When it comes to the many different Lantern Corps roaming the DC Multiverse, none may be more brutal, dangerous and overall disturbing than the Red Lantern Corps. Before the walking dead emerged thanks to the Black Lantern Corps during Blackest Night, the Red Lanterns emerged from a bath of blood to become the embodiment of rage.
The leader (for the most part) of the Red Lantern Corps is the one and only Atrocitus. A ruthless warrior and fueled by a deep-seated hatred for the Guardians of the Universe, let’s take a look at ten things fans should know about Atrocitus.
10 Created By Manhunters
Before any Lantern Corps were roaming the universe as a police force, the Guardians of the Galaxy tried creating a police force that didn’t rely on emotion, but pure emotionless facts. Thus the Manhunters were born, ruling the universe under the command of the Guardians. However, this peace didn’t last.
When Krona, one of the Guardians, reprogrammed the Manhunters to protect life by extinguishing it, they Manhunters became corrupted, destroying many worlds. This included the world of Atrocitus, who was once a former psychologist who was forced to watch his wife and children be slain by the ruthless army of the Manhunters.
9 Formed Empire Of Tears
Atrocitus was one of five survivors of Sector 666 after the Manhunters wiped out all other life. Rage fueled him, and together with the other survivors, he created the terrorist organization The Five Inversions. This group was dedicated to the utter destruction of the Guardians of the Universe, who they held responsible for their losses.
After performing a ritual to see into the future and discovering the Blackest Night prophecy, the Five Inversions began a campaign known as the Empire of Tears, going after the Guardians of the Universe. They failed, however, and the group was imprisoned on the planet Ysmault.
8 Ends Abin Sur’s Life
While the original origin story of Hal Jordan saw his predecessor Abin Sur attacked by a creature known as Legion and crash to Earth, a more updated origin known as the Secret Origin told a much different story. In it, Abin Sur visited the planet Ysmault and discovered the Blackest Night prophecy, which included his ring failing him and Abin Sur’s demise.
While transporting Atrocitus to Earth to find the origin of the Blackest Night prophecy, Atrocitus instills fear impurity into Sur’s ring and attacks the Green Lantern, forcing the ship to crash and Abin Sur to seek out Hal Jordan as his replacement.
7 Captured By Hal Jordan And Sinestro
After Abin Sur’s ship crashed, Atrocitus landed on a nearby Air Force Base on Earth, where he took the lives of most of the soldiers on the base. Gathering a supply of weapons, Atrocitus reconfigured the weapons to turn them into a cosmic divining rod, which he used to locate the central figure of the Blackest Night prophecy, William Hand.
Knowing Hand would play a role in the upcoming prophecy, Atrocitus found him and tried to take his life, hoping to use his organs in a blood ritual. Before he could, however, Sinestro and rookie Hal Jordan intervened, capturing Atrocitus.
6 Responsible For Corrupting Sinestro
One of the biggest impacts Atrocitus had on the universe was not only the future creation of his own Red Lantern Corps but the corruption and fall of the heroic Green Lantern Sinestro. After being defeated by Hal Jordan and Sinestro on Earth before he could slay William Hand, Sinestro agreed to transport Atrocitus back to Ysmault.
It was during this time that the corruption began. Using the same technique to instill the yellow fear impurity into Abin Sur’s ring, Atrocitus foretold that Sinestro’s homeworld would erupt into chaos, instilling fear into the Lantern’s heart and thus creating the Sinestro Corps.
5 Forged Red Lantern Battery On Pure Rage
After the conclusion to the Sinestro Corps War, Atrocitus made his move. Forging a Red Lantern Battery out of pure hatred and rage, the villain decided his first target had to be Sinestro, who despite having left to create the Sinestro Corps had once dubbed himself the greatest Green Lantern of all time.
Taking the lives of the other members of the Five Inversions, including the one named Qull who gave Abin Sur the Blackest Night prophecy, and used their blood to create the Red Lantern Corps rings, batteries and the central batter on Ysmault, forging his own powerful army.
4 Nearly Took Sinestro’s Life
One of the largest attacks the Red Lanterns took on the other Corps had to be their first attack, when they took advantage of the Green and Sinestro Corps fighting during a prisoner transfer of Sinestro himself. Slaying everyone they could, they took Sinestro to Ysmault and kept him for later execution.
Hal Jordan arrived and along with the Blue Lanterns rescued Sinestro, but in the fight Sinestro had slain former Green Lantern turned Red Lantern Laira. Filled with rage, Laira’s red lantern ring attached to Hal, nearly causing him to take Sinestro’s life, but the Blue Lanterns cured him before he could.
3 Tried Getting Spectre To Join Red Lanterns
During the Blackest Night event, all sorts of heroes and villains were forced to interact with one another in order to defeat the powerful forces of the Black Lantern Corps. One anti-hero who had been taken by the Black Lanterns was The Spectre, an all-powerful being. After Parallax freed the Spectre from the Black Lantern ring, Atrocitus arrived.
Sensing the rage inside of the Spectre and his unlimited power, Atrocitus attempted to draw out the rage inside the anti-hero. However, the Spectre was able to resist Atrocitus, telling the Red Lantern Corps leader the Spectre’s rage was a holy one.
2 Hired Lobo To Fight Him
During the Brightest Day follow up storyline to Blackest Night, Atrocitus finds himself on Earth searching for the various living entries that embody the various emotional spectrums of the universe, as another entity is abducting these beings. After slaying criminals on a NYC subway, Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris and Sinestro confront him.
Knowing he’ll need to gain their trust in order for his mission to succeed, he took it upon himself to hire Lobo the mercenary of the universe to attack them, allowing Atrocitus to fight and defend the others and gain their trust as he worked to complete his mission.
1 Fought Guy Gardner For Leadership
Years later, Atrocitus faced his most challenging journey to date. After the battle with the First Lantern, Atrocitus loses his own ring to Hal Jordan’s mole within his Lantern Corps, Guy Gardner. After being beaten badly and stripped of his power and role, he is left to float in space.
After failing to secure the red rage entity known as The Butcher for himself, Atrocitus finds a feral red lantern and ends its life, taking its ring and going on to begin a campaign of terror against Guy Gardner’s Red Lanterns. Nearly defeating Guy, Guy proves his rage is greater and defeats Atrocitus once more.
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