Parallax is a
supervillain
A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
, primarily as an enemy of the
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is a intergalactic Peacekeeping, peace keeping agency appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the plan ...
. It is the embodiment of the emotion of fear, and serves as the power source for the
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps, occasionally known as the Yellow Lantern Corps, is a supervillainous group and analogy, analog to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. They are led by Sinestro, and derive power from the emotional electromagnetic spectr ...
.
Publication history
Created by writer
Ron Marz
Ron Marz (born November 17, 1965) is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as '' Batman/Aliens'', ''DC vs. Marvel'', ''Green Lantern'', ''Silver Surfer'', and ''Witchblade''.
Career
Marz is known for his work on ''Si ...
and artist
Darryl Banks
Darryl Banks is an American comic book artist. He worked on one of the first painted comic books, ''Cyberpunk'', and teamed with the writer Mark Ellis (American author), Mark Ellis to revamp the long-running ''Justice Machine, The Justice Machi ...
for ''
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'' vol. 3 #48 (January 1994), Parallax was originally devised as the new supervillain identity for Green Lantern protagonist
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...
who had gone mad with grief after a catastrophic loss. After Jordan sacrificed himself to reignite Earth's Sun in the 1996 crossover storyline "
The Final Night
''The Final Night'' is a 1996 comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics that ran through a weekly self-titled limited series and a score of tie-in issues spanning most of DC's ongoing titles in the month of September 1996 (cover-dat ...
" and his soul became the newest host of the
Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...
, 2004's ''
Green Lantern: Rebirth'' once again cast Jordan as a heroic
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
and explained Parallax as an ancient entity embodying the yellow light of fear which possessed Jordan and drove him to his villainous actions. Parallax was revealed to have been once imprisoned within the Central Power Battery on the planet
Oa, creating the impurity that previously rendered the rings useless against anything colored yellow.
In 2009, Parallax was ranked as
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
's 92nd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.
Fictional character biography
In 1994, in an effort to generate interest in its
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
comics, DC replaced
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...
, who had been the primary Green Lantern since the late 1950s, with the character
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...
, and eliminated the
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is a intergalactic Peacekeeping, peace keeping agency appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the plan ...
which had served as supporting characters in the series. This was done in the story "
Emerald Twilight
"Emerald Twilight" is a 1994 comic book story told in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 3) #48–50, written by Ron Marz, drawn by Darryl Banks and published by DC Comics. The story introduced a new Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, who gained a significant fan f ...
", beginning in ''Green Lantern'' vol. 3 #48 (Jan. 1994). After
Mongul
Mongul () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin created the first version of the character, who debuted in ''DC Comics Presents'' #27 (November 1980). Jerry Ordway created the s ...
destroys his home town Coast City,
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...
descends into madness, destroys the
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is a intergalactic Peacekeeping, peace keeping agency appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the plan ...
, and becomes the supervillain Parallax. In ''
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!'', Parallax attempts to destroy the universe before being stopped. The universe is then restarted after
Damage
Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...
uses his powers to trigger a second
Big Bang
The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...
.
In ''
The Final Night
''The Final Night'' is a 1996 comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics that ran through a weekly self-titled limited series and a score of tie-in issues spanning most of DC's ongoing titles in the month of September 1996 (cover-dat ...
'', Jordan sacrifices himself to reignite Earth's sun and becomes the
Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...
. The 2004 miniseries ''
Green Lantern: Rebirth'', written by
Geoff Johns
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...
and penciled by
Ethan Van Sciver
Ethan Daniel Van Sciver (No date on article; date appears in the website') (; born September 3, 1974) is an American comics artist. He illustrated and drew covers for a number of superhero titles in the 2000s, primarily for DC Comics, including ' ...
, reveals that Parallax is an ancient embodiment of fear who possessed Jordan during ''Emerald Twilight''.
Sinestro Corps
In ''
Sinestro Corps War
"Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover event published by DC Comics in its ''Green Lantern'' and ''Green Lantern Corps'' titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleas ...
'', the
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps, occasionally known as the Yellow Lantern Corps, is a supervillainous group and analogy, analog to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. They are led by Sinestro, and derive power from the emotional electromagnetic spectr ...
capture Kyle Rayner, remove the
Ion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...
entity from him, and temporarily force him to become Parallax's host. After separating from Rayner, Parallax absorbs Jordan before being defeated.
''Blackest Night''
In Blackest Night, Hal Jordan battles the Spectre, who has been transformed into a Black Lantern. He summons Parallax to boost his power, but is defeated and separated from it.
After
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member w ...
becomes a
White Lantern
The White Lantern Corps is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. Founded during the ''Blackest Night'' event, the members of the White Lantern Corps are powered by the white light ...
, he views the history of the emotional spectrum and learns that Parallax was originally an insect before being transformed after becoming the first creature in existence to feel fear.
''Brightest Day''
In ''
Brightest Day
''Brightest Day'' is a 2010–2011 Crossover (comics), crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of a year-long comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries that began in April 2010, and a number of tie-in books. The story is a dir ...
'', Parallax is revealed to have been transported to the planet Ryut, where
Krona imprisons it in an energy bubble. Parallax later escapes and possesses the
Flash (Barry Allen)
Bartholomew Henry "Barry" Allen is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character known as the Flash, following Jay Garrick. The character first appeared in '' Showcase'' #4 (October 1956), crea ...
before the compassion entity
Proselyte
The biblical term "proselyte" is an anglicization of , as used in the Septuagint for "stranger", i.e. a "newcomer to Israel"; a "sojourner in the land", and in the Novum Testamentum Graece for a first-century convert to Judaism. It is a transla ...
frees him. However, Krona captures Parallax and the other emotional entities.
''War of the Green Lanterns''
When Krona attacks Oa, he places Parallax inside the Central Power Battery, restoring the yellow impurity and giving him control over almost all Green Lanterns. Hal, John, Guy, Kyle and
Kilowog
Kilowog is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is a member of the Green Lantern Corps.
Kilowog has been substantially adapted into media outside comics, primarily in association with Green Lantern. ...
resist Parallax's influence due to their past experience with it, but Kilowog is captured while the other four escape by removing their rings. With no other weapons available, the four Earth Lanterns use the rings of the other Corps to fight off Krona's forces, culminating in Guy using the rings of the
Red Lantern Corps
The Red Lantern Corps is a supervillain and sometimes anti-heroes, anti-heroic organization appearing in DC Comics. Their power is derived from the emotional spectrum relating to anger.
Publication history
The Red Lantern Corps debuted in ''Gr ...
and the
Star Sapphires
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...
simultaneously to remove Parallax from the battery. After Krona's defeat, Parallax escapes with the other entities and is left at large.
''The New 52''
In
The New 52
The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
continuity reboot, Sinestro frees Parallax from the Yellow Lantern power battery and allows it to possess him while maintaining control of his body. In the "Lights Out" story arc, the emotional entities return to the
Source
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...
to restore the emotional spectrum, with Parallax not doing so due to possessing Sinestro.
''DC Rebirth''
In the
DC Rebirth
DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...
relaunch, Parallax is separated from Sinestro and seemingly killed. It survives, but is greatly weakened and begins kidnapping children to sustain itself. Later, Parallax possesses
Reverse-Flash
The Reverse-Flash is a name used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Each iteration of the character serves as a foil and an enemy of the Flash.
Characters
Edward Clariss
Edward Clariss (also k ...
to attack the Green Lantern Corps.
Powers and abilities
Parallax has immense fear-casting and mind-control powers, strong enough to easily frighten and control the likes of
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
,
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
, and even a being like the
Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...
, except those who are capable of facing powerful fear such as
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...
,
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...
or
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
.
[''Green Lantern: Rebirth'' #6 (May 2005)] However, it was unable to control
Alan Scott
Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. H ...
, even though he experienced fear from Parallax (
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement. Af ...
explains that in humans fear is intellectual, which may have something to do with the ineffectuality of Parallax's powers and the fear entity itself mentioned that Alan's power differs from the fear entity, the Guardians, and the Green Lantern Corps, as they derive their powers from the emotional spectrum),
although he did experience a fever which led him to increasingly weaken during Parallax's attempts that almost kill him. It can take possession of someone's body when they feel even the slightest fear. Parallax is also capable of creating solid light constructs, such as creating a convincing duplicate of Sinestro for Hal Jordan to kill. Parallax can create both green and yellow objects or creatures. As a being of pure energy, Parallax has no true physical form of its own; it generally changes into forms that will instill fear in its victims.
Other versions
* An alternate timeline variant of Parallax who possessed
Tomar-Re
Tomar-Re is a character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. He is a member of the Green Lantern Corps, as well as the predecessor and father of Tomar-Tu.
The character appeared in the 2011 ''Green Lantern (film), Green Lantern'' film, voic ...
appears in ''
Booster Gold
Booster Gold (Michael Jon "Booster" Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold (comic book), Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has be ...
'' (vol. 2) #2.
* The Hal Jordan incarnation of Parallax makes a cameo appearance in ''
JLA/Avengers
''JLA/Avengers'' (issues #2 and 4 are titled ''Avengers/JLA'') is a comic book limited series and crossover published in prestige format by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from September 2003 to March 2004. The series was written by Kurt Busiek, wi ...
''.
* The Hal Jordan incarnation of Parallax appears in ''
Convergence
Convergence may refer to:
Arts and media Literature
*''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen
*Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics:
**A four-part crossover storyline that ...
''.
In other media
Film
* Parallax appears in ''
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'', voiced by
Clancy Brown
Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles.
His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...
and motion-captured by an uncredited
T. J. Storm.
[ A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.] This version feeds on life forces via organisms' fear and was created when
Krona was corrupted by the yellow energy of fear after failing to control it.
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement. Af ...
imprisoned the entity on the remote planet Ryut, but it later escapes and seeks revenge on the Green Lantern Corps, absorbing fear and life forces from multiple inhabited planets to strengthen itself and killing Abin in the process. After the
Department of Extranormal Operations
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
* Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
(DEO) recover Abin's body, they task
Hector Hammond
Hector Hammond is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics who is primarily an enemy of Green Lantern.
Peter Sarsgaard portrays Hammond in the 2011 film ''Green Lantern''.
Publication history
Hector Hammond origina ...
with performing the autopsy, during which he is infected with Parallax's DNA. It uses him in an attempt to kill
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...
until he lures it away from Earth, where it is absorbed into the sun.
* Parallax appears in ''
Green Lantern: Beware My Power'', voiced by
Nolan North
Nolan North (born October 31, 1970) is an American actor best known for his voice acting roles.
After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera '' Port Charles'' in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended ...
.
This version is an alien parasite created by Sinestro to infect
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...
. It attempts to use his body to obtain godhood until being killed by
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...
.
Video games
* Parallax appears as a character summon in ''
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.
* Parallax appears as a boss in ''
DC Universe Online
''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...
''.
Miscellaneous
Parallax appears in ''
Smallville: Lantern''. After corrupting Hal Jordan, Parallax goes on to kill Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner, reprogram the
Manhunters to serve it, and send Yellow Lantern rings to Earth to combat the Green Lantern Corps.
References
External links
*
Alan Kistler's profile on Green LanternThe Origin of Parallax at DC Comics.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parallax (Comics)
Characters created by Ethan Van Sciver
Characters created by Geoff Johns
Characters created by Ron Marz
Comics characters introduced in 1994
Fictional insects
DC Comics aliens
DC Comics psychics
DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
DC Comics deities
DC Comics extraterrestrial supervillains
DC Comics film characters
Fear
Kaiju
Fictional mass murderers
DC Comics monsters
Fictional characters who can manipulate light
Fictional characters who can manipulate time
Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities
Fictional characters with body or mind control abilities
Green Lantern characters
Merged fictional characters