When last we saw the Tourney, Green Lantern swatted the poor mentally unstable Dr. Pym, who was pretending to be a superhero named Yellowjacket.
As Champ, Kyle Rayner takes on all comers. (I apologize if this seems to be turning into the Green Lantern show; I'm really not that big of a fan, but he just happened to be one of the first randomly chosen to fight. Next time I do a tournament-style series --- around the time when Hell freezes over --- I'll have a tiered elimination format, rather than this boxing-style "linear champ" thing. Well, live and learn.)
Speaking of living, can even the mighty Green Lantern of Earth withstand the challenge of his next opponent --- one Zebediah Killgrave, a.k.a. the Purple Man? (Don't everybody answer all at once.) Physically a less than formidable foe, Killgrave has negated the prowess of foes many times his superior through his own uncanny power. The very cells of his body act as some sort of will-sapping agent, so that nearly all who hear his voice find it irresistible to obey.
Nearly all? Yes, we'll get to that.
But first, I'd like to note, with a scintilla of approbration as a long-time reader of superhero stories, a facet of the Purple Man's character. It's about time we had a character with such a descriptive, yet wholly uninformative, name! What? No, wait, that wasn't it. It's this: unlike most other villains in comics, the Purple Man acted with a bit of rationality now and then. News flash: being a "super villain" is pretty dumb. Why the gaudy costume? Why the drawing attention to your crimes? How about leading a nice, quiet life of Mr. John Q. Public, and every now and again using the ol' powers to get a quick wad of cash? Beats working. And that's exactly what our friend Mr. Killgrave did. When you can make other people do what you say just by saying it, why rob banks? Take it easy. Avoid Daredevil. Live it up poolside with the ladies.
Hell, it's what I'd do.
Anyway, back to the "nearly all" qualifier above. It should be noted that Daredevil, the Kingpin and Dr. Doom were immune to Killgrave's powers due to their strong wills. Now, raise your hand if all of your considerable power --- the infinite spectrum of the imagination --- is based on willpower. Yes, you with the glowing ring? Very good, Mr. Rayner. Now, let battle commence!
PM: "Hey, you up there with the green glow. Leave me alone and go kill yourself."
GL: (blinks, unsure what to make of this) "Um."
PM: "Didn't you hear me? Kill yourself now!"
GL: "Usually there's an 'or else' attached somewhere in there."
He conjures a big green tuxedo-clad gorilla who knocks Killgrave unconscious.
GL: "I think that guy was crazy too."
The Champ.
Next: Someone has got to take this guy off his high horse eventually, but don't hold your breath
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