thaal Sinestro (New Earth)

Thaal Sinestro
Mainstream Universe‎‎, 1950s-2011‎
Gallery
Real Name	Thaal Sinestro
Other Aliases	Green Lantern, White Lantern
Relatives	unnamed father, Witch Queen (sister), Soranik Natu (daughter), Arin Sur (wife, deceased), Abin Sur (brother-in-law)
Affiliation	New Guardians, Sinestro Corps, formerly Green Lantern Corps, Secret Society, Injustice League
Base Of Operations	Qward
Status
Alignment	Neutral
Identity	Public Identity
Citizenship	Korugaran
Marital Status	Widowed
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6' 7"
Weight	205 lbs (93 kg)
Eyes	Black
Hair	Black
Skin	Pink
Origin
Universe	Earth-One · New Earth
Creators	John Broome · Gil Kane
First Appearance	Green Lantern Vol 2 #7 (August, 1961)

Nothing frightens me. I am fear.

— Sinestro

History

Thaal Sinestro of Korugar is the arch-nemesis of Green Lantern. At one point the greatest member of the Green Lantern Corps, he was corrupted by his power and exiled for crimes against his own people. He now seeks to impose his own order and control onto the universe, employing a yellow power ring to combat the green he has grown to despise. His prowess and ruthlessness have made him one of the most feared villains in existence, and eventually he establishes his own Sinestro Corps.

Green Lantern Corps

Sinestro was selected by the Guardians of the Universe to become a member of the Green Lantern Corps for his honor and fearlessness. At his height, he was considered to be the greatest of all the Green Lanterns, and Sector 1417 was almost entirely devoid of crime and lawlessness under his vigilant protection. The Guardians had never erred in their judgment before, and he would later be considered one of their greatest mistakes.

Meeting Hal Jordan

His prowess was so great that he was assigned as a mentor to a number of rookie lanterns showing similar promise.. the greatest of which would be his last student Hal Jordan. Ganthet had specifically requested that the two train together, and they quickly became great friends.

Throughout his time in the Corps, Abin Sur was Thaal Sinestro's best friend and trusted confidante, so much so that they considered each other to be brothers. He would eventually fall in love with and marry Arin Sur, his friend's sister, and the two would have a child together. Abin confided in Sinestro what he had learned of the Blackest Night, where a darkness would rise to destroy all life, something Sinestro dismissed as lies by the Five Inversions who told Abin the prophecy. Eventually Abin was killed by the monster known as Atrocitus. As he became increasingly stressed with keeping his sector as perfect and as ordered as he needed it to be, Sinestro slowly became more unhinged and started employing more questionable tactics in his behavior. His actions were unwelcome by the Korugarans, and threats were made against his family. Arin recognized the danger posed by Sinestro's methods, and secretly gave their daughter away. Sinestro would be unable to find his daughter, and Arin soon died through unknown circumstances.

Dictator of Korugar

On their first diplomatic assignment, Hal proved to be reckless and Sinestro believed that he was a waste of his time. Then upon returning to his homeplanet of Korugar, they were met with very much opposition and Hal discovered that Sinestro forced his planet to worship him and that he had a very strict and unjust set of rules. After being gone so long, Korugar's citizens rebelled and Sinestro lost control. After a short battle, Hal knocked some sense into Sinestro and he realized that he must hide for the Guardians will punish both of them. After hiding in one of Earth's prisons with Hal Jordan, Oan manhunters brought him in to Oa and he was tried. After Hal testified against him, Sinestro swore revenge against Hal and the Corps right before he was banished to Qward in the Antimatter Universe. There, he met the Weaponers of Qward, who helped him forge a yellow power ring to counter the Green Lantern Corps.

Imprisonment

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Sinestro was captured and imprisoned within the Central Power Battery. After being converted into energy inside the Oan power battery, Sinestro waited for the opportune moment to strike back. In the battery, Sinestro also spoke with Parallax, which was the source of the yellow impurity in all Green Lantern rings. When Parallax gained control of Hal Jordan and turned him insane, Sinestro knew that his time was near. Eventually after defeating the entire Green Lantern Corps in his attempt to drain the power of the Oan power battery, it came down to Hal and the Guardians. In their sted, the Guardians released Sinestro to fight against Hal as the lesser of two evils, and even gave him a green power ring. Much verbal torture occurred on Sinestro's part and he even enraged Hal Jordan, the greatest Green Lantern ever, to have a bloodlust. A great battle went on and both sides had their attacks hit, but Hal was winning. Eventually it came down to a one-on-one without their rings and Sinestro did what was necessary to bring Jordan over the edge, he allowed him to snap his neck. After this, Hal gains the power of the battery, goes on a rampage as Parallax, and is eventually defeated. After this, he becomes the new host of the Spectre while his real body was elsewhere.

Return of Parallax

It turns out that Sinestro survived and he returned to torture Kyle Rayner at the same time that Parallax returned. He revealed himself to be the one behind all of the Hal's torments and problems, but now he chose to take direct action. After soundly defeating Kyle Rayner in the JLA Watchtower, Green Arrow managed to fire one Green Lantern arrow from Hal's old ring. He was also beaten by Sinestro and his apparent new power over fear given to him by Parallax. This power coincided with his yellow power ring and it gave him a new charge that surpassed any Green Lantern's. Due to other circumstances, Hal Jordan returned to his old body and smashed Sinestro through a wall with a will-powered blast from his power ring. Soon they were in intense battle and Sinestro once again taunted him and tried to bring him over the edge while truly fighting to win instead of knowing that he will have his neck snapped later. In the midst of battle, Kyle Rayner returned and aided Hal in his war against Sinestro. To end the battle, Hal and Sinestro both swung at each other and their rings clashed. All focus was bendt and altered until Hal smashed Sinestro's ring into pieces. As Sinestro instantly teleported back to the Antimatter Universe of Qward, he said, "Heh... Jordan... Welcome back."

The Secret Society of Super-Villains

After some time passed, Sinestro joined Lex Luthor's new Secret Society and was responsible for the apparent but uncertain murder of the Freedom Fighters' Uncle Sam. During the Battle at Metropolis, Sinestro was easily captured by Hal Jordan and received the same treatment as the rest of the Society.

War of Light

Sinestro Corps

 Main article: Sinestro Corps War

The events of the Infinite Crisis brought about a restored Multiverse, and with it, the resurrection of the Anti-Monitor. With his help, Sinestro established his own Sinestro Corps, which served in direct opposition to the Green Lantern Corps, using yellow rings instead of green rings. Sinestro masterminded a massive attack plan against the Green Lantern Corps in an event that has come to be known as the Sinestro Corps War. Sinestro's motives behind instigating the war was to manipulate the Guardians into allowing the Green Lantern Corps members to use lethal force in combat - an ability that had always been restricted in the past. The Green Lanterns proved victorious over the Sinestro Corps and Hal Jordan faced Sinestro in physical combat on Earth with Kyle Rayner. Jordan and Rayner defeated Sinestro in hand-to-hand combat and placed him in a Sciencell back on Oa where he sits on Death Row.

Rise of the Red Lanterns

When sentencing finally came down, Sinestro was to be publicly executed on his homeworld of Korugar. The prisoner transport to the planet was to be secret and security tight. A guard consisting of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kilowog, Salakk, other corps members and three Alpha Lanterns was to make the trip. The task was going off without any event until the group was ambushed by a contigent of Sinestro Corps members seeking to free Sinestro. Only for they in turn to be attacked in a ambush by Atrocitus and his newly formed Red Lantern Corps. They then kidnapped Sinestro and what corps members that were still alive to sacrifice in a blood ritual to reign in the beginning of their campaign of rage.

Arriving on Ysmault, Atrocitus had Sinestro crucified to a replica of the Red Lantern symbol before the Red Central Power Battery, vowing to destroy the Sinestro Corps, Korugar, and the Green Lantern Corps in an effort to break him. However, Sinestro nonchalantly shrugged off Atrocitus' threats, saying he had no fear of pain or death, and that the Red Lanterns were a group of uncontrollable animals who wouldn't even be able to beg for their lives. Desiring a means to find what Sinestro feared, Atrocitus used the heart of a dead Sinestro Corps member to learn his secrets. The ritual was a success, and Atrocitus vowed to destroy what Sinestro had so desperately hidden—his daughter.

Sinestro is rescued by the Sinsetro Corps members who remainded loyal to him, however Hal Jordan along with Saint Walker and Warth from the Blue Lantern Corps arrive on Ysmault to retrieve Sinestro as well, which causes a battle between the Sinestro Corps, the Red Lanterns, Hal and the Blue Lanterns. He murders Laira just as Hal is started to break through her red ring's influence, so he can taunt him. Hal's anger draws Laira's red ring to him and under the influence he nearly kills Sinestro. Fortunately Walker gives Hal his own blue ring which frees Hal from the red ring's influence which saves Sinestro. Sinestro and his Corps members escape Ysmault and regroup on Qward. He plans to attack both Mongul's faction of the Sinestro Corps on the planet Daxam, along with the Star Sapphires. Before he goes through with his plan he goes to Korugar to check on his daughter.

Return to Korugar

Sinestro returns to Korugar where he quickly incapacitates Princess Iolande and subdues Soranik Natu to tell her that she is his daughter. During his time as a Green Lantern Sinestro was married and eventually his wife gave birth to Soranik. When Sinestro began to take control of Korugar away from the people, his wife left him with Soranik, she gave Soranik to Karoll and Dgibb Natu to protect Soranik. Sinestro had not known about Soranik's whereabouts for years, but eventually found her, and gave her mark on the face that was their family's secrect coat of arms and laced it with a microscopic transmitter so he could always locate her. He also returned to Korugar once, using his ring to alter his appearence to see Soranik recieve her medical degree and even took her picture along with her adopted parents.

Sinestro reveals that he is proud of Soranik's accomplishments and that she is establishing his plans; getting the people of Korugar to accept a Green Lantern. Soranik questions Sinestro's goals and denies being similar to him. He warns Soranik about Atrocitus and tells her to contact him if she needs help. He visits Arin Sur's grave where he plans to attack the Star Sapphires.

Blackest Night

Sinestro bonds with the Entity

 Main article: Blackest Night

During the attack on Zamaron, Sinestro is surprised to see Carol Ferris, Hal Jordan's longtime lover and frequent host of the Star Sapphire, willingly fight for the Corps. Carol places Sinestro in a crystal and forces him to relive events regarding Arin Sur's death. Breaking free of the crystal, Sinestro attacks Carol in a rage, but they are stopped by the arrival of the Black Lantern Corps, the agents of the Black Abin Sur had long feared. These particularly Black Lanterns were members of his corps who had died, seeking to claim their hearts and raise their master. Hal Jordan was then teleported to Zamaron by the Indigo Tribe, whose leader, Indigo-1, knew Abin Sur. When the Black Lanterns destroy the Star Sapphire Central Power Battery, the others teleported to Korugar, where Mongul was trying to reestablish his coup. Enraged that Mongul tried to steal both his corps and world, Sinestro attacked. Though Mongul was the stronger physical opponent, Sinestro revealed that he had installed security directives in the yellow power rings to prevent them from harming him. Sinestro overpowered Mongul and imprisoned him in his ring, and was unanimously hailed by the rest of the Sinestro Corps. Sinestro then announced that he would be leading the coalition against the Black Lanterns, but was interrupted by the arrival of two other Black Lanterns—Abin and Arin Sur.

While Hal and Carol were fighting against Abin Sur, Sinestro faced off against his late wife Arin Sur. She made him question whether all of his actions were for her, which he believed was necessary. But before he could answer, she was blasted by Indigo-1 by combining her power with the Green Lantern ring. Afterwards, Sinestro joined with the other three and together, they combined their powers to destroy Abin and Arin. Now that the threat of Mongul's coup and the Black Lanterns on Korugar was removed, they all decided that they needed to get the heads of other three Lantern Corps to recreate the white light necessary to destroy the Black Lanterns. Hal was distrustful of Sinestro leading the coalition and took charge himself. The Lanterns then teleported to Odym and managed to get the Blue Lantern Corps to join them before heading to Okaara where they found Atrocitus and Larfleeze fighting each other as the Black Lanterns on Okaara were gathering. After destroying the Black Lanterns, Sinestro tied Atrocitus up saying that despite their encounters, Sinestro was willing to join forces with the Red Lantern Corps to destroy the Guardians ad their Green Lantern Corps, but Atrocitus was unwilling to even listened and attacked him before he was subdued by Hal. After getting Atrocitus and Larfleeze to join up, they all teleported to the dead planet of Ryut, which was the home of Atrocitus and the base of the Black Lantern Central Power Battery, which was transported to Coast City to help resurrect the mastermind behind the Blackest Night, Nekron.

After destroying the dead Guardian Scar, Sinestro and the other heads of the seven Lantern Corps, along with Ganthet and Sayd, tried to destroy Nekron and the Black Lantern Central Power Battery, but was ineffective since their power only created a small fraction of the white light. So, in order to bolster their ranks, Indigo-1 contacted her other tribesmen to gather the remaining members of the other Lantern Corps, while Ganthet initialized a program in the seven power rings, since all their rings are based on Oan technology despite their differences, to duplicate and seek out sentient beings that had power over their respective emotions. Sinestro's ring duplicate found and attached itself to the Scarecrow because of his ability to instill great fear, and inducted the villain into the Sinestro Corps. With their numbers increased and with the Indigo Tribe gathering all the other Lanterns, they resumed their attack on the Black Lanterns.

When the Spectre attacked them, due to being trapped in the body of Crispus Allen who was resurrected as a Black Lantern, Hal had Ganthet summon his Power Battery, along with Guy Gardner's, John Stewart's, and Kyle Rayner's. When Sinestro asked, Hal told him that after the Sinestro Corps War, the four Green Lanterns of Earth, along with Ganthet, separated and imprisoned Parallax inside their batteries so that no one, including Sinestro, could release him. Saying that Sinestro was the only one who could release Parallax, Hal reasoned that if he rejoined with the parasite, then he would have the power to stop the Spectre. Sinestro released Parallax from the batteries, but intended to join with the entity because of his control over fear, but was stopped by Hal, who joined with Parallax and managed to stop the Spectre.

After Hal was freed from Parallax's control, Sinestro tried to join with the fear entity to stop Nekron, but it was pulled away by a mysterious force. However, after killing one of the Guardians, Black Hand used the Oan blood to create a symbol in the ground, which Nekron used to order the sentient embodiment of life to rise. After seeing the Entity being attacked by Nekron, Hal realized that it was an entity like Ion and Parallax, so it needed to bond with someone in order to fight against Nekron, but Sinestro stopped him, citing that he had his turn with Parallax, and the Korugaran joined with entity, with the ring telling him, "Thaal Sinestro of Korugar. Destiny Awaits."

Now with this new power, Sinestro was destroying the Black Lanterns with ease, and was even shown the history of the entity, from its creation at the dawn of the universe, to when it landed on Earth and created life, as well as the sentient embodiments of the seven emotions. As that was happening, Nekron attacked and managed to sever Sinestro in half, trying to draw out the Entity and destroying it. While the other Lanterns were looking at Sinestro, Indigo-1 realized that despite the severing, there were no wounds on Sinestro, who used the power of the white light to heal himself and resume his attack on the Black Lanterns.

Sinestro has the advantage over Nekron and appears to kill him. However Nekron being death itself cannot simply be killed, his spirit simply takes a new body. He separates Sinestro from the Entity. Hal used this chance to bond with the Entity and with the help of other resurrected heroes defeated Nekron by restore Black Hand's life thus cutting Nekron's link to the living plane.

Brightest Day

Sinestro discovers that the White Battery is on Earth, he tries to pick it up, but is unable to do so. The Life Entity tells him to retrieve Hal Jordan. Sinestro finds Hal who is with Carol, and after a brief struggle he brings them to the White Battery. The Entity warns the trio that the entities of the emotional spectra are in danger and urges them to find them before a mysterous enemy does.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Fear Attunement: possibly due to being trapped in the central power battery and connecting at a fundamental level with parallax, Sinestro has an innate understanding of the fears of others, even without access to his ring. He also seems to have some form of mental link with his corps members which possibly is attributed to his understanding of others fears as well.

Paraphernalia

Weapons

• Qwardian Power Ring
• Green Lantern Ring (formerly)

Notes

• In Pre-Crisis stories, Sinestro's origin was significantly different. Although he was still a former Green Lantern, he wouldn't meet Hal Jordan until after going renegade, and they would become instant arch-enemies. Sinestro being Hal's mentor was a retcon established in Emerald Dawn.
• Sinestro was the featured origin spotlight in Countdown to Final Crisis #16. [1]
  

Trivia

• Sinestro's predecessor in the Green Lantern Corps for Sector 1417 was the greatly respected Jewelius Blak, who took him on as an apprentice before her death.
• Prior to becoming a Green Lantern, Sinestro was actually an anthropologist on Korugar.

Related

• 239 Appearances of Thaal Sinestro (New Earth)
• 88 Images featuring Thaal Sinestro (New Earth)
• 28 Quotations by or about Thaal Sinestro (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Thaal Sinestro (New Earth)

External Links

• Sinestro at the DCU Guide
• Sinestro at the Comic Book Database
• Sinestro at IMDB

Footnotes

Green Lantern Corps member This character is or was a member of the Green Lantern Corps, chosen by the Guardians of the Universe to act as their sector's Green Lantern and to protect it from interstellar threats with a Power Ring. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Green Lantern Corps members category."

Sinestro Corps member This character is or was a member of the Sinestro Corps, chosen by Sinestro to counteract the Green Lantern Corps and spread terror throughout their sector with a Power Ring. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Sinestro Corps members category."

Green Lantern Villain(s) This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Green Lantern Villains."