The Other Green Lanterns Who Might Have Been

What if Hal Jordan had never been selected to become the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. Hal learned of another who could have become the Emerald Crusader, and had a tragic tale to tell.

This substitute sentinel, Guy Gardner would have as sad a tale as his counterpart, Mister Billings. While Gardner was a physical fitness instructor, Billings was a wealthy financier. Both were deemed worthy to wield the emerald batteries, each originating from the Guardians of the Universe. The predecessor possessors of these powerful objects were the adventuring alien Abin Sur and the academic Asian Ulthoon.

It wasn’t just Abin Sur and Ulthoon who saw something commendable in these morally flawed men. Traveling counselor Kari Limbo and rich heiress Miss Smythe also found themselves endeared to these maverick men, and emotionally supported their road to recovery.

On Earth-Two, Billings actually inherited the green lantern of Ulthoon while residing in Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum. Having been driven insane when a broker cost him his fortune, which led to Billings taking that man’s life, he was now motivated to recondition the lantern into a more contemporary design. Once Billing’s fractured psyche was healed, and he left the asylum a sane man once more, with the lantern next in the possession of engineer Alan Scott aka Green Lantern.

On Earth-One, Guy would later be called upon to substitute for Hal in an adventure that led to the power battery exploding, sending Guy into other dimension only to be retrieved by Hal only after losing his sanity. He would later be appointed Green Lantern when Hal retired.

However, had Guy been selected instead of Hal, he would’ve had a similar early history as Green Lantern. The Guardians allowed Jordan to see an alternate timeline wherein Gardner too up the reigns of Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814. As such, Gardner would have had confrontations with many of Jordan’s nemesis, such as Sonar, Shark, Black Hand, Doctor Polaris and Sinestro. However, Guy would take a side trip to the planet Ghera to aid the world’s orphaned children, as their parents all perished. Returning home, Guy learned he too contracted the yellow plague which claimed the lives of all adult Gherans.

Sinister Sovereigns of Sound Master Malevolent Melodies

Bito Wladon and Roger Romaine, also known as Sonar of Earth-One and Gadgeteer of Earth-Two, were sovereigns of sound, mastering malevolent melodies which they used on those whom they opposed. Both were fierely anti-American, seeking to undermine the United States of their respective Earths from within using sophisticated sonic technology. On occasion, they even used other aliases to further their agendas, although these were exposed by the Green Lanterns of parallel planets.

Bito assumed the identity of Professor Dunkirk, a resident scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs, who developed the Ultima-Card which would replace normal monetary currency that was carrying a deadly plague across Earth-One. This plague caused animals to obtain human intelligence and rebel against humanity, however the nucleo-sonic science imbued the Ultima-Cards with a mind-dampening field which allowed Sonar to mentally manipulate all Americans to support his own country.

Roger assumed the identity of Handy Mann, a resident broadcast engineer of WXYZ radio, who developed a specialized frequency to coordinate a crime wave across Gotham City. In addition, Romaine exposed the Green Lantern Alan Scott along with his best friend Doiby Dickles and sound-effects specialist Dinah Mite* to hallucinagenic gas which overwhelmed the trio with nightmarish images. Besides the fabricated civilian identity of Handy Mann, Romaine also used the public alias of Lord Haw-Haw, a British propagandist working with Nazi Germany during World War II.

The Green Lantern of Earth-One, Hal Jordan, along with his Justice League teammates opposed Sonar’s brainpower link which dominated man and beast. During the course of battle, the League determined that Sonar was himself being manipulated by the malevolent maiden known as Queen Bee using her own alien technology which she assembled through her proxy agent in Waldon.

Similarly, the Green Lantern of Earth-Two, Alan Scott, along with his two friends were able to overwhelm Mann's henchmen and corner their boss himself. Together they exposed his sinister scheme, despite being almost left brain dead by Romaine’s gadgetry.

This was the last known appearance of the master criminal formerly known as the Gadgeteer, who years earlier employed various sonic weapons against Lantern's All-Star Squadron teammate Commander Steel. However, Gadgeteer’s similarly named cousin Roger “Spirit King” Romaine would likewise persist in his own attempts at world conquest using his own mental-manipulating methods. Initially opposed by Mister Terrific, this cousin eventually opposed his foes’ teammates of the Justice Society including Green Lantern. In 1942, Gadgeteer as “Red Sage” led a card-themed gang, possibly arranged behind the scenes by his cousin Spirit King.

As for Sonar, he would return yet again in his persistent attempts to glorify his native country of Modora, which he would eventually rule over as its beloved dictator. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Sonar was reunited with his former coconspirator Hector Hammond… counterpart to Spirit King… as both were recruited my rogue Green Lantern Guy Gardner for an incursion of the Antimatter Universe of Qward to thwart its leader the Anti-Monitor. Years prior to this, Sonar was an unwitting pawn of Hammond’s versus their mutual foe, Green Lantern, although that caper led to failure.

While Wladon/Sonar/Dunkirk found a permanent home overseas in his home country within Europe, it is uncertain if Romaine/Gadgeteer/Mann changed his citizenship to another nation. However, his adopting the “Lord Haw-Haw” cover in his later years seems to indicate his allegiance had shifted to Germany or a neighboring country within that region. Oddly, the origin of the name Romaine is from France, so Gadgeteer may have aligned himself with Vichy French, the puppet government of Nazi Germany during the early 1940s.

* While Sonar/Professor Dunkirk found an opposing octave in the sonic siren named Black Canary, Justice League teammate of his arch-foe Green Lantern, Gadgeteer/Handy Mann found a harmonious honey in the sonic technician Dinah Mite whom he loved.

Malevolent Manipulating Mental Masterminds

Mustached male masterminds of the mind, exerting their knowledge to create a new form of man. Each used their genius in different ways. Hector Hammond of Earth-One and Roger Romaine of Earth-Two chose to use their intellect for evil, transforming themselves into mental manipulators.

Hector Hammond was a criminal who stumbled upon a strange iron ore meteor that could mutate the minds of men tens of thousands of years advanced. At first using four scientists, whom Hammond had kidnapped and mutated in order to provide him futuristic inventions, after a battle with the Green Lantern he found his plans quashed. Hector then used the meteorite on himself, gaining telekinetic power and immortality, although the process had debilitating effects on his body.

Roger Romaine was a criminal who through inexplicable means became the Spirit King, wherein he was a recurring foe of both Mister Terrific in Gateway City throughout the 1940s. He recruited a wide variety of agents whom he mentally manipulated. In the late 1970's, Spirit King returned and this time faced the Flash while in Keystone City. Years later, he would execute his revenge on his two remaining enemies by mentally controlling the Flash into slaying Terrific*. He could exercise his will power over others while in a phantom form, which he later did to his Flash on their second meeting.

Hammond suffered a side effect of immobility, driving him to find a cure for his interminable condition. Hammond continued to also scheme while tormenting Lantern and his Justice League allies repeatedly over the years. Although he was paralyzed, Hammond was able to manipulate others mentally to do his bidding including Sonar, the Shaggy Man** and others villains. He did this in a phantom form.

Romaine was preceeded in a life of crime by his cousin, who was named for the same common ancestor they both shared. This Roger Romaine*** was an officer in the e-corp of the U.S. army who was dishonorably discharged for insubordination and turned to crime to exploit his aptitude for tinkering. As the Gadgeteer, Romaine found himself opposed by the hero known as Steel. Although equipped with a wide-range of cutting-edge gadgets and weaponry, Romaine found himself outmatched by Steel and possibly perished in an explosion.

Eventually, Hammond created a new incarnation of his old ally Amos "Mr. Memory" Fortune's Royal Flush Gang, which he led as their leader "Wildcard", using a robotic Ace as his cybernetic proxy. Later, he joined forces with his ex-girlfriend Carol Ferris in her Star Sapphire identity versus their adversary Green Lantern.

There are conflicting reports as to the eventuality of the second Romaine. During their congressional America vs. the Justice Society hearing, the Flash admitted that they never apprehended the Spirit King. He never reappeared to torment his foes, and seemingly never satisfied his insatiable greed after decades running from the law in his multiple identities.

Hammond and Romaine's allies Sonar and Gadgeteer had access to technology they invented, such as Sonar’s sonic tuning fork gun and Gadgeteer’s sonic harmonica emitter (as well as flight technology from Sonar’s nucleo sonic motor and Gadgeteer’s auto-gyro allowing them to fly). Yet these pale in comparsion to the mental might of "Wildcard" Hammond and "Spirit King" Romaine who literally could oppose the combined Justice League and Justice Society on their own with simply their magnificent mental might. 

* Spirit King/Roger Romaine first encountered Mister Terrific as the Swami (Sensation Comics #33). Then he worked through his agents Don Grieco (Sensation Comics #49) and Dr. I.M. Smart (Sensation Comics #62). Similarly, Hector Hammond worked through his agents such as Dr. Evart (Green Lantern v.2 #5) and Silver Skates (Green Lantern v2 #64).

** Both Hector Hammond, through the Shaggy Man, and Roger Romaine, through the golden age Flash, attacked their Worlds’ Greatest Heroes… the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America… aboard the JLA’s satellite headquarters orbiting Earth-One.  On this occasion, Romaine finally battled Alan “Green Lantern” Scott, the counterpart of Hammond’s arch-enemy Hal “Green Lantern” Jordan.

*** Just like there were two Roger Romaines of Earth-Two, there were two Hal Jordans of Earth-One who were cousins named after a common relative, with the older Hal becoming Green Lantern and the younger Hal becoming Air Wave.

Sonic Supervillains Sinisterly Subvert Sovereignties

Sonar and Gadgeteer were disgruntled patriots of their respective countries, seeking recognition for their scientific achievements yet being scoffed by those in authority. Using their mastery of technologies centering around super-sonics, they were able to carve criminal careers over time.

Sonar is actually Bito Wladon, a former expatriate of the Earth-One European country known as Modora. Son of deaf parents, Bito developed the science behind sonar technology and escaped to the United States to steal equipment necessary to construct his sonar weaponry. Running afoul of Green Lantern, Sonar nevertheless gains notoriety for his small homeland and eventually overthrows its dictator to become Modora's new ruler! So while a criminal in the west, he is a national hero in his sovereign territory.  At one point, he would be mentally controlled by fellow Green Lantern foe Hector Hammond.

Gadgeteer was Roger Romaine, an officer in the e-corp of the U.S. army who was dishonorably discharged for insubordination and turned to crime to exploit his aptitude for tinkering. Gadgeteer found himself opposed by the hero known as Steel. Although equipped with a wide-range of cutting-edge gadgets and weaponry, Romaine found himself outmatched by Steel and seemingly perished in an explosion. His cousin with the same first name as he would also operate on the opposite side of the United States as the Spirit King, arch-enemy of Mister Terrific and later the Flash. 

Sonar's flight device incorporated sound wave technology, as had his patented sonic punch, Bito's Sonic Spectre hand weapon could be employed for varying attacks that made him a formidable adversary versus the Lantern, with sound used against light. Gadgeteer used comparable devices, such as his ultra-sonic stunner and his instant-gadget portable helicopter, along with pocket lasers. However, these paled next to the metallic-enforced might of Steel.

Allegedly, Roger "Spirit King" Romaine manipulated his distant cousin Roger "Gadgeteer" Romaine, causing the latter to adopt the alter ego of Red Sage. Clad in an emerald business suit rather than emerald military gear while still draped in a red cape (while wearing a face mask to disguise his natural facial features), Gadgeteer as Sage himself manipulated various individuals into becoming his pawns in a crimewave based on playing cards. In this sense, the two Romaines' card caper mirrored that of Sonar's passive partner Hammond who was the "Wildcard" behind a version of the Royal Flush Gang who once fought the Justice League. Red Sage was opposed by and defeated at the hands of Doctor Fate.

Eventually, Sonar devised the means of usurping the monetary control which the United States has over the world, including Modora. Infecting American currency with a plague that gave humans superhuman strength along with enducing madness, Sonar as S.T.A.R. Laboratories scientist Professor Dunkirk devised the Ultima-Card to use for ecnomic transactions. However, these mobile devices then channeled humanity's intellect into animals, causing them to rise up against mankind around the world. In fact, Sonar was merely a pawn of the alien Queen Bee, both of whom are captured by Green Lantern and the Justice League of America who help return both men and beast to normal once more.

The Gadgeteer returned a couple years after his Red Sage phase, this time adopting the alias of Handy Mann aka "Lord Haw-Haw", using his sonic technology to coordinate a crimewave in Gotham City. This time, it was Alan "Green Lantern" Scott who defeated Romaine, who finally retired from crime.