Abin Sur

Abin Sur first appeared in Showcase #22 and was created by John Broome and Gil Kane.

Originally a history professor on the planet Ungara, Abin Sur is appointed Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814 in the mid-1860s. As a child, he befriends Ruch Ehr and later, by association, Munni Jah. The two were a couple and Abin secretly loved Munni, but never spoke openly of this.

In early adventures in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Sur encounters various heroes, including Starman, Bulletman, and Martian Manhunter.^[1] After being fatally wounded in a ship crash, Sur gives his ring to Hal Jordan.^[2]

In later appearances, Sur appears as a spirit, while his past self is transported to the present during Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!.^[3][4] He undergoes the Karamm-Jeev Descent, an Ungaran form of reincarnation, and is reborn as Lagzia, the daughter of Ruch Ehr and Munni Jah.

Abin also has a son, Amon Sur, who is the leader of the Black Circle crime syndicate. Amon is angry at Abin for abandoning him for the Corps and becomes a member of the Sinestro Corps and an enemy of the Green Lanterns.^[5][6][7]

During Sinestro Corps War, it is revealed that Abin discovered a prophecy concerning his death and the Blackest Night, an uprising of the Black Lantern Corps.^[8][9] While Sur is investigating the prophecy, Atrocitus attacks him, leading to his death.^[10]

In Blackest Night, Abin Sur and his sister Arin are resurrected as Black Lanterns before Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Indigo-1, and Carol Ferris kill them. Furthermore, it is revealed that Sur helped found the Indigo Tribe by creating their central power battery and is included in their oath.^[11]

In DC Rebirth, Hal Jordan meets with Abin Sur in Emerald Space, an afterlife for fallen Green Lanterns.^[12] Furthermore, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz use Ungara as a sanctuary for Molite refugees.^[13][14]

In the Crime Syndicate's universe, Abin Sur's ring hosted the malevolent, ancient entity Volthoom. When Abin crashed to Earth, the ring chose a cowardly janitor employed by Carol Ferris.^[15]

The corpse of Abin Sur is discovered in the asteroid belt by astronaut turned miner Hal Jordan, along with his Ring and Battery, as well as a deactivated Manhunter. The Lantern was presumably killed in the initial purge of the Green Lantern Corps by the Manhunters.^[16]

An alternate universe variant of Abin Sur appears in Flashpoint and Convergence. This version survives his crash landing on Earth and becomes a White Lantern while serving there.^[17]

In this alternate universe, Bruce Wayne, unsure and confused over his chosen vigilante mission, is picked as Abin Sur's successor. He receives the ring moments before Abin dies from his spacecraft-inflicted injures.^[18]

On an alternate Earth just after World War 2, Abin Sur assists in a war against Vandal Savage's inter-dimensional army. This Abin had horns, making him look like the classic archetype of Satan, a fact he is well aware of.^[19] He is then called upon to protect the entire multiverse against a rampaging cosmic army. Assisted by dozens of other heroes, they manage to force a stalemate.^[20] This Abin continues his heroism by joining the cross-dimensional team called 'Justice Incarnate'.^[21]

In Superman: Red Son, Sur's spacecraft was the UFO that crashed at Roswell. Sur died shortly after the crash, and it is mentioned that J. Edgar Hoover arranged for Sur and his ship to be hidden in Area 51. In 1978, John F. Kennedy arranges for Lex Luthor to examine the wreckage to develop weapons to use against Superman.

In Superman: Last Son of Earth, Abin Sur failed to protect Earth from a meteor that nearly destroyed the planet, resulting in the deaths of all but one million people, due to being preoccupied by a conflict elsewhere in his sector. He is later seen towards the end of the novel picking up Kal-El's Green Lantern Power Battery and Ring due to the latter's resignation from the Corps.

In Superman/Batman: Absolute Power, Sur's ring is passed on to Uncle Sam when Wonder Woman attempts to rally a resistance against the dictatorship of Superman and Batman.

In Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl, a world with no male protectors of Gotham or Metropolis, Abin has been a long-time member of the Justice Society. He bonds closely with Supergirl, as Abin had visited Krypton many times and she treasures his recollections of Krypton.

• Abin Sur appears in the Challenge of the Superfriends episode "Secret Origins of the Super Friends", voiced by Dick Ryal. Lex Luthor travels back in time in an attempt to steal Abin's power ring before Hal Jordan can get it, but the Super Friends also travel back in time to foil his plot.
• Abin Sur appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day...", voiced by an uncredited Peter Mark Richman. This version was killed by Sinestro while his power ring chose Kyle Rayner.
• Abin Sur appears in the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special. This version was killed by a bear.
• Abin Sur appears in the Teen Titans Go! episode "Orangins".

• Abin Sur appears in Justice League: The New Frontier, voiced by Corey Burton.^[22] This version was caught in the explosion of a US spacecraft called the Flying Cloud while it was traveling to Mars. Due in part to Hal Jordan co-piloting the spacecraft, Abin gives his power ring to him before dying.
• Abin Sur appears in Green Lantern: First Flight, voiced by Richard McGonagle.^[22][23] This version possesses a more alien appearance with horns and four-fingered hands. He was tasked by the Guardians of the Universe to work undercover in Kanjar Ro's gang after they stole the yellow element. However, one of Kanjar's underlings discovered Abin's identity and mortally wounded him. After stealing a ship, Abin crash-landed on Earth, was found by Hal Jordan, and gave his power ring to him before dying.
• Abin Sur appears in Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, voiced by Arnold Vosloo.^[22] Similarly to the events of "Green Lantern: Secret Origin", this version previously worked with Sinestro and was warned of his impending death and Sinestro's betrayal by Atrocitus. Additionally, his power ring was originally wielded by Avra, the first Green Lantern to use their ring to create constructs.
• Abin Sur appears in Green Lantern (2011), portrayed by Temuera Morrison.^[24] This version previously fought Parallax and used a starship to evacuate planets that the entity targeted. After being fatally wounded by Parallax, Abin flees in one of his starship's escape pods, crash-lands on Earth, and passes his power ring onto Hal Jordan before he dies. Abin's body is subsequently discovered and taken by the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), who task Hector Hammond with performing the autopsy, which results in Hammond being infected by Parallax's DNA.
• The Flashpoint incarnation of Abin Sur makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. This version died before he could pass his power ring on to Hal Jordan, after which the U.S. government recovers his body and spaceship in an attempt to stop the war between Atlantis and Themyscira.
• The Superman: Red Son incarnation of Abin Sur appears in the self-titled film adaptation. Following his death, this version and his ship were discovered by the U.S. government in 1967. By 1983, U.S. scientists successfully reverse-engineer Abin's ring and grant its capabilities to Hal Jordan and a small team of soldiers so they can fight the Soviet Superman.

Abin Sur appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[25]

• Abin Sur received a figure in Mattel's DC Universe Classics line as part of a two-pack with Hal Jordan. Additionally, a figure of Abin as a Black Lantern was released individually in a later wave.
• The Green Lantern (2011) incarnation of Abin Sur received a figure in the associated tie-in toy line.

• DC Guide entry for Abin Sur