So, who is Carol Ferris in Lanterns? Her relationship with Hal Jordan in the DCU explained

The new episode of Lanterns has introduced another important character from Green Lantern’s comic book history, and you might be wondering who exactly Carol Ferris is.

Lanterns episode 6 brings Carol Ferris into the story during Hal Jordan’s funeral. She is played by Amie MacKenzie, and while the show doesn’t spend loads of time explaining their history, it’s pretty clear that she and Hal go way back.

In the comics, though, Carol is much more than just Hal’s old girlfriend. She has been his boss, his love interest and, at one point, one of his biggest enemies.

So, here’s everything you need to know about Carol Ferris and her relationship with Hal Jordan.

Carol Ferris is one of Hal Jordan’s oldest love interests

Carol Ferris first appeared in Showcase #22 in 1959, the same issue that introduced Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. She is the daughter of Carl Ferris, the owner of Ferris Aircraft, and eventually takes over running the company herself.

Carol becomes Hal’s boss at Ferris Aircraft, while Hal secretly works as Green Lantern. And the two are attracted to each other almost immediately.

The problem is that Carol has a strict “no dating employees” rule, while Hal is also hiding the fact that he is actually Green Lantern. So, their relationship is complicated from the start.

Modern comics have also added more history between them. Some stories establish that Carol and Hal have known each other since childhood, and she was even around when Hal’s father died in a plane accident.

Carol eventually becomes Star Sapphire

In the comics, Carol eventually becomes Star Sapphire, one of Green Lantern’s most famous enemies. The Star Sapphire identity first appears in Green Lantern #16 in 1962. Carol is chosen by the Zamarons, an ancient alien race connected to the Guardians of the Universe. They give her the power of Star Sapphire, allowing her to use violet energy connected to love.

But Carol is effectively controlled and manipulated by the power, turning her against Hal. So, you have this pretty strange situation where Hal and Carol are constantly falling in and out of love while also fighting each other.

DC has described Star Sapphire as Carol’s “deadly alter ego”. As Star Sapphire, Carol repeatedly goes after Green Lantern. But when she returns to being Carol, she often has no memory of what she did as Star Sapphire.

And her powers make her a serious threat to Hal. She can use violet energy in ways that are similar to how Green Lanterns use their green power rings, with her abilities being tied to the emotional power of love.

This is another reason Carol is such an important character in Green Lantern comics. At one point, Star Sapphire targets John Stewart’s wife, Katma Tui, and kills her. John then blames Hal because Star Sapphire had targeted Katma to get to him.

In modern DC Comics, Carol becomes a heroic version of Star Sapphire and joins the Zamarons’ own corps. She eventually embraces the Star Sapphire identity rather than simply being controlled by it.

Carol has also become a member of the Justice League in more recent DC stories.

So, what is Carol’s relationship with Hal in Lanterns?

In Lanterns, Carol appears at Hal’s funeral in 2026, where she is described as his former girlfriend. The funeral is extremely small, with John Stewart and Sheriff Kerry Kane among the few people there. Carol is also present and brings a eulogy that Hal had written for himself years earlier. She gives it to John and asks him to read it.

Carol’s little exchange with John tells us quite a lot about her and Hal without the show needing to explain their entire history. She clearly knew Hal very well, and she also seems to understand his relationship with John.

Obviously, there are already theories that Lanterns could eventually introduce Carol Ferris as Star Sapphire, but we don’t know that for sure yet.

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