To think that baldheaded fool and that miserable clown should have pages before me...
And now that I have one, beware... I will have my revenge.
Who am I, you may ask?
I am Sinestro.
Thaal Sinestro.
Formerly Green Lantern of the planet Korugar in space sector 1417 and arch nemesis of Earth's so-called premiere ring-bearer Hal Jordan. I was created by the likes of John Broome and Gil Kane - who incidentally, modeled me after a Terrestrial actor called David Niven - and made my debut in issue number 7 of the first series of Jordan's title in 1961.
I sought to use my ring to preserve order my way and had hoped to use my methods rather than those of the Guardians of the Universe to bring total peace to my planet, then my sector and finally the universe itself. I was known as the greatest Green Lantern and my sector was the safest in the universe. However, Jordan, that fool from that primitive planet Earth, didn't like the measures I took to make my sector safe; he believed I was a dictator who ruled with an iron fist and caused the Guardians to brand me a renegade and to send me to the Anti-Matter universe of Qward, where I was granted my own power ring, which was yellow in color. Of course that meant that the Green Lantern rings were powerless against it. Still, Jordan would manage to thwart my plans time and again, eventually resulting in my imprisonment inside the Central Battery of Oa while the Guardians went away with the Zamarons.
Eventually, the Guardians returned and called upon me to stop Jordan, who had gone mad due to the loss of his Terran hometown of Coast City and was seeking the power of the Central Battery. After an arduous fight, it appeared that Jordan had killed me prior to his entering the battery to become Parallax.
The truth was, that was a hard light duplicate created by the true Parallax and controlled by me. Once the Battery was destroyed, I was truly released and hid as I watched the Parallax-possessed Jordan become the very traitor that he despised me for being. What I did not count on was a surviving Guardian granting a power ring to a neophyte and dirty alley rat named Kyle Rayner. Soon enough, he had discovered the existence of Parallax. Of course, I made my presence known and was about to kill him and that miserable bowman, when Jordan, who had previously sacrificed his life to reignite the Sun and become The Spectre, came back to life, purged of any influence of Parallax. The two of us fought to a draw with Jordan damaging my ring, forcing me to escape to the Anti-Matter Universe.
Soon enough I encountered there the Anti-Monitor, who had engineered the Crisis on Infinite Earths, and embraced the doctrine of spreading fear. In order to counteract Jordan and the reborn Green Lantern Corps (Whom I will admit have improved their rings to finally be able to directly affect the color yellow for at least their hardened troops), I decided to form my own army... the Sinestro Corps! I offered Rings like my own to the most fearsome warriors in the universe! Together we would spread fear and our own ways of policing the universe. Of course, the Green Lanterns had to be eliminated first. Or at least, I had to make the Guardians change certain policies to truly make their corps a serious police force, ready to apply appropriate measures when necessary. As it happened, I achieved that secondary goal and even my naive opponents like Jordan and Stewart grudgingly agreed with me in principle with this reform.
But that was only the beginning. Soon enough, more Ring Corps emerged. The result... the Blackest Night, followed by the so-called Brightest Day.
After that fiasco, I was pulled into a hunt for the emotional entities. Then Krona reappeared and used the entity represented by my Corps, Parallax, to seize control of the Green Lantern Corps. With Parallax at his command, Krona overrode my ring and took it from me. After Jordan managed to kill him those idiotic Guardians expelled him from the Corps, resulting in his ring going to me, quite against my own objections.
I was captured by the Indigo Tribe at one point, and saved by Jordan. Finally, the Guardians proved what I've always maintained: That they are evil and should be wiped out. Not long after, the so-called First Lantern destroyed my home planet. I reclaimed the yellow light and vowed revenge, freeing my former Corps from their Sciencells on Oa, claiming Parallax for myself and aiding in the destruction of the First Lantern, followed by almost all of the Guardians themselves. With nothing left for me in this universe, I left to go on my own path.
That is, until my chosen wielder of the Yellow Ring in Jordan's sector used a ring, drawing me back to save the Earth from evil. After aiding the Earth, I have gone my own way with my daughter and my Corps to spread my message and preserve the universe to the best of my ability, including New Korugar.
But enough history.
I have been voiced by the likes of Vic Perrin and Don Messick, Ted Levine, John De Lancie, Miguel Ferrer, Xander Berkeley, Victor Garber, Jason Isaacs, Ron Perlman (because every person in the universe deemed evil has to be voiced by him at one point), Troy Baker, Darin De Paul, and Rick D. Wasserman. Mark Strong portrays me in the film. Luis Miguel Pérez and Raúl Anaya dubbed me into spanish four times each, more than anyone else! But I will never live down the... fact... that Charlie Callas played me as well.
Tropes associated with me:
- The Ace: I was a legendary Green Lantern in my time, and my skills with a power ring are beyond compare, regardless of what color it may be - Green, Yellow, Indigo or White.
- Arch-Enemy: To Hal Jordan at times.
- Armor-Piercing Question: During the events of Blackest Night, that fiend Nekron attempts to destroy me by resurrecting Arin and questioning my motives up to this point. While my rationale was sound, she asks me "Was it worth it?" I was... not ready for that question.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Of late with Jordan. You needn't read anything into it. It's just the most convenient posture since I extend my left arm to use my ring and he extends his right, nothing more.
- Badass Arm-Fold: Many times it isn't even worth it to raise a hand to my opponents. I can use my ring comfortably in such situations.
- Badass Boast: I've delivered my fair share of these:
Nothing frightens me. I am fear.
- Badass Creed: As the Green Lanterns have their oath, so do the members of my Corps. My oath, presented below, serves as the template:
In Blackest Day, in Brightest Night,
Beware your fears made into light,
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!- Of course, other members of the Corps have to say "his power".
- Berserk Button: During the War of the Green Lanterns, that traitorous wretch Lyssa Drak had the audacity to attempt to imprison me in my own memories of my time as a Green Lantern. Once I realized the deception, I tore through the Book of the Black in order to make her know true suffering, but my attempts were thwarted by none other than the rogue Guardian Krona.
- Big Bad: What Jordan and the Guardians insist I am.
- Blood Knight: If you understood the beauty of combat as I do, you'd never be content to sit in a computer chair again, Troper.
- Break the Badass: That fool Gardner rightfully ridicules Jordan for the quality of Jordan's enemies... but not once has he dared make those jokes about me.
- Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: When took the power of the Entity in Blackest Night and I swiftly destroyed the host of the menace Nekron. A hollow victory, as the Death entity can use any number of his Black Lanterns as a new host as long as he has a tether to this universe, I soon found out.
- Characterization Marches On: Geoff Johns made me who I am today. Before his work I was a mere Flat Character who existed as an Evil Counterpart to Hal Jordan. Now I fight to bring order to the universe, acting as both enemy and ally to the Green Lantern Corp.
- Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: I need no insipid "codename", for the name "Thaal Sinestro" alone strikes terror into the hearts of all those wretches who would oppose my will! Of course, when Broome and Kane first started chronicling my battles with Hal Jordan, the misinformed Terrans of the 1970's assumed that "Sinestro" was my chosen nom de guerre. It's not, and it has never been. Honest.
- Complete Monster: Not me, no. But my alternate universe counterpart in Universe-32 is far more of a tyrant than I, with none of the good reasons I have for what I do.
- Crazy-Prepared: Did you really think that I would gather the most fearsome beings in the universe, given them the ultimate weapon, and not be able to shut them down when one tried to use it against me? Mongul II learned this the hard way...
- My Corps also learned this when they enslaved my homeworld...
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: The tropes on this page should tell you that my actions don't leave me with a good reputation. As such, I left my family so they wouldn't be associated with me.
- Dastardly Whiplash: Some more ignorant observers tend to label me evil judging by my appearance. What am I to blame if I just so happen to look similar to human scoundrels like these?
- Depending on the Artist: The fools can never seem to decide what color my skin is,note whether or not my ears are pointed, or the size of my forehead.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: While, obviously, I am a complete and unique entity, I have noticed certain disturbing parallels between my life and that of one of your Earth spirits. Consider that I was once the best and brightest of a heavenly host, whose refusal to bow to the narrow-minded and short-sighted dictates of my so-called superiors led to me being cast out, and becoming their greatest enemy. Of course, I do not believe that I have lost any paradise.
- Doomed Hometown: My entire planet, that monster Volthoom destroyed it before my eyes...
- The Dragon: I was forced to place myself under the Anti-Monitor's command during the war... In another universe, I served as the right-hand of Lex Luthor.
- Dragon with an Agenda: To the Anti-Monitor during my Corps' war against the Green Lanterns. Of course, everyone working under the Anti-Monitor had their own agenda, but I was one of the few to succeed in mine...
- The Dreaded: Even that arrogant fool Guy Gardner knows not to mention my name.
- Enemy Mine: To survive the Blackest Night I have had to form a cease fire with the Green Lantern Corps and work together with them and the other Corps. The truce is still intact (at least until we decide what to do with the missing emotion Entities and the White Lantern Battery that we've found on Earth).
- During the same event, we allied against Mongul II when he took over my home world Korugar, though I insisted on fighting himself. You might think me mad for that, but I had included a failsafe in my rings in case they were used against me I could use at any time. He never stood a chance
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Arin... that woman... she was nothing at all.
- I wasn't going to hurt Arsona. She could have acknowledged me after all these years...
- Evil Counterpart: To Jordan, of all people.
- Evil Plan: For my ultimate goal of an orderly and peaceful universe.
- Evil Versus Oblivion: Regardless of what you may call me, the threats that have forced me into an Enemy Mine with the Green Lanterns have threaten our very reality. The battle between our corps is pointless when such threats arise.
- The Extremist Was Right: The employing of lethal force has proven necessary time and time again against the Green Lantern Corp's greatest enemies, and the Guardians were evil and deserved to die, save Ganthet.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: I was once a mere archaeology student on Korugar. Obviously, I have come a long way since then.
- Good is Not Nice: As you humans say, that is my story and I am sticking to it.
- I Have Your Wife: I will admit to feeling fear only once: when that brute Atrocitus threatened my daughter. Wouldn't you, if someone threatened to go after your children?
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Villain, hero, call me whatever you want. If it is for the good of the universe I will side with whoever I wish.
- Hero's Evil Predecessor: While I take issue with being labeled as "evil", I did hold the title of the greatest Green Lantern before Jordan surpassed me in the eyes of the Corps., only in that he still clings to their flawed ideals as he does what he can.
- Hijacking Cthulhu: My control over fear and willpower is so great that I can control Parrallax. It's not easy even for me, so I have to avoid pushing the entity too hard.
- Human Aliens: How dare you slander my race by comparing us to such primitive creatures as Earthmen?! Indeed, you are Korugarian Aliens, bereft of our rich magenta hue.
- Imagination-Based Superpower: The rings of power that I wield allow me to form anything I can imagine out of colored light.
- Legion of Doom: Yes, I have been a part of this particular group. So?
- Light Is Not Good: I am good and I do what is necessary to preserve order. My lantern's ability to instill fear aids the process. Do you not realize that some people should be afraid?
- Luke, I Am Your Father: I was finally forced to reveal myself to my daughter, Soranik Natu, along with our relationship, because I took the threats the Red Lanterns made against her seriously and saw fit to warn her. For whatever reason, she didn't take it well.
- Magnificent Bastard: Does this mean performing evil works with grandeur? Ha. From you Earthmen, I shall take it as a compliment.
- Man of Kryptonite: At first, my ring was the very antithesis to those of my former colleagues in the Green Lantern Corps.
- Meaningful Name:
- So my name happens to sound like something evil in the Earthmen's language. It's probably what biased Jordan against me.
- Has it never occurred to those pathetic sub-species to think at all that in the dead Earth language they know as Latin, the word "sinestra" means "left hand", and that I happened to be left-handed?
- Never My Fault: I do have a tendency to downplay my own role in events, shifting the blame entirely onto other involved parties, such as the Guardians of the Universe.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: During my fight with Mongul II on Korugar I insisted on fighting him myself to point where I even forced them out. You may think me a fool for that, especially since I losing for most of the fight, but I had installed a failsafe in my Power Rings allowing me to control them even if they weren't in my possession. Mongul never stood a chance even with six rings and his greater strength.
- The Paragon Always Rebels: Once I was hailed as the greatest Green Lantern. And only I could see how flawed the Guardians' attempt at maintaining order in the universe truly was. I had to ensure the universe would be a better place.
- Retcon: I was not raised from death in the 1990s by one of the Spectre's foes. I was alive and well at the time. That was a mind-trick played on the Spectre's host, the hated Hal Jordan, by Parallax.
- A Sinister Clue: Though "sinister" isn't the word I'd use, I am, in fact, left handed.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: Of course, my methods seem harsh, but imagine how orderly and peaceful the universe would be with me in charge!
- Villainous Friendship: I've come to respect Black Adam for what we have in common. He even received my Sinestro Corps with open arms in Kahndaq on one occasion. His bombastic nature does wear on my nerves at times, though.
- Villain Has a Point: I plotted the Sinestro Corps War to ensure the Green Lanterns would remove their restriction on killing. Given they needed to remove their restriction on killing to survive against my own Corp in the first place, I think you would argue the universe is better off with the Green Lanterns using lethal force. Even Jordan begrudgingly admitted it.
- Villain Respect: While I am the greatest Lantern of them all, I will concede that my old student, Jordan - frustrating as he can be - is the nearest thing that I have to a rival. His constructs are pedestrian, his abilities as a leader are middling, but though I hated to admit it, his infuriating habit of doing the unexpected can flummox even me. I also have to admit that his mastery of Will is second only to my own. While I am the greatest Green Lantern, I have to admit that he is the greatest of those still serving in my old corps. He is my greatest student, my only friend, and I sometimes wonder if he were beside me once more... what could we not achieve?
- Villainous Widow's Peak: It's been brought to my attention that many earthlings equate my hairstyle to my morality. In this case, casting me in a less than reputable view. Truly your superstitious nature knows no bounds.
- Was It Really Worth It?: I have sacrificed much to bring order to Korugar. My wife dead, my daughter raised by strangers, and betrayed by one of only two people in the Corps I considered a friend. And how does Korugar thank me? By declaring me as its greatest villain. That is my place in her history. But much more must be sacrificed if order is to be brought to the universe! And that abomination that took my wife's corpse had the audacity to ask me, "has it been worth it?" I...I don't...
- We Can Rule Together: I have sometimes made Jordan the gracious offer to instruct him in Fear as I once did in Will - he has an aptitude. He has, typically, refused.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Once again, I deplore use of words such as "extremist", but I must use such tactics if order is to be kept in place.
- Willing Channeler: Parallax may have possessed his past hosts, but he has learned that I am the one who controls fear.
- The Worf Effect: This seems to be the only reason writers allow me to control an emotional entity. When I became the host to the Entity, it was only demonstrate how much of a threat Nekron was, specifically because he could use a new Black Lantern as a host as long as he had a link to our universe. When facing the Volthoom The First Lantern, I took control of Parallax, but The First Lantern was still too powerful.
- Xanatos Gambit: The Sinestro Corps War wasn't merely an attempt to overthrow the Green Lantern Corps. It was a way to force the Guardians to do what was necessary to strengthen the Corps. Now that they can kill, the universe will fear the Green Lanterns. And the universe will be better for it.
