Carol Ferris

Carol Ferris

Carol Ferris
Art by Ivan Reis
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance as Carol Ferris: Showcase #22 (Sep-Oct 1959)
as Star Sapphire: Green Lantern v2 #16 (Oct 1962)
Created by John Broome
Gil Kane
In-story information
Alter ego Caroline "Carol" Ferris
Team affiliations New Guardians
Star Sapphires
Zamarons
Ferris Aircraft
Justice League
Notable aliases Star Sapphire, Predator
Abilities (As Star Sapphire) Flight, Repelling Ray, Mind Over Matter (similar to a Green Lantern power ring)

Caroline "Carol" Ferris is a fictional character appearing in the DC Comics Universe. She is one of many characters who has used the name Star Sapphire, and was the long-time love interest of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. In her role as Star Sapphire, Ferris has been active as both a supervillain and, more recently, as a superhero. Her original design was based on Elizabeth Taylor. In the 2011 feature film Green Lantern, actress Blake Lively plays the role of Ferris. Carol Ferris was ranked 36th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[1]

Fictional character biography

Early history

As Ferris Aircraft's Vice President, Carol Ferris, the only child of aerospace mogul Carl Ferris and his wife Christine, hired Hal Jordan and quickly found herself attracted to the fearless test pilot, who was secretly the superhero Green Lantern. However, the young couple’s romance quickly became complicated when Carol took over the company from her father and the Zamarons crowned her the new Star Sapphire. When the Zamarons discovered that she was in love with Green Lantern, a servant of their estranged friends, the Guardians of the Universe, they sent her to defeat Green Lantern in battle as Star Sapphire.

Over the years, Star Sapphire and Green Lantern would duel again and again, but each time Jordan would defeat Ferris and revert her to normal. Jordan and Ferris separate when Carol is engaged to Jason Belmore; later she is confined to a wheelchair. It was during this time that Carol found out that Hal Jordan is Green Lantern.[2]

Secret Origin

The Green Lantern: Secret Origin storyline revised parts of Carol and Hal's history. In this retelling, the two first met when they were eight, as they watched Hal's father, Carl Ferris' best friend, experience mechanical problems with his plane. With a choice between crash landing in Coast City, or the nearby desert, Hal's father chose to fly into the desert.[3] Over the years, the guilt over what had happened ate away at Carol's father, eventually driving him to sickness, forcing Carol to give up her dream of being a pilot, and take over as CEO of Ferris Air. Unwilling to have people know of her father's illness, Carol told them that he had retired to Miami. When Hal, who had hated Ferris for what had happened, discovered the truth, he and Carol found solace in each other's grief.[4] However, their relationship is stifled by Carol's refusal to date employees.[5]

Predator

When Carol Ferris was cured of her evil Star Sapphire persona, she developed a third subconscious identity, the male "Predator". Deprived of Hal Jordan's love at the time, Carol found everything she wanted from a man in the Predator - masculinity, strength, and care. Physically separated from Carol's body, the Predator repeatedly appeared as a mysterious figure, protecting Carol's beloved company Ferris Aircraft from the threats of Eclipso, the Demolition Team and Jason Bloch. He also established the company Intercontinental Petroleum (Con-Trol) to let her regain control of Ferris Aircraft. Finally, the Predator started to court Carol (who did not know that the Predator was a part of herself) and battled Hal Jordan for her love. Hal defeated the Predator and witnessed him merging with Carol into Star Sapphire.

Now fully evil, Carol took over ruling Zamaron but her reign was short; the Zamarons, following the Crisis of Infinite Earths, abandoned their queen and their homeworld to live in another dimension with their male counterparts, the Guardians of the Universe. Carol was furious and vowed revenge on Hal and the Green Lantern Corps. After several battles, Carol found her chance to hurt her ex-lover and murdered Katma Tui, whose power ring had been rendered inert following the destruction of the main Power Battery on Oa. Hal kept John Stewart (Katma's husband) from killing Carol, straining their friendship in the process.

In the third Green Lantern series, the nature of the Predator entity was retconned as being a parasite creature from the planet Maltus and that the entity had corrupted Carol and was responsible for making her murder Katma. The Green Lantern Corps purged Carol of the entity, saving her life in the process. But her time under the creature's control, along with destruction of Coast City, and the discovery that her father had faked her mother's death (putting her into a mental institution, which she escaped from after Coast City was destroyed), caused Carol to reject a distraught Hal Jordan. Instead, Carol opted to stay with her mother and find her own path.

However, Carol would not be gone from the world of super-heroism for long. She became the administrator of Extreme Justice's Mount Thunder facility.[6] Her time with the team came with the revelation that she was pregnant, despite not having sex and the realization that the child was the unborn life essence of the child conceived when the Predator entity raped the first Star Sapphire. Furthermore, it was revealed that Star Sapphire was not Carol transformed as had previously been believed, but some sort of energy-based being who inhabited Carol's body. Shortly after giving birth to their child, Neron appeared and offered to purge her of these two entities. Carol agreed, and then watched as the now separate entities (Predator and Star Sapphire) were killed by Neron, who departed with their baby in his arms. (Extreme Justice #10-11)

Ultimately though, the events of Infinite Crisis effectively wiped out the above mention stories. Blackest Night #1 established that in an untold story, Carol became free of the Star Sapphire persona sometime before Katma Tui's death. However, the Sapphire had found a new, unnamed host, and that it was this new Star Sapphire that murdered Katma Tui. Furthermore, much of the Predator's backstory was changed as "the Predator" was re-introduced as one of the manifestations in the emotional spectrum; the living embodiment of love. The entity was held by the Zamarons on their home world[7] until freed during Sinestro's liberation of his yellow lanterns during Blackest Night.

End of Star Sapphire

In Green Lantern (vol. 3) #119, Hal (as the Spectre) decides to visit Carol. He makes himself visible and tells Carol he is going to help her, but that she will not remember his visit. He reaches into Carol and pulls out the Star Sapphire gem, which causes Star Sapphire herself to re-emerge (it appeared she was previously killed by Neron, but somehow a part of her survived in Carol). The Spectre detains Star Sapphire and puts her back into the gem. He hands the gem to Carol and lets her finish the job, which she does (essentially finally killing the Star Sapphire persona that would take control of her), and starts feeling much better.

In Green Lantern: Rebirth #6, Hal and Carol finally come to terms with their relationship. In Northern California at Ferris Aircraft, Carol Ferris is reminiscing over her former life when a mysterious power revitalises and reforms the abandoned, condemned fields. Hal Jordan, using his powers as the Spectre, appears. She asks Hal whether he remembers anything from when he was the Spectre. Hal says he remembers it as if he were watching it from the outside. How Spectre thinks, and who he talked to beyond this life, Hal cannot recall. Hal apologizes for everything Carol had to go through. Carol says she survived and that she is not going to sell the airbase. She says that if Hal can rebuild his life, so can she, and that she is going to do so with her husband, Gil. Carol says that she can use a good pilot. Hal says that he appreciates the offer, but he has other plans.

Return

The Star Sapphire crystal briefly possesses Carol, before detecting that Hal Jordan had feelings for his fellow pilot, Jillian "Cowgirl" Pearlman, and leaves Carol's body.[8] She and Hal work together to free Cowgirl from the crystal.[9] Knowing that she still loves Hal and that it is not fair to her husband, she files for divorce.[10]

The Star Sapphires, sensing the heartache Carol has been carrying over Hal, (Hal quit because he could not be near her without wanting to be with her and Carol does not date employees) send a violet power ring to her, transforming her into one of their number. She is seen wearing her original Star Sapphire costume, reciting the Corps' oath along with various other members of the Star Sapphires.[11]

The Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps miniseries sheds light on the exchange between Carol and the violet ring sent to her. The ring reveals that all those chosen to wield the violet light must accept it willingly (this appears to overcome the controlling aspect of the violet light). The ring tells Carol that she has a hole in her heart but Carol continues to deny it. The ring tells Carol that she has continually put aside her own happiness for the benefit of others. Because she is capable of doing this Carol could become the most powerful Star Sapphire in the universe and that the Zamarons recognized this and sent her the ring with the intention of having Carol lead the entire Star Sapphire army into battle alongside the Green Lantern Corps. Carol still refuses to accept the ring but the ring shows her a vision of the War of Light and indicates that Hal Jordan will not survive, and tells her that by accepting the ring she can save him. Still having feelings for Hal, Carol accepts and is called back to Zamaron by Queen Aga'po where Carol's army awaits to defend the planet from the approaching Sinestro Corps.[12]

In her first battle Carol questions why she is here in the first place. Then she takes on Sinestro who says that he has never held ill will toward Carol and wonders why she is doing this for a man who has never truly given his heart toward her. The two engage in a fight and are equally matched until Carol attempts to encase him in one of the brainwashing crystals that the Zamarons use to "recruit" new followers. Sinestro lashes out after witnessing a vision of Arin Sur, his former love, blasting Carrol across the battlefield where she was subdued by two other Yellow lanterns and Sinestro himself. However, before he could capitalise on the advantage, the Black Lanterns invade, led by Amon Sur, shocking both Carol and Sinestro.[13] The two are rescued from certain death by Hal and the Indigo Tribe. The group escapes Zamaron moments before Black Lantern rings reanimated the bodies of the two beings whose love fueled the Star Sapphire's central power battery, devastating the planet in the process. For some reason, the loss of the Star Sapphire's power source did not seem to affect Carol's powers.[14] It was revealed that the Queen was powering the violet rings in the absence of the central power battery, this however was causing her to age.[15]

After a foiled attempt to combine the light of her Power Ring with the six lights coming from the other Corps-Leaders makes Nekron able to possess resurrected heroes, Ganthet forces a secret protocol in her ring, forcing Carol to seek for a deputy. Eventually, she deputizes Wonder Woman as a temporary Star Sapphire, due to her great ability to feel love, thus undoing Nekron's control on the Amazon.[16] The Lanterns are then attacked by the Black Lantern Spectre. In an attempt to stop the Spectre, Hal releases Parallax's essence, deciding to join with him again to fight back. Carol tries to stop Hal, but he refuses to be swayed. Carol kisses Hal, telling him "I love you", before Hal allows Parallax to possess him.[17] In the epilogue of Blackest Night, Carol wants to talk to Hal about their relationship, but Sinestro comes along and interrupts their talk to serve his own goals.[18] She is in Las Vegas where she takes on the Predator who has possessed a man who is infatuated with a young woman to the point of obsession. She frees him from the Predator by kissing him. After that Carol and Hal are taken to Zamaron. The Queen gives her life to sustain the Central Power Battery and gives her title to Carol Ferris.[19]

Later, Queen Khea open a portal from Hawkworld to Zamaron. As she started an invason on Zamaron with her menhawks, they are approached by Carol and the Predator.[20] Carol battles the Hawk family Hawkman and Hawkgirl to a standstill while trying not to destroy the universe.[21] She is saved by Hawkman and Hawkgirl. She then tells Hawkman the reason is because they have a great love. A greater love then she and Hal Jordan could ever have.[22] Afterward Carol arrives, tells Hal and the others what happened on Hawkworld.[23] Carol and the other leaders of the color corps besides Hal, are sucked into the Black Book,[24] although Hal is able to escape with her ring, Guy Gardner later using Carol's ring along with Atrocitus's Red Lantern ring in order to remove Parallax from the Central Power Battery.[25] Hal and Kyle Rayner get her and the rest of those stuck in the Black Book out of there. After Krona is killed by Hal, she reclaims the violet ring of the Zamerons. When Hal is stripped of his ring, she returns with him to Earth.[26]

Carol later removes the Star Sapphire ring and bails Hal Jordan out of jail after he saw a woman being attacked on a film shoot thinks it's real. Carol offers Hal a job at Ferris Aircraft but not as a pilot because of insurance issues. Hal asks her out to dinner and Carol thinks he is going to propose. When he does not she walks out on him and drives away leaving him with no ride.[27] Later, Carol is shocked on the TV news and find Hal was working with Sinestro.[28] After Hal returns to Earth, he asks Carol to take him back after telling her she is the one person he thought of when he thought he was going to die. Carol accepts Hal's apology and they renew their relationship.[29]

When Sinestro forces Hal to assist him by threatening to kill Carol, she dons the Star Sapphire ring so that she can eventually help Hal, but Hal and Sinestro are confronted by the Indigo Tribe, who take both of them and teleports away.[30]

When Kyle Rayner comes to Ferris Aircraft looking for Hal, he and Carol witness Hal and Sinestro fighting Black Hand, prompting Carol to re-don her Star Sapphire ring to help Kyle fight off Black Hand's Black Lanterns. However, when they arrive at the scene of the fight they discover nothing but more 'conventional' zombies, and are informed that Hal and Sinestro are apparently dead. However, Carol rejects the idea that Hal is dead as the link between her heart and his which she can sense via her ring is still intact, with her ring's visions informing her that Kyle must unite the powers of all seven Corps in himself to stop this latest threat.[31]

When the First Lantern is freed, he begins to drain off all the Lantern Corps of their emotions, minds, and memories, with the intention of seeing how their life choices had changed them.[32] In the illusions of Carol, she is battling the Atlantean warship on the carrier, but she eventually regains her Star Sapphire ring and escapes from the First Lantern's influencing powers.[33] Carol locates Kyle and helps him after he is attacked by the First Lantern.

After getting a lock on Sinestro's location, Carol and Kyle arrive at the planet Korugar's ruins, where Sinestro attacks them both, blaming them for his home's destruction by the First Lantern. When Carol demands to know where Hal is, Sinestro states that Hal is dead, but Carol refuses to believe him and attacks. While they attack Sinestro, Green Lanterns Simon Baz and B'dg arrive and subdue Sinestro. Simon (who met Hal) tells Carol that Hal is alive, but trapped in the Dead Zone.[34] In the final battle, Carol and the reserve Lantern Corps attack the First Lantern. When the First Lantern is finally destroyed, Carol reunites with Hal after he escapes from the Dead Zone.[35]

Despite her past with Hal, Carol goes on to develop feelings for Kyle as she spends more time with him as he explores his White Lantern abilities, to the extent that she is one of the few people aware of his survival after he seemingly sacrificed himself to recharge the emotional spectrum. After Kyle splits the White Lantern ring into seven after realising that the power is too great for him to control on his own, he chooses Carol as one of the six new members of the White Lantern Corps.

Powers and abilities

Carol is a capable pilot and administrator. As Star Sapphire, she can use her gem of power to fly and to hurl blasts of force nearly equal to the power of a Green Lantern's ring. Moreover, the Sapphire bestows upon her a certain amount of invulnerability and allows her to survive in airless space. During the most recent battle with Star Sapphire, Carol was temporarily empowered by Hal's ring, granting her strength and a certain degree of invulnerability. During this, Carol was clad in a version of her Sapphire uniform, but with Green Lantern design. These powers were provided by exposure to Hal's power ring and were temporary. Carol now wields a less powerful violet power ring as a member of the Star Sapphires, which replicates her original powers as Star Sapphire to a degree as well. Despite being helplessly overwhelmed before, Carol's previous exposures to the Star Sapphire's power are assumed to have given her a certain tolerance to the violet ring's current influence.

Other versions

Book of Oa

In the distant future, the Book of Oa shows that Carol will eventually marry Hal and their son would be named Martin Jordan after Hal's father.[35]

DC: The New Frontier

Carol Ferris has a central role in Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier.[36]

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Carol Ferris, with Hal Jordan, was on a F-22 Raptor entering Western Europe territory before the Shark attacks. Hal forces the Shark to crash his jet into Carol's jet, and both of them barely escape using the ejection system. Upon their return to America, Carol thinks Hal is not living up to his potential.[37] Later, Amazon Invisible planes invade over Coast City and Hal and Carol manage to shoot down the invisible planes and the Hydra they dropped on the city. Afterward, Carol is angry at Hal for taking a mission for the US government.[38] Carol insists on joining him in the dropping of the Green Arrow Industries nuclear missile. Hal refuses; however, she goes anyway. During the battles, Carol sees Hal drop the missile through New Themyscira's invisible shield but he is killed in the process. Afterwards, Carol return to Coast City, where Thomas Kalmaku gives her a note saying that Hal was too afraid to say that he had always loved her. Carol sees the engagement ring that he was going to propose to her with.[39]

Green Lantern: Evil's Might

In this three part story, set early in New York City, Carol is fighting for woman's voting rights and is swept up in a conflict for worker's safety, her hand in marriage and control of green power rings that have surfaced in town.[40]

Justice

Carol Ferris makes an appearance in Justice. She had been taken hostage because she was known to be a valued friend of Green Lantern.[41]

JLA: The Nail

In the Elseworlds story JLA: The Nail, Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire makes an appearance in Professor Hamilton's Cadmus Labs.[42]

Whom Gods Destroy

In this alternate universe where the Nazis have never fallen, Ferris ends up First Lady of the United States, with her husband, Hal Jordan, as President.[43]

Injustice: Gods Among Us

In the Year Two series of the prequel comic to the video game Carol is portrayed as being Hal Jordan's on/off girlfriend (she mentions he has ended the relationship at least five times whenever he had to leave Earth for prolonged periods of time). She recognizes that Hal is concerned over the way things have gone since Superman's Regime escalated and waits for him to come back after he is called away by the Guardian Ganthet. Later on she observes the Insurgency coming to Ferris Aircraft to steal some planes to use for the Regime/Green Lantern war, notifying Hal of their presence. Hal comes and squares off with Guy Gardner, who saves Carol's life when Sinestro and Ganthet fight. Hal, however, is ungrateful and uses his ring to knock Guy away and take Carol. This leads Ganthet to stripping Hal of his ring, leaving him and Carol to plummet. Sinestro offers Hal a Yellow Ring for a replacement, and Hal reluctantly takes it to save Carol.

Star Trek/Green Lantern

In a world where Nekron's new attack destroyed the universe, Carol is one of the few survivors after Ganthet sacrifices himself to initiate the 'Last Light' protocol, sending himself, the last ring-wielders, and the last six rings of the other six corps into the new Star Trek universe. While Pavel Chekov is experimenting with his new Blue Lantern ring, he encounters Carol with a wounded Saint Walker, who asks Chekov for help. Although Leonard McCoy- the chosen wielder of the Indigo ring- is able to confirm that Walker will recover, Carol reveals to Hal that Nekron has been drawn into their new universe as well.[44]

In other media

Television

Star Sapphire (Carol Ferris) in Justice League.
Carol Ferris as Star Sapphire in Green Lantern: The Animated Series.

Film

Blake Lively as Carol Ferris in Green Lantern.

Video games

Novels

Miscellaneous

Toys

References

  1. ↑ Frankenhoff, Brent (2011). Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics. Krause Publications. p. 29. ISBN 1-4402-2988-0.
  2. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 2, #83 (May 1971), reprinted in Showcase Presents: Green Lantern #5
  3. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #29 (March 2008)
  4. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #34 (August 2008)
  5. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #35 (October 2008)
  6. ↑ Beatty, Scott (2008), "Extreme Justice", in Dougall, Alastair, The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 117, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, OCLC 213309017
  7. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #43 (July 2009)
  8. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #18 (March 2007)
  9. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #19 (May 2007)
  10. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #20 (May 2007)
  11. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #38 (February 2009)
  12. ↑ Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #2 (July 2009)
  13. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #45 (August 2009)
  14. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #46 (September 2009)
  15. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #57 (October 2010)
  16. ↑ Blackest Night #6 (December 2009)
  17. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #50 (January 2010)
  18. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #53 (April 2010)
  19. ↑ Green Lantern ,vol. 4, #57 (September 2010)
  20. ↑ Brightest Day #13 (November 2010)
  21. ↑ Brightest Day #17 (January 2011)
  22. ↑ Brightest Day #18 (January 2011)
  23. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #63 (March 2011)
  24. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #64 (March 2011)
  25. ↑ Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #10 (May 2011)
  26. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 4, #67 (July 2011)
  27. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 5, #1 (September 2011)
  28. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 5, #3 (November 2011)
  29. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 5, #5 (January 2012)
  30. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 5, #7 (March 2012)
  31. ↑ Green Lantern: New Guardians #0 (September 2012)
  32. ↑ Green Lantern vol. 5, #17 (February 2013)
  33. ↑ Green Lantern: New Guardians #18 (March 2013)
  34. ↑ Green Lantern: New Guardians #19 (April 2013)
  35. 1 2 Green Lantern vol. 5, #20 (May 2013)
  36. ↑ DC: The New Frontier #2
  37. ↑ Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #1 (June 2011)
  38. ↑ Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #2 (July 2011)
  39. ↑ Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #3 (August 2011)
  40. ↑ "Green Lantern: Evil's Might" #1-3 (August Oct. 2002)
  41. ↑ Justice #6 (2007)
  42. ↑ JLA: The Nail #3
  43. ↑ "Whom Gods Destroy" #3 (1997)
  44. ↑ Star Trek/Green Lantern: The Spectrum War #3
  45. ↑ "Star Sapphire". Jl.toonzone.net. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  46. ↑ Injustice For All. Justice League. 2002-01-06 and 2002-01-13. No. 8 and 9, season 1.
  47. ↑ Fury. Justice League. 2002-04-07 and 2002-04-14. No. 16 and 17, season 1.
  48. ↑ Hereafter. Justice League. 2003-11-29. No. 45 and 46, season 2.
  49. ↑ Destroyer. Justice League Unlimited. 2006-02-18 (UK), 2006-05-13(US). No. 39, season 2.
  50. ↑ http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/news.php/news.php?action=fullnews&id=1169
  51. ↑ http://www.blogofoa.com/2011/10/first-look-at-jla-dooms-star-sapphire.html
  52. ↑ "Blake Lively to return as Star Sapphire in Green Lantern Sequel". blog.zap2it.com. June 16, 2011.
  53. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (April 1, 2011). "'Green Lantern': Blake Lively loves the idea of Star Sapphire in sequel". herocomplex.latimes.com.

External links

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