Third Army (DC)
The Third Army is an organization that features in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
The Third Army were an army of creations that had been created by the Guardians of the Universe. Their creation came after the Oans concluded that their attempts at bringing order to the universe had failed and sought new enforcers of their will. During a secret meeting, they concluded that their first army the Manhunters had failed due to a lack of emotion and their second army the Green Lantern Corps were a failure due to them being too independent. Thus, the Guardians decided to create new enforcers where they decided to tap into the power of the First Lantern who they imprisoned billions of years ago in the Chamber of Shadows. They had to battle the Hidden Ones who were Oans left to ensure that the First Lantern was never freed where the Guardians succeeded in their task. Once in their care, they used the First Lantern as a living battery where they used his power in conjunction with their own to create creatures born of their flesh and mind with these being the Third Army. (Green Lantern Annual v5 #1) Two of the creatures were created on Earth where they set about their task of assimilating life and registered the presence of a Green Lantern in the vicinity. (Green Lantern v5 #13) They pursued their quarry to a house where they converted their owner before attempting to swarm the new Green Lantern Simon Baz. (Green Lantern v5 #15) Meanwhile, the Guardians arranged an ambush where they had the Third Army attack Green Lantern Guy Gardner after orchestrating the trap by Earth. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #13) Gardner and his fellow Green Lanterns attempted to contain the creatures but his compatriots were all assimilated leaving Guy the only survivor who fled to Earth. He came to defend his own family from the creatures but for his actions the Guardians of the Universe believed that Gardner had neglected his duties as a Green Lantern leading to him being banished to Earth. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #14)
Meanwhile, from their planetary citadel, the Guardians came to witness as their reach through the Third Army expanded across the cosmos. The intention was the transformation of enough Green Lanterns on sector duty before a full frontal assault could be made against the Green Lantern Corps. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #15) Several of the Third Army continued to operate on Earth where they began to transform more people into further members of their kind. The creatures then began converting people in the Atlanta, Georgia region where the Guardians directed their creations to assimilate the fallen Guy Gardner. This saw them attacking a police station he was being held at where they began assimilating many of the people in the building. The Third Army nearly overwhelmed him but then Simon Baz an B'dg arrived on the scene to fight them. Working with the Green Lantern, Gardner managed to save his family and helped in the destruction of the Third Army on Earth thus preventing their further spread. It was then that Gardner read the last recordings of Hal Jordan and Sinestro that revealed the Guardians of the Universe being responsible for unleashing the Third Army on the cosmos. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #16) Ring projections believed that the assimilation phase of all the inhabitants of the universe to be completed within 27 days. The Guardians attempted to hide their involvement from their Green Lanterns and offered a specialised serum to immunise them thus ordering all Corpsmen to return to Oa to receive treatment. In reality, this was simply a trap that would see them being converted into further members of the Third Army. Gardner looked to rally the Green Lanterns against the Guardians whilst the Oans were re-directing the Third Army to eliminate John Stewart, Fatality as well as Mogo. However, the living planet Mogo was prepared where he used his own landmass as a weapon of mass destruction by sending light speed debris as projectiles that decimated the Third Army forces sent against him. (Green Lantern Corps Annual v3 #1)
Overview
In appearance, the Third Army were pale white skinned humanoids with thin frames, three digits on their limbs and a bald head that highlighted their craniums. They were said to be born of the flesh of the Oans and shared a mind with the Guardian. The most dangerous ability of these creatures was their power to assimilate other beings and turn them into a new member of the Third Army. This was achieved with a touch whereupon the organic matter of their target was rewritten, the mind was broken down and decimated along with their heart being discarded. The mind was vacant and were unconnected to any mind except the Guardians with their former identity being erased and no longer possessed free will. (Green Lantern Annual v5 #1) The creatures were said to multiply at an unprecedented rate by transmuting anyone they came into contact with into another of their kind. (Green Lantern v5 #15)
They were capable of sensing the presence of wielders of the Emotional Spectrum. (Green Lantern v5 #13) The Third Army could home on the bio-signature of specific targets given to them. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #16)
The Third Army were able to survive in the depths of space and fly unaided though they were unable to follow targets travelling at high light speeds. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #14) Members of the Third Army were noted to recover from their wounds making them difficult to battle. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #16)
It was said that a Power Ring could prevent assimilation by a member of the Third Army unless it was removed. (Green Lantern Annual v5 #1) The power of the Third Army was also reliant on the Guardians who had distribute their own energy into their creations. Thus, the bigger the army, the weaker they became unless the Guardians tapped into greater sources of power for them. (Green Lantern v5 #15)
The Third Army's purpose was to bring about the creation of a single mind and the disintegration of free will with this resulting in the universe attaining perfect order. It was claimed that this process essentially removed the souls of living beings that were converted into husks. (Green Lantern v5 #14) Those assimilated had their brains explode preventing them from acting for themselves whilst their hearts burst out of their chests so that they became as emotionless as the Guardians themselves. (Green Lantern Corps Annual v3 #1)
Members
- Edward Wale : male human from North America who was a domestic terrorist who had a bomb planted on a van that was intended to blow up under a bridge when it was taken by Simon Baz. Baz confronted him when he was attempting to clear his name of terrorism charges with Wale intending to kill him but his home was broken into by the Third Army who converted him into one of their kind. (Green Lantern v5 #15)
- Otis : a blue skinned extraterrestrial miner harvesting Rokkite from an asteroid where he along with his comrades were all converted into members of the Third Army. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #13)
- Vandor : a blue skinned Green Lantern who was with Guy Gardner when they were ambushed by the Third Army who ripped off his arm holding his Power Ring whereupon they assimilated him. (Green Lantern Corps v3 #13)
Notes
- The Third Army was created by Geoff Johns and Pete Woods where they made their first appearance in Green Lantern Annual v5 #1 (October, 2012)
Appearances
- Green Lantern Annual v5: (2012)
- Green Lantern v5:
- Green Lantern Corps v3:
- Red Lanterns v1:
- Green Lantern: New Guardians v1:
External Links
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