From Victim to Villain to Hero

You’d be forgiven for not recognizing the name Jessica Cruz, as she’s a relatively recent addition to the Green Lantern mythos. Long after the introduction of human Lanterns Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner, to say nothing of deeper cuts like Simon Baz and Charlie Vicker, Jessica Cruz made her first proper appearance in 2014’s Justice League #31 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke. An agoraphobe with crippling anxiety, Cruz was first chosen not to be Green Lantern, but to be Power Ring, the evil Green Lantern equivalent from the alternate reality Earth-3.

When Power Ring and his fellow members of the Crime Syndicate of America—including evil Superman Ultraman, the evil Batman known as Owlman, and the evil… uh, Lois Lane but also Wonder Woman sort of known as Superwoman—invaded our Earth, the Hal Jordan of Earth-3 died in the attack, leaving his ring to choose a new successor. The cruel ring forced Jessica into service, but she eventually found the strength to rebel, overriding the ring’s corruptive power and helping the heroes of our Earth repel the Crime Syndicate.

The feat was enough to capture the attention of the Guardians of the Universe, who recruited Jessica as a new member of the real Green Lantern Corps. Although she still struggled with doubts and occasional anxiety, Jessica’s unique perspective revealed new ways of using a Green Lantern ring, including getting her ring to call her “J-Bird” instead of the usual “Lantern Cruz.” And that’s adorable.

Since getting an official ring, Cruz has not only served alongside Simon Baz as one of two Green Lanterns on Earth, but she’s also been inducted into the Justice League. She briefly became a Yellow Lantern, the fear-based corps founded by the Green Lanterns’ greatest ally/enemy Sinestro. And currently, she serves as chief of Green Lantern Corps on the planet Oa.

Impressive as that record is, it seems like My Adventures with Superman and My Adventures with Green Lantern will take things back to basics. Voiced by Moana‘s Auliʻi Cravalho, the Jessica we meet clearly isn’t agoraphobic, but she is unsure of herself. Moreover, she already loves superheroes, especially Supergirl, and admires the Maid of Might’s willingness to fight for the powerless.

Dark Adventures With Superman

How will that connection to Supergirl play into My Adventures with Green Lantern? It’s not clear right off, but we can begin to guess, based on episode 2 alone.