In power rings even stronger. Luckily those who possess the Green Lantern rings are usually devoted to the wellbeing of the universe.
The Green Lantern Corps are an intergalactic peacekeeping organization made up of various aliens from across the universe. This makes the corps contain a diverse collection of , ranging from the microscopic smallpox virus Leezle Pon to the living planet Mogo. Each member is equipped with a power ring that lets them make energy constructs using the force of their willpower. The flexibility of this ability makes power rings some of the most powerful objects in the DC universe. There is one Green Lantern in particular that shows both the staggering potential of the power ring’s abilities and the vast diversity of the Corps.
Driq is a Green Lantern from the planet Criq who was introduced in Green Lantern Corps #217 by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton. Driq was a normal Green Lantern until they died in a battle against Sinestro and the Mad God of Sector 3600. While this would have been the end of most other Lanterns, Driq’s ring prevents him from ing on, keeping his corpse alive with what remains of his life force. This grants him some useful additional abilities that other Lanterns lack. Since he is already dead, he can take lethal attacks without fear of death and can even regenerate his body after it is destroyed. He even uses this ability to condense his ally Flodo Span after they expand to the size of a galaxy by scattering his own body across Flodo Span’s girth and then reforming himself. In exchange for these incredible abilities however, there is a steep price.
Whereas Driq was once a great strategist, his zombification has reduced him to only being able to communicate through moaning. This doesn’t prevent him from devising battle plans or feeling positive emotions, it does make it seem like he is in a tortured state of constant pain. It also prevents him from easily coordinating with allies. In addition, if anything ever happens to prevent his Green Lantern ring from functioning, he would no longer be able to be kept alive. So, this power of the rings to keep their Lanterns alive after death is a double-edged sword.
Regardless of the advantages and disadvantages of this zombification ability, it seems like a very rare ability. John Stewart even notes during the Blackest Night event that even the Guardians never figured out how Driq’s ring was able to keep him alive. If the Green Lantern Corps are ever able to figure out how to reliably recreate Driq’s undead state, however, then it would surely cause drastic changes in how the organization operates.
