Red Lantern Corps: Bio, Origin & History

Name: Red Lantern Corps

Founding Members: Atrocitus

First Appearance: Green Lanter #25 (January, 2008)

Created By: Geoff Johns and Mike McKone

Did You Know: Most Red Lanterns lose any memories they had before they were granted the Power Ring. Due to this, they often act without remorse as they look for and battle their enemies.

A Little History

Long before the Green Lanterns came into existence, the Guardians of the Universe sought to create a police force that could patrol the galaxies. Their first attempt arrived in the shape of the Manhunters. Unfortunately, the Guardians did not foresee that a glitch existed within the Manhunters. This glitch caused them to understand that in order for peace to be attained across the galaxies, the galaxies must be exterminated of all life.

Eventually, the Manhunters found their way to Sector 666 and they proceeded to extinguish all life form on it. What they didn’t realize was that 5 individuals survived the attack, the most important of which was Atrocitus. Filled with rage and hatred, the group blamed the Guardians of the Universe for their loss of family, friends, and wellbeing. The group, looking for revenge, then elected Atrocitus as their leader.

The group took the name Five Inversions and spent the next number of centuries in war against the Guardians. During this time, they created The Empire of Tears or a partnership of worlds powered by their anger and disdain of the Guardians.

Blood Prophecy

Eventually love finds its way on to the team and through this Atrocitus learns of the Blood Prophecy. The Blood Prophecy shows a way in which to kill other beings and use their blood as a way to look into the future. The group then captures a member of the Guardians, kills them and uses the Blood Prophecy to peer into the future.

Atrocitus sees a vision of his fellow members slain with him standing over top of them in a pool of blood. He realizes that the prophecy is showing him his undeniable right of power and because of this, he kills off the other members of his team. He collects their power and creates a Red Power Battery. This, of course, gives power to the Red Lanterns.

Like the other Power Rings, the Rings that Atrocitus sent out into the Universe selected their wearers. Due to the nature of the Red Lantern, the Rings only sought out beings whose heart was filled with rage.

The Oath

“With blood and rage of crimson red,

Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,

Together with our hellish hate,

We’ll burn you all–that is your fate!”