John Stewart. An architect from Detroit. Wanting not just to save lives...but make a difference in them. 
History
John Stewart was an architect who was selected by the Guardians of the Universe as Hal Jordan's backup after Guy Gardner was seriously injured in a disaster. Although, Jordan objected after seeing that Stewart had a belligerent attitude to authority figures, the Guardians stood by their selection. Jordan complied and recruited and equipped Stewart with the standard uniform and power ring.
To Jordan, Stewart's first mission began badly with the assignment of protecting a racist politician and Stewart took advantage of averting an accident to embarrass him in the process. However, Stewart soon proved his worth when an apparent African American assassin shot at the politician, but Stewart refused to intervene with Jordan to move in response to the attack. However, Stewart had good reasons for this apparent dereliction of duty when he stopped a gunman from killing a police officer in the outside parking lot at the event while Jordan was pursuing a decoy. When Jordan confronted Stewart for his actions, Stewart effectively explained the situation of the ruse and the fact the politician staged it for political advantage. With that adventure, Jordan concluded that Stewart was an excellent recruit after all.
John during his time with the Darkstars
For some time, Stewart occasionally filled in for him as Green Lantern when Jordan was unavailable, including some missions of the Justice League. After Jordan gave up being Green Lantern, the Guardians selected Stewart to full time duty. Stewart filled that role for some years, during which time he married Katma Tui, the Green Lantern of the planet Korugar. After Tui’s murder, Stewart became the administrator of the “Mosaic World,” a patchwork of communities from multiple planets that had been brought to Oa by an insane Guardian. From this position, Stewart eventually ascended to Guardianhood, which he later relinquished. After a brief period of paraplegia, he became Green Lantern once again and became a member of the JLA. Stewart was also a member of the Darkstars for some time. He regained his power ring during Kyle Rayner's tenure as Earth's main Green Lantern, and remained his backup for years, until Hal Jordan was resurrected after his spirit was freed from Parallax and the Spectre, after which Jordan took over Rayner's role as Rayner went to serve an administrative position in the Green Lantern Corps in Oa.
In the subsequent restructuring of the Corps, each sector now has two Green Lanterns assigned to it, and Stewart and Jordan now share the responsibilities for Earth's sector 2814. After the dissolution of the Justice League in the aftermath of the Infinite Crisis event, and the destruction of their Moon Watchtower headquarters, Stewart has begun playing a larger role in metahuman affairs, working with many former Justice Leaguers.
Sinestro Corps War
Main article: Sinestro Corps War
John was on Oa with fellow Earth Green Lanterns Hal, Guy, and Kyle to discuss the new threat of the new Sinestro Corps with the Guardians. Kyle was abducted by a yellow power ring and the Sinestro Corps storms Oa in a surprise attack, killing thousands of Green Lanterns.Bedovian, a sniper of the Sinestro Corps, had been taking out several Green Lanterns three sectors away, and John uses his ring to create a scoped sniper to find Bedovian and then shoots him, taking out the sniper. Because Green Lanterns power rings are not allowed to kill John most likely injured Bedovian. When John, Hal, and Guy attempt to recharge their rings using the Central Power Battery, they set of a booby trap set by the Sinestro Corps and were transported to Qward. Parallax, who had infected Kyle forced John to relive the moment where he failed to save Xanshi. He and Guy were freed by Hal and the Lost Lanterns. While Ion was recovered by the Lost Lanterns the Earth Lanterns returned home to get back up only to discover that the Sinestro Corps were about to attack Earth.
John went to Coast City to help Hal battle Parallax, but found that Parallax had absorbed Hal as well. He held off Parallax long enough for Guy to return with a painting that Kyle's mother painted, and used it to snap Kyle out of Parallax's control. The painting and Hal's words restore Kyle's will and he breaks free from the fear entity. Ganthet and Sayd appeared to imprison Parallax into Hal, Guy, John, and Kyle's four separate batteries. After Ganthet and Sayd warned the Earth Lanterns about the Blackest Night, John and Guy went to New York to help Earth's heroes and the Green Lantern Corps to battle the Sinestro Corps. He and Guy came up with the idea to use Warworld as an grenade, which badly injured the Anti-Monitor, who was then thrown into space by the traitorous Superman Prime.
John took Guy to Soranik Natu in hopes that she could stop the Sinestro Corps sentient virus Despotellis. Soranik used the Green Lantern smallpox virus Leezle Pon, who stopped Despotellis. After the war John hung out with fellow Earth Lanterns at Hal's family's apartment in Coast City.
War of Light
Main article: War of Light
John was asked by the Guardian to join a new division within the Corps: the Alpha Lanterns, but John refused. John was later one of the Green Lanterns chosen to escort Sinestro to Korugar, however the escort team was ambushed by the Sinestro Corps and the newly formed Red Lantern Corps. The Green Lanterns were left to die in space after Atrocitus captures Sinestro. They are saved by Saint Walker, a member of the Blue Lantern Corps. John was infected with the rage of the red power rings and attacked Saint Walker. Walker uses his blue ring to create a construct of Katma Tui, who heals John and calmed him down by showing him a vision of himself flying with Katma. He told Kilowog that he would see Katma again and that the universe told him so.
John stopped the Guardians from attacking Hal with green energy, in an attempt to destroy a blue power ring that was attached to Hal. He witnessed Larfleeze making demands to the Guardians. John is one of the Green Lanterns who accompany the Guardians to battle Larfleeze. While battling the Orange Lanterns John is saved by Fatality. Fatality tells John let go of his grief over Xanshi's destruction and then leaves. After the battle with Agent Orange have a discussion about their hopes.
Blackest Night
Main article: Blackest Night
John was part of the team that removed the coffins of the fallen heroes from Valhalla Cemetery and took them to the Hall of Justice as a security measure against an unknown threat that might use the corpses of people for evil purposes.[1]
John goes to Coast City with Hal, Guy, and Kyle on the anniversy on Superman's death which has been declared a national holiday for fallen heroes. The four Earth Green Lanterns attend a parade in honor of those killed in Mongul I's attack. John leaves to visit Xanshi after the parade ends. When John visits the grave of planet Xanshi, thousands of black rings fly into the planetary debris, and reconstitute the entire planet. Xanshi itself then speaks to John, telling him "I can help you save them." Against his better judgment, John descends to the planet's surface. Once reaching the surface, John finds himself confronted by Katma Tui and the entire population of Xanshi as Black Lanterns. While battling them all, Katma tries to weaken John by claiming that he caused the planet's destruction. However, John, spurred on by Fatality's words, says that he was not the cause of it all and successfully fights off the Black Lanterns. After escaping Xanshi's atmosphere, John realises that the planet is headed for Earth, along with every Black Lantern in the universe, and contacts Hal, warning him of the impending threat.
John is almost overwhelmed by Black Lanterns, but is saved by seven corps united against Nekron. John leads a team made up of Kilowog, Fatality, and other members of the seven Corps to destroy the reanimated Xanshi. John finally makes peace with losing his wife Katma and failing to save Xanshi; he and the other lanterns destroy the core of the planet which was made up of thousands of black power rings. With Xanshi destroyed Nekron and Blackhand feel an intense pain just as Sinestro is revived by the Entity.
Brightest Day
Main article: Brightest Day
John is seen in Oa, supervising the demolition of the buildings left in ruins after the Black Lanterns attack, and planing the reconstruction. He is called suddenly to the Guardians' chamber, where they order him to join Alpha Lantern Boodikka in a mission to robot planet Grenda, Stel's homeworld, where the communications ceased abruptly without explanation, and Lantern Stel and the population are missing. John agrees and departs with Boodikka.
After arriving in the planet, the two confirmed the Guardians report: the entire population mysteriously disappeared. John asks Boodikka if something of her older self remains despite been turned into a Alpha Lantern, after she asks him why he refused to join the Alpha Lanterns. Boodikka responds that her changes are only physical, and she still have her former personality, John doubts about this affirmation. The two discover what seems to be a Green Lantern House Sector, that, accorded to Boodikka, its not registered. After entered inside, they discovered Green Lanterns Horoq Nnot and Stel, the last one tells John he must flee from the planet immediately. Suddenly, Boodikka turns against John and attacks him; despite John fights back, he was surrounded by more rogue Alpha Lanterns and is defeated. Its reveled that the Alpha Lanterns have begun a revolt against the rest of the corps, allied themselves with Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, and take control of Grenda to use the planet as their hidden base to turn Green Lanterns into Alpha Lanterns. John Stewart is last seen wounded and bleeding, been taken to Henshaw by Boodikka. The Cyborg Superman then begins the cosmic surgery to turn John into another Alpha Lantern.
Before starting the operation, however, Henshaw connects Stewart's brain to his memories in order to see why he was turned into a cyborg. He also reveals to John, that, after being resurrected by the Manhunters after the Sinestro Corps War, he returned to Earth in the middle of the Blackest Night, and pled to the Black Lanterns (among them are the former crew of his space shuttle) and Nekron to kill him, only to discover that because he did not have a physical heart, he was invisible to them. Angered for being ignored by death itself, the Cyborg Superman encountered the mysterious hooded stranger who abducted the entities of the Emotional Spectrum. He convinced him that Ganthet has the power and knowledge to turn Alpha Lanterns into normal beings again. John realizes that Henshaw organized the revolt of the Alpha Lanterns with the sole purpose to attract Ganthet to the planet Grenda and forced him to turn Henshaw into a mortal being again. Kyle and Soranik burst into the lab and manage to rescue John, but Ganthet is captured. They hide in a cave, where John informs them about the Cyborg Superman's true plan. They also discover the missing robot inhabitants of the planet, trapped in the depths of the cave by Henshaw. Mounting a defense, they battle against Henshaw and his forces, destroying the cyborg's body. Henshaw leaps into Boodikka's body, but her consciousness manages to defeat his, seemingly destroying him. John later joins Kyle Rayner and Ganthet in a mission to the anti-matter universe, in order to save Soranik Natu.
War of the Green Lanterns
Main article: War of the Green Lanterns
John as an Indigo Lantern
On their return to the matter universe, John and the others are affected by the return of Parallax to the Central Power Battery by Krona. Their previous experience with Parallax allows John, Kyle and Ganthet to escape its control, but they are forced to fight their fellow Green Lanterns. Affected by Parallax's fear powers, John and Kyle are forced to remove their rings and escape through Oa's underground. They then meet up with Guy and Hal, who has the rings of the other corps' leaders. John initially chooses Larfleeze's orange ring, but is convinced by Hal to use Indigo-1's ring instead due to the debilitating effects of the orange ring on the wearer's psyche. When the corrupted Green Lanterns attack, John has difficulty channeling the various corps powers through his ring. Things are made worse when Mogo joins the attack. While Hal and Guy go to remove Parallax from the Central Power Battery, John and Kyle attempt to free Mogo from Krona's control. On the way, John attempts to stop the flow of tainted rings sent by Mogo, but fails. As he and Kyle head for Mogo's core instead, they discover residual Black Lantern energy around it. John absorbs the Black Lantern energy, along with all the Green Lantern energy, and regretfully uses it to destroy Mogo. In the fallout, the two regroup with Hal, Guy and Ganthet, using the full power of the emotional spectrum to crack open the Battery and release Parallax. Their job done, the Lanterns regain their original green rings, in preparation for the final confrontation with Krona.
Following the War's conclusion, John assists a new Green Lantern from Sector 282 "selected" during the period when Mogo was under Krona's control in adjusting to the power of her ring despite the possibility that she will not be allowed to keep it by assisting her in halting a war taking place in her sector, the original Lantern for that sector having died during the war. When John is able to help the two sides find a peaceful resolution to their conflict, his new student reflects that, despite John's reputation after destroying two worlds, she now knows that nobody could regret that action more than John himself.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Green Lantern Ring Mastery: Stewart's constructs are among the most powerful. The constructs he creates are never hallow with well thought out designs.
- Architecture: John is a accomplished architect having had a hand in building the new Hall of Justice and the JLA Watchtower as well as rebuilding Coast City. He was also pivotal in renovating the estate of the late Wesley Dodds into the JSA Museum.
- Firearms
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)
- Indomitable Will
- Leadership
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Transportation
- Flight: Via power ring.
Weapons
- Green Lantern Ring
- Indigo Power Ring: (Formerly)
- Darkstar Exo-Mantle: (Formerly)
Oath
"In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power...Green Lantern's light!"
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
Trivia
- In an unusual move for a Green Lantern, John Stewart does not wear a domino mask to protect his true identity. He made this perfectly clear in Green Lantern (Volume 2) #87 at the start of his training by Hal Jordan, when he tossed the mask away and declared "This black man lets it all hang out! I've got nothing to hide!"
- Stewart's constructs are amongst the most powerful. As noted by many, Stewart's constructs are never hollow. He builds them from the inside out, down to the last nut and bolt.
Related
- 586 Appearances of John Stewart (New Earth)
- 157 Images featuring John Stewart (New Earth)
- 31 Quotations by or about John Stewart (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: John Stewart (New Earth)
External Links
Footnotes
  Green Lantern Corps member |
 This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |
 Darkstars member |
 This character is or was a member of the Indigo Tribe. These are individuals who show an incredible capacity for compassion, and were given Power Rings |