John Stewart

John Stewart: 1971 - 2003
John Stewart is the eldest son of Franklin and Edith Stewart. John has few memories of his parents as they died in a car accident when he was very young. John and his younger siblings (Roselynn & Damon) were raised by their grandparents, Roy and Addie Stewart, in Midway City. In his youth, John had a knack for getting suspended from school due to a problem trusting authority figures and spent much of his childhood accompanying his grandfather, a construction foreman, at various job sites. Through this, John developed a fascination with architecture and an appreciation for a solid work ethic.

Growing up, John’s aggression often got the better of him. One day after his little sister got assaulted coming home from school, John tracked down the three frat boys responsible and put each one in the hospital. Due to the mitigating factors of John’s eighteenth birthday occurring during John’s trial, the judge opted for an alternative sentencing, giving John probation if he enlisted in the United States Armed Forces, John agreed to the judge’s terms and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.

In his time with USMC, John earned the rank of Gunnery Sergeant and fought in the first Gulf War where his aggression had been curbed to such a degree that his comrades gave him the nickname “Square John” for his firm adherence to policy and rigid discipline. In 1995, when John was serving as a drill instructor, a young recruit dropped a live grenade during a live weapon training and John was forced to tackle the rookie just moments before the explosion. For his bravery, John got some shrapnel lodged in his head, a few medals, and an honorable discharge. After the military, John went to college and became an architect. He was ultimately never very successful, despite his passion. Still he remained steadfast in his career choice. Until in 2003, John’s life got decidedly weirder when an alien named Abin Sur recruited John for a whole different Corps.

Green Lantern (A): 2003 - Present
Recruited by Abin Sur to replace the fugitive Lantern known as Sinestro, John was sent to Oa, home of the Guardians of the Universe and headquarters of the Lantern Corps. While Abin Sur tracked down his renegade former partner, John underwent intensive training on the use of what is claimed to be the most powerful weapon in the universe: the Lantern ring. John had to learn to channel his courage to power the ring and use his willpower to shape and maintain the constructs produced by his ring. John’s hard-light constructs were never very creative; he earned high marks for producing incredibly solid forms that packed considerable power. John’s secret was a mentor that saw the potential in this Earthling. Her name was Katma Tui and when John’s training was finished, she escorted John to where he would join Abin Sur in the field, on the hunt for Sinestro. Before parting ways, John proposed to Katma and the two were married at once, as was the custom of the Korugaran people. As the junior partner of the Green Lanterns assigned to Sector 2814, John spent his first year accompanying Abin Sur as they carried out missions of importance between pursuing their pursuit of Sinestro and John’s return trips to Oa to receive further training and spend time with his new bride. When John first returned to Earth, it was in response of Brainiac’s invasion and there John convinced his senior partner to make themselves known to the newly founded JLA and both John and Abin were likewise made members of the team. When Sinestro killed Abin Sur, John found himself paired with Abin’s replacement, a hotshot pilot named Hal Jordan. The two bonded over their shared military experiences but Hal was reckless and foolhardy, leading to the two butting heads often. When John’s wife, Katma was killed by Sinestro, John asked to be transferred to Oa to mourn her loss and fill in as a trainer of new recruits on Oa. But John did that job too well and so in 2009, the Guardians of the Universe sent John back to Earth to serve as Sector 2814’s senior Lantern again, but now also to create and lead a Lantern taskforce for the investigation of the metahuman anomaly happening on Earth.

Trivia

 * John joined the Justice League of America in 2004 nominated by Black Canary.
 * Kilowog is the Head of Training in the Lantern Corps, so John reported to him while he was Drill Sergeant for the Corps.
 * His identiy is known to the public.

Links and References

 * Appearances of John Stewart
 * Character Gallery: John Stewart