The first preview of the new Green Lantern series unveils a new backstory for Alan Scott. This new history is necessary, given the recent revelation that Scott was actually a closeted gay man. Said reveal added complications to the original Green Lantern’s backstory, which the new series seems likely to address. However, the preview also sets up some major changes for the Justice Society of America.
Alan Scott Was an Unwilling Recruit for the JSA
Most origin stories of the JSA unite the heroes in the heat of battle. One account, in Secret Origins #31, suggests the team was gathered by Doctor Fate to stop Germany from bombing the United States.
The opening pages of Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey tell a different story. Here, the JSA seems to be a propaganda machine for the American war effort. Additionally, Green Lantern had to be forced to lend his celebrity to the team.
The preview shows Alan Scott meeting with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Scott is happy to lend his name to promote the Justice Society, but unwilling to work alongside other superheroes in the field. Hoover tries to bring him to heel, pointing out the publicity value of America’s mystery men working together.
J. Edgar Hoover Blackmails Alan Scott
Beyond forcing Alan Scott to be part of the JSA, it is also implied that J. Edgar Hoover forced himself on Green Lantern sexually. When Scott is reluctant to continue working with the JSA, Hoover reveals that he has suggestive photos from Alan’s days in the Army. He then instructs him to attend a private party and to “bring the combat boots … if they still fit.”
The subject of J. Edgar Hoover’s sexuality is still a topic of debate among historians. While the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation denies reports that he was gay, there are multiple accounts suggesting a romance between Hoover and FBI Associate Director Clyde Tolson. While such stories are not easily proven today, Hoover did collect suggestive photos for blackmail purposes. This detail gives Alan Scott’s new history a firmer foothold in the World War II era. It also drastically changes his romantic history from the era before Infinite Frontier.
The Loves of Alan Scott
Romance did not figure into Alan Scott’s classic Green Lantern adventures. The closest he came to a lasting relationship was with the villain Harlequin, who was the Catwoman to his Batman. Ironically, Harlequin was truly Alan Scott’s executive assistant Molly Mayne, and she only turned to crime to get Green Lantern’s attention. She later became his second wife.
Scott’s first wife was Rose Canton, aka the plant-controlling supervillain Thorn. A victim of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Canton had reformed and adopted the alias Alyx Florin to start a new life. It was here she fell in love with Alan Scott and learned that he was Green Lantern.
This information pushed Thorn to reassert control of Rose’s body. Rose was able to keep her darker half from killing her husband but was forced into hiding after their honeymoon. She faked her death and put the twin children she bore up for adoption. These children later became the heroes of Jade and Obsidian. This history was revealed in 1985’s Infinity Inc. Annual #1.
The Jade And Obsidian Question
Jade and Obsidian were reintroduced to the DC Universe in 2021’s Infinite Frontier #0. This was the same comic where Alan Scott first came out as gay. Since that time, every story set in Alan Scott’s past has only shown him in a romantic light with men.
It remains to be seen just how Jade and Obsidian came about in the new timeline. Writer James Tynion IV confirmed (via Newsarama) that DC is committed to keeping the twins in continuity and exploring their story. It is unclear, however, if their origins will be addressed as part of their father’s new comic.
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 releases on October 24, 2023.
