Too Charming for his own Good

Hal Jordan is an interesting character. He's a dashing, handsome and charming test pilot, a devil with the ladies, a hero and Green Lantern. He's been in the Justice League, and saved the world too many times to count. For somebody without a lot of formal education or a priviledged background, he's managed to do pretty well for himself. In fact, he's managed to attain a great deal of success without having to work very hard for it, and therein lies the problem.

Success has always come fairly easily for Hal, and therefore he doesn't appreciate it very much. The one thing that strikes me about Hal, is that he ALWAYS seems to want what he doesn't have. Once he attains his goal, he no longer values it, he wants the NEXT thing. He wants Carol Ferris desperately, but she's a bit on the skittish side, she IS his boss after all, and later becomes Star Sapphire, which is another whole kettle of fish, but after a LOT of angst, Hal decides that he'll put aside being a Green Lantern, so that HE CAN BE WITH THE WOMAN HE LOVES! And he does. Oh BOY does he.

Now, after literally tossing the ring back in the Guardians faces, Hal has gotten what he wants, which is Carol. Immediately, he starts to waffle. It just isn't as GOOD as he thought that it was going to be. Then the Guardians go and make John Stewart Hal's replacement, and he's just out of his mind with jealousy, EVEN THOUGH, he had told the Guardians and I quote:
"I have a RIGHT to live for myself...after so many years of living for everyone BUT myself! I've served you WELL, Guardians! On you behalf I've battled the vilest scum this universe has to offer...and I think I've earned my REST!"

"And what would you have us do with your power ring?"

"Frankly, I don't give a damn! There are thousands of inhabited worlds in my space sector...countless worthy beings...give this ring to one of them! I really don't care WHO you give it to...just so long as it isn't MINE anymore!"

Well! That's pretty emphatic. So WHY does he go into an absolute hissy fit when he realizes that John has been given the ring? I won't even go into the full-bore fit of hysteria he pulls when the Guardians wake up Guy Gardner and give HIM a ring. Hal almost swallows his tongue in outrage. See, when he WAS a Lantern, apparently he didn't value it the way that he should have. Now that he isn't one any longer, it has suddenly become the most important thing in the world to him again. Granted, Carol has become Star Sapphire again, but hey, they could probably have worked it out.

The thing with Hal is, this is not a one-time abberation, he does this ALL the time. Carol is married now, to somebody else, and he's suddently realized that he should never have let her go! Moosepoop, he only wants he again, because she's unavailable. Which makes me wonder if he is going to go after Arisia now that she is back, healthy and no longer jailbait.

So, how does he keep getting away with stuff like this? I can only assume that Hal Jordan has been blessed (or cursed) with a fatal charm, the ability to talk anybody into just about anything, treat his friends and family like dirt, and keep them coming back for more. When he decided to quit being a Lantern, he basically told all his GL buddies to go and screw themselves. Did they hold it against him? Well, Katma did for a little bit, but not for long. He burned his bridges pretty thoroughly with the Guardians, but in the end, they welcomed him back. He treats Guy like crap, and yet only has to say the word, and Guy will follow him to the end of the universe and back. Same thing with John. I don't know if Kyle has succumbed to Hal's siren song yet, but I imagine that it is only a matter of time. He went nuts, was possessed by Parallax, tried to destroy the universe, saved the universe, died, came back, and now he's right back in the League.

Granted he has his problems, but I imagine that as usual, somehow, Hal will come out of his latest tribulations, once again smelling like a rose. And I suppose that I wouldn't have it any other way.