Jessica Cruz, one of the characters known as

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, ...

, is a

superheroine A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses Superpower (ability), ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, t ...

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 ...

. Created 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

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 ' ...

, she is a member 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 ...

and

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

, as well as the first female human Green Lantern. Her first full appearance takes place in ''

'' (vol. 2) #31 (August 2014), which is also her first cover appearance. Cruz currently operates out of

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. Jessica Cruz has appeared in various media outside comics, including television and films. Myrna Velasco, Cristina Milizia,

Dascha Polanco Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 1982) is a Dominican actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 film ''In the Heights (fil ...

Jeannie Tirado Jeannie Tirado is an American voice actress. Some of her noteworthy roles include Zera in ''Fairy Tail Zero'', Leila Malcal in '' Code Geass: Akito the Exiled'', Kaga in '' KanColle: Kantai Collection'', Android 21 in '' Dragon Ball FighterZ'', ...

, and

Diane Guerrero Diane Guerrero (born ) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as inmate Maritza Ramos in the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' and Lina on ''Jane the Virgin''. Her role on ''Orange Is the New Black'' has contributed to thre ...

have voiced the character in animation.

Publication history

Jessica Cruz's name is mentioned and her right hand appears briefly in a single panel of the 2013 issue ''Green Lantern'' #20. Her next appearance comes in ''Justice League'' (vol. 2) #30, when the Ring of Volthoom locates her, and she then gains her powers in the following issue. She was dubbed " Power Ring" while she was host to the Ring of Volthoom but is not a member of

Crime Syndicate of America The Crime Syndicate or Crime Syndicate of America (CSA, with America sometimes spelled Amerika) is a team of supervillains featured in DC Comics. The team is composed of evil Multiverse (DC Comics), parallel-universe counterparts of the Justice Le ...

. Jessica becomes an official member of the Green Lantern Corps, in the Prime Earth reality, at the end of ''The Darkseid War'' storyline.

Fictional character biography

The New 52

Jessica Cruz and her friends were on a hunting trip when they accidentally stumble across two men burying a body. The men brutally murder her friends, and Jessica escapes, but is left severely traumatized. The Ring of Volthoom, which feeds off fear and abandoned Power Ring after his death in ''

Forever Evil "Forever Evil" is a 2013–2014 crossover (comics), crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics that began in September 2013 and ended in May 2014, consisting of an eponymous, central miniseries written by Geoff Johns and art by David F ...

'', locates Jessica and forces her to wield it.''Justice League'' (vol. 2) #31 (August, 2014)

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 ...

de-powers the ring after convincing Jessica to face her fears.''Justice League'' (vol. 2) #33 (October 2014) During the AMAZO Virus arc, Jessica succumbs to the effects of the virus, but is cured after Superman creates an antidote. Afterward,

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 ...

returns to Earth to teach Jessica how to control her ring. When

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...

's daughter Grail arrives on Prime Earth, she attacks Jessica and uses her ring to open a portal to

Earth-Three Earth-Three, or simply Earth-3 or Earth 3, is a “partially-reversed” Earth, where supervillainous counterparts of the mainstream DC superheroes reside. It first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #29 (August 1964), and the concept has ...

and summon the

Anti-Monitor The Anti-Monitor is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He served as the main antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and later appears as an enemy to the Green Lantern Corps ...

. In response, the Justice League frees the Crime Syndicate to assist them. Volthoom possesses Jessica, but

Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Black Racer by enabling it to reap a soul. However, it is soon revealed that Volthoom was killed instead, destroying the ring. Immediately afterward, a Green Lantern ring appears and transforms Jessica into a new Green Lantern.

DC Rebirth

In ''Green Lanterns: Rebirth'' #1, Jessica meets

Simon Baz Simon Baz, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, created by writer Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke. Baz is an officer of the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestr ...

as he is investigating an intrusion by a Manhunter. The events are revealed to be a training exercise run by Hal Jordan. He combines Jessica and Simon's power batteries to make them work together, inducts them into the

, and puts them in charge of protecting Earth. Jessica later temporarily dons the Phantom Ring, a prototype power ring that can channel the entire emotional spectrum, and overcomes her previous trauma. She is later sent to space to train with the Green Lantern Corps and is under the orders of

Guy Gardner Guy Gardner may refer to: * Guy Gardner (astronaut) (born 1948), United States Air Force officer and former astronaut * Guy Gardner (character) Guy Darrin Gardner, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American ...

, who pushes her around and berates her. However, he agrees to keep the events secret after she defeats him in combat. Later, Jessica is assigned to monitor the Ghost Sector, a region consisting of recovered planets stolen by Coluans. While there, she encounters Cyborg,

Starfire Starfire or Starfires may refer to: Military * F-94 Starfire, an American fighter aircraft * Starfire Optical Range, a United States Air Force research laboratory Comics * Starfire (Teen Titans) (1980), alien superheroine and member of the Teen T ...

, and

Azrael Azrael (; , 'God has helped'; ) is the canonical angel of death in Islam and appears in the apocryphal text Apocalypse of Peter. Relative to similar concepts of such beings, Azrael holds a benevolent role as God's angel of death; he acts as ...

piloting a skullship commandeered from Brainiac in an attempt to enter the sector. Attempting to stop them, she finds herself trapped in the Ghost Sector alongside the others, and they work together to investigate the mysterious region of space as

Justice League Odyssey ''Justice League Odyssey'' is a 25-issue ongoing comic series published by DC Comics from September 25, 2018 to October 13, 2020. Written by Joshua Williamson with art by Stjepan Sejic, the series has a connection to the New Justice relaunch. Stor ...

. Darkseid later kills Jessica and destroys her ring. However, the ring's fragments resurrect her and temporarily grant her enhanced powers.

Powers and abilities

As a Green Lantern, Jessica is capable of projecting energy-based constructions, flight, and utilizing various other abilities through her power ring which are only limited by her imagination and willpower. Jessica's signature constructs are massive, intricate structures with an organic appearance similar to a giant alien flower. She initially experienced some trouble in creating constructs with the ring, requiring a period of intense concentration to generate larger constructs, but overcame this limitation while training with Simon Baz. While Jessica was briefly a Power Ring, she initially had no control over the ring. Under the tutelage of Hal Jordan, she learns to overcome the evil powers within the Ring and use it effectively until Volthoom possesses her body. Her feelings of courage help Cyborg decipher the alien language of the ring, and he is able to let her overcome Volthoom's influence for a moment and jump between Black Racer and the Flash which ends up destroying Volthoom and the Ring, freeing Jessica. Jessica is also an adept survivalist and was able to live by herself for three years. She was seen wielding a shotgun with proficiency when she was able to hit the Ring of Volthoom and keep it at bay for a few moments before it made her its host. Jessica's ring is partly fused with Volthoom's Travel Lantern, due to it being one of the first seven power rings created by the rogue Guardian Rami during Volthoom's first attack on Oa, ten billion years ago. It was the Travel Lantern that allowed Volthoom to make his initial journey to the past, and Jessica's ring connection to it also resulted in Jessica accidentally using the ring to send herself and Simon into the past to escape Volthoom, only to find themselves at the time of Volthoom's assault on Oa.

In other media

Television

* Jessica Cruz appears in ''

DC Super Hero Girls ''DC Super Hero Girls'', also released as ''DC Superhero Girls'', is an American animated superhero web series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the third quarter ...

'' (2019), voiced by Myrna Velasco. 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 does not appear to suffer from past trauma, lives with a

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

couple, and is a pacifist, vegetarian, animal rights activist, and environmentalist who becomes friends with Pam Isley. * Jessica Cruz appears in ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'', voiced again by Myrna Velasco. * Jessica Cruz will appear in the upcoming ''

My Adventures with Green Lantern ''My Adventures with Superman'' is an American animated superhero anime-influenced series based on the DC Comics character Superman. The series is developed by Jake Wyatt, produced by Warner Bros. Animation and animated by Studio Mir in South Ko ...

''.

Film

* Jessica Cruz appears in '' Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High'', voiced by Cristina Milizia. * Jessica Cruz appears in '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman – Rage of Atlantis'', voiced again by Cristina Milizia. This version is a member of the

. * Jessica Cruz appears in ''

Justice League vs. the Fatal Five ''Justice League vs. the Fatal Five'' is a 2019 American animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. Featuring the DC Comics team Justice League created by Gardner Fox, the film is the 36th of the DC Universe ...

'', voiced by

. While suffering from various traumas, such as her

agoraphobia Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by symptoms of anxiety in situations where the person perceives their environment to be unsafe with no way to escape. These situations can include public transit, shopping centers, crowds and q ...

, she is targeted by Mano, Tharok and

Persuader Persuader may refer to: * Persuader (band), a Swedish power metal band * Persuader (comics), three DC Comics supervillains * ''Persuader'' (novel), a 2003 thriller novel * Mossberg 500 The Mossberg 500 is a series of pump-action shotguns manu ...

of the

Fatal Five The Fatal Five is a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #352 (1967) as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Fictional team history The Fa ...

, who seek to use her to free

Emerald Empress The Emerald Empress is the name of several supervillains appearing American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The first incarnation of the character appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #352 (Jan ...

and Validus from prison on Oa. After bonding with

Star Boy Thom Kallor is a character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The character has also been known as Star Boy and Starman. Kallor as Star Boy has appeared in various media outside ...

, who also suffers from mental illness, Cruz defeats the Fatal Five and joins the Justice League. * Jessica Cruz appears in ''

Lego DC Shazam! Magic and Monsters ''Lego DC Shazam! Magic and Monsters'' is a 2020 American animated superhero comedy film based on the DC Comics and Lego brands. The film is produced by DC Entertainment, The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. ...

'', voiced again by Cristina Milizia. * Jessica Cruz appears in '' Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse'', voiced again by Myrna Velasco. * Jessica Cruz appears in ''

DC League of Super-Pets ''DC League of Super-Pets'' is a 2022 American animated superhero film produced by Warner Animation Group, DC Entertainment, and Seven Bucks Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Produced and directed by Jared Stern, who co- ...

'', voiced by

. This version is a member of the Justice League who later adopts

Chip Chip may refer to: Food * Chip (snack), thinly sliced and deep-fried gastro item ** Potato chips (US) or crisp (UK) * Chips (fried potato strips) (UK) or french fries (US) (common as a takeout side) * Game chips, thin chip/French fries * Choco ...

. * Jessica Cruz appears in '' Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen'', voiced by

. This version is a member of the Justice League. * Jessica Cruz appears in ''

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is a 2025 anime superhero film directed by Junpei Mizusaki and Shinji Takagi, written by Kazuki Nakashima, produced by Warner Bros., and animated by Kamikaze Douga and YamatoWorks, based on the DC Comics character Batman. It is the sequel to ''B ...

'', voiced by Annie Wild.

Video games

* Jessica Cruz appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Jessica Cruz appears as a playable character in the mobile version of '' Injustice: Gods Among Us''. * Jessica Cruz appears as a playable character in ''DC Legends''. * Jessica Cruz appears as an unlockable playable character in ''

Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the ''Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...

''. * Jessica Cruz appears in '' DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power'', voiced again by Myrna Velasco.

Miscellaneous

* Jessica Cruz appears in ''

'' (2015), voiced by Cristina Milizia. This version is

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...

's shy camerawoman who later succeeds Hal Jordan as Earth's Green Lantern. * Jessica Cruz appears as a playable character in Cryptozoic Entertainment's ''DC Deck-Building Game: Rebirth''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Jessica Characters created by Ethan Van Sciver Characters created by Geoff Johns Comics characters introduced in 2013 DC Comics female superheroes Fictional characters from Oregon Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Fictional environmentalists Fictional pacifists Mexican superheroes Green Lantern Corps officers