Sinestro Corps

Lore & Background

The origin of the Sinestro Corps is tied to the entity Parallax, a space parasite embodying fear once trapped in Oa's Central Power Battery. After Thaal Sinestro went rogue, he was banished to Qward in the antimatter universe. Upon his return, he wielded a yellow power ring and awakened Parallax from hibernation within the battery. The Corps actively recruits members who can "instill great fear," immediately transporting them to Qward for psychological and physical reconditioning. They operate in sectors similar to the Green Lanterns but use a huge yellow Central Battery on Qward's surface. Arkillo, a vicious alien drill sergeant, enslaves the Qwardian Weaponers to continuously build new rings programmed to breach the barrier between antimatter and matter universes to find recruits. Sinestro claims their goal is to bring order to a universe where the Guardians have failed.

In Their Own Story

The Corps' formation began when Booster Gold ad-libbed "The... Sinestro Corps" while convincing Sinestro to leave Earth, leading to the name's first use. Later, after the Green Lantern Corps restarted, the Sinestro Corps launched an all-out assault against Oa and the universe. During this war, they freed Superman-Prime and Cyborg Superman from imprisonment and captured Kyle Rayner on Qward, where Parallax possessed him after being separated from Ion. The Guardians rewrote the Book of Oa to add ten new laws, authorizing lethal force against them. The conflict ended with a battle in New York City where the Sinestro Corps was defeated by overwhelming numbers; one Guardian sacrificed himself to send Superman-Prime away, while Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner arrested Sinestro in Coast City. Following this, Mongul briefly took command after besting Arkillo until loyalists released Sinestro from custody.

Reader's Guide

To understand the Sinestro Corps, note their recruitment criteria: members must be able to "instill great fear." Once recruited, they are taken to Qward for reconditioning. Notable members include Karu-Sil, raised by animals; Despotellis, a sentient virus; and Bedovian, a sniper capable of hitting targets three sectors away. The Corps even attempted to recruit Batman due to his ability to instill fear, but he rejected the ring using his willpower, leading the ring to select Amon Sur instead. During Blackest Night, surviving members murdered Green Lantern family members. Mongul seized control after killing corpsmen who refused him, only to be ousted when Sinestro's faction liberated him from Red Lanterns on Ysmault and retook leadership from the darkside of Daxam's moon.

Did You Know?

• The name 'Sinestro Corps' was first spoken by Booster Gold as an ad-lib to convince Sinestro to leave Earth.
• Arkillo forces the Qwardian Weaponers to build rings specifically programmed to breach the barrier between the antimatter and matter universes.
• Batman rejected a yellow ring because his willpower prevented it from taking him to be properly trained and molded into a soldier.
• Despotellis is a sentient virus capable of attacking Lanterns from the inside.
• During the Sinestro Corps War, the Guardians added ten new laws to the Book of Oa, the first authorizing lethal force against the Corps.