When I think of my favorite character I think of Hal Jordan, The Green Lantern of sector 2814. I may be engaging in sacrilege as the film was universally panned and it’s believed to have destroyed GL reputation at least for a while. There are multiple reasons why I like this character more than any other fictional character. Almost every superhero is flawed and plagued by something but GL Hal Jordan is the picture of imperfection.
There is an impulsive nature about Hal Jordan along with an underlying disregard for safety and protocol. There is a defiance that comes from a deep sense of loss and loneliness. Hal is dealing with an inferiority complex that comes from feeling like the perennial screw up. I can’t relate to all of the above feelings but I can relate to the good in him.
Hal Jordan was a man with heart, principle, and a deep love and appreciation for those around him. Like every lantern his ring was operated by his will and imagination. Hal was prone to allow frustration make him second guess himself and sometimes his own motives. Ultimately the story of Hal Jordan is the story of a kid who goes beyond his dreams into a whole different world. Don’t we all want to go into another world?
Hal Jordan is an everyman and ultimately we want that quality in our heroes. When we think of what makes something or someone appealing we think of the imperfection. We escape to other worlds because they are written with the same moral dilemmas as our own. Perhaps Hal Jordan has a laundry list of vulnerabilities as a Green Lantern but he has many more as a person. I know what it’s like to feel like you can’t get something right and to want to quit.
I want a character that I can relate to because ultimately we all do. To me that character was Hal Jordan and everything that made him a sometimes reluctant hero. This is why he was my favorite fictional creation. I had the ability to escape far enough from my problems but still stay close enough to know that life, even in fiction, is real.