Line #21 ComicBook/FinalNight


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4	''Final Night'' is a [[Creator/DCComics DC]] CrisisCrossover that published in 1996, that chronicles [[TheNightThatNeverEnds the day the sun went out]], and the challenges Earth's heroes must overcome to SaveTheWorld.
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6	The story begins with a HumanAlien named [[MeaningfulName Dusk]], whose job is to [[TheEndIsNigh warn planets about the arrival of the]] [[EldritchAbomination Sun-Eater]], a cosmic entity that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin devours stars]]. Inevitably, the heroes of Earth try to prevent the Sun-Eater from, well, eating the sun. They don't succeed, and [[TheNightThatNeverEnds the world is plunged into darkness]].
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8	Our heroes now have to deal with the rapidly-decreasing temperatures and skyrocketing crime rate due to apocalypse panic, while the great minds come together to figure out a way to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
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10	The story as a whole is surprisingly down-to-earth, and far more believable than one would expect from a superhero tale about the sun getting extinguished. The story is arguably best known for featuring the death of Hal Jordan, the long time [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Franchise/GreenLantern who had controversially been turned into the insane anti-villain Parallax, sacrificing himself to save the world. This would then lead to Hal becoming ComicBook/TheSpectre before his eventual return as a Green Lantern in 2004's ''Green Lantern: Rebirth''.
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13	!! Tropes Appearing In ''Final Night'':
14	* AHellOfATime: Etrigan makes the world an offer of sanctuary that includes the world's population taking refuge in Hell to stay warm in the wake of the endless winter caused by the sun being snuffed out, but the fact the population has to give up their souls to Hell after death as the price for refuge. The Earth's population immediately refuses.
15	* AMillionIsAStatistic: How Hal Jordan views Earth dying, at first. Although Kyle points out that losing the Earth would be like losing Coast City several times over, Hal doesn't commit to helping until after he reconnects with some of his loved ones and sits in Coast City's ashes.
16	* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Carol gives one to Hal before he makes his HeroicSacrifice. It's preceeded by a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech that implies she knows that he won't be coming back.
17	* ApocalypseHow: Class 6. When the sun goes out, you've only got so long before the earth freezes over.
18	** It is later revealed to be a Class X-2, the sun's mass collapsing upon itself would cause it to go supernova, wiping out everything.
19	* ArtisticLicenseGeology: It's implied that, without the sun (and the help of ComicBook/TheSpectre), ''the Earth's core would freeze over''.
20	* BigBad: Subverted, this is actually one of the few CrisisCrossover storylines without an overarching villain. At first, the Sun Eater does seem to be a straight example, with [[CassandraTruth Dusk]] following it throughout the universe to warn its potential victims. However, as the story continues, it comes to be portrayed as more of an environmental catastrophe or mindless force of nature than a living creature. And even if you did think of it as a living creature, you could argue that eating suns is just what it has to do to survive, making it a NonMaliciousMonster.
21	* BigGood: The Phantom Stranger asks The Spectre to become this. Spectre [[SubvertedTrope declines]], because he's worried about [[AGodIAmNot overruling God's will]]. He does try and keep the Earth warm to give the heroes more time, but otherwise disappears from the events of the story.
22	* BroughtDownToNormal: Remember, Franchise/{{Superman}} is a solar-powered hero. As time goes on, he gradually loses potency as a FlyingBrick. He is reduced to sub-InASingleBound levels, having to jump multiple times to reach his destination, and using great strain to lift a single automobile. He stays normal for long enough to get married to Lois Lane but that's after this story.
23	* CListFodder: Starfire's entire supporting cast -- including her husband, her sister, and the remaining population of New Tamaran -- are killed in the prologue following the arrival of Dusk.
24	* DeathEqualsRedemption: Hal Jordan, formerly of Green Lantern fame, tries to atone for his sins as Parallax by sacrificing himself to save the world.
25	** {{Invoked\|Trope}} and {{Discussed\|Trope}} between Superman and Batman at the end of the comic. Superman believes that Hal became a hero again at the end, while Batman disagrees.
26	---> '''Superman:''' At least he did the right thing. At least he redeemed himself in the end.\
27	'''Batman:''' Don't make a ''martyr'' out of a ''murderer'', Superman. One shining moment doesn't redeem Parallax.
28	* DeusExMachina: Hal Jordan appears at the end of the story as a miraculous if not trustworthy solution to the problem of the Sun Eater and easily saves Ferro Lad before restoring the sun to full health.
29	* EldritchAbomination: The Sun-Eater, a colossal cloud of black energy that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin eats suns.]]
30	* EnemyMine: We're talking EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt here. It's only natural that guys like ComicBook/LexLuthor bump heads with the heroes to try to figure something out.
31	* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Dusk initially was [[StarfishLanguage unable to communicate with people]] because her translator had been destroyed by hostile Tamaranean forces who mistook her for a spy in the prologue. [[SarcasmMode It's a shame]] that none of the Tamaraneans have the anything like, say, [[{{Omniglot}} the ability to understand any language upon physical contact with the speaker]], which would've been ''very'' useful, certainly.
32	* GodsHandsAreTied: The Spectre decides not to save the Earth since he feels that if God has decided the Earth should be destroyed by the Sun Eater, then he should not interfere. However, he does choose to keep Gaea's life force alive so the Earth can stay alive long enough for the heroes to have a fighting chance.
33	* HeartbrokenBadass: Hal Jordan still grieves for the loss of home Coast City, the tragedy that sent him down the dark path to becoming Parallax in the first place, and is wracked with guilt over his crimes as Parallax.
34	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Batman tries to pull this on Hal. [[SubvertedTrope The rest of the League]] decide to give him another chance.
35	* HeroicSacrifice: Hal Jordan. Ferro attempts this prior to Hal Jordan's turn.
36	* HesBack: This storyline marks the return of Lex Luthor to the public, who had his clone body paralyzed during ''ComicBook/TheFallOfMetropolis'' storyline and had recently regained his full health via ''ComicBook/UnderworldUnleashed''. Former Green Lantern John Stewart would regain the use of his legs as part of Hal Jordan's final acts.
37	* InternalHomage: Superman lifts a car to throw at his [[PoweredArmor armored]] enemies, an homage to the cover of ComicBook/ActionComics #1.
38	* MoreHeroThanThou: As part of the below-mentioned Mythology Gag of Ferro Lad pulling a HeroicSacrifice in the original story, Ferro ends up on the other end of this trope this time, as Hal stops him and goes in his place.
39	* MythologyGag: In the second appearance of a Sun-Eater in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age\|of Comic Books}}, it was destroyed by Ferro Lad, who gave his life. Ferro is reintroduced in ''Final Night''; he draws an homage to his iconic death scene[[note]]flying into the Sun-Eater while carrying a bomb that would destroy it[[/note]] while trying to help brainstorm a solution. Later, he volunteers himself for the heroes' last-ditch mission to contain the shockwave when the Sun goes nova, sacrificing himself to save the world, but is told by Hal Jordan that he is going to send him back home and is quickly teleported back to Earth.
40	* TheNightThatNeverEnds: What occurred when the sun was snuffed out to the point that those whose powers depended on sunlight quickly started to fade.
41	* NoEndorHolocaust: Hal Jordan explicitly states that he was going to repair the damage caused to the Earth's ecosystem during the crossover; Batman has to persuade him not to try resurrecting human casualties of the disaster since it would mean he was repeating the same folly of remaking reality to fit his wishes that got him in trouble in ''Zero Hour''.
42	* NotHimself: ''Franchise/GreenLantern: Rebirth'' retcons Parallax as a fear entity who manipulated and possessed Hal Jordan. Despite this, however, Hal is [[AvertedTrope truly himself here]], his mind shining through despite Parallax being in his soul.
43	* OriginalGeneration: Dusk. This was her only appearance.
44	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Hal Jordan, aka Parallax, formerly aka Franchise/GreenLantern, gave his life to reignite the sun. This was the end of his fall into evil, followed by the beginning of his redemption as ComicBook/TheSpectre.
45	* WackyWaysideTribe: ''ComicBook/{{Hitman}}'' #8, which features five ex-cons at a bar trading war stories from TheSixties. Can also count as a RedSkiesCrossover. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Nevertheless]], the issue adds mood if not plot to the story in general.
46	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Hal is on the receiving end of this speech from his longtime LoveInterest Carol Ferris and the guardian Ganthet. They both tell him that even though he made mistakes, he will always be a hero. It's part of what leads to his [[DeathEqualsRedemption decision]].

Context ComicBook / FinalNight