When the Guardians of the Universe discovered that Sinestro, the Green Lantern of Sector 1417, had used his ring to take control of his homeworld of Korugar, the Guardians expelled Sinestro from the Green Lantern Corps and ban

The Yellow Power Ring is the weapon of choice for Sinestro and his Sinestro Corps.

History

When the Guardians of the Universe discovered that Sinestro, the Green Lantern of Sector 1417, had used his ring to take control of his homeworld of Korugar, the Guardians expelled Sinestro from the Green Lantern Corps and banished him to the planet Qward in the Antimatter Universe. On Qward, Sinestro met the Weaponers of Qward, and told them of the Yellow impurity, how the Green Lantern Rings could not affect anything colored yellow. Having been working on a weapon similar to the power rings for several millennia, the Weaponers of Qward developed the Yellow Power Ring, designed to project yellow energy and take advantage of the Green Lanterns weakness.

Years later, Sinestro established the Sinestro Corps by mass-producing yellow power rings. Those chosen for the corps received a yellow ring and power battery, which is connected to the yellow central power battery on Qward.

Powers

• Yellow Energy Conduit: The rings use yellow energy, supplied by a Power Battery, which in most cases takes the form of yellow light. Yellow Power rings, considered by some to be one of the most powerful weapons in the known universe, has the ability to affect and use fundamental forces of the known universe, including electromagnetic energies such as gravity, radiation, heat, light, and powerful blasts of concussive force. It is also theorized that the ring also has a basis in other dimensional energies commonly called magic by users of such energies. The ring can also create fields of force formed from an unknown energy that was bound by the users' will. The limitations of such use are the skill, knowledge and imagination of the user.
  • Flight: By the manipulation of anti-gravitons and directed molecular movement, the ring allows the user to fly at incredible speeds. In atmosphere, a Sinestro Corpsmen has been known to fly as fast as Mach 10 in atmosphere by creating an aerodynamic envelope around his body. Towing others, usually within a bubble, his speed is limited to the twice the speed of sound or 1440 mph. In space, Sinestro Corpsman's speed can be significantly greater and has been known to approach 80% of lightspeed in normal space. Flight is possible at velocities exceeding light speed. In atmospheres, air friction is not a hindrance, since heat is either absorbed or reflected by the ring's field.
  • Superhuman Strength: While not super strength of the conventional sense, a Lantern can be enhanced with superhuman-level strength while using constructs created by the ring and becomes capable of lifting/moving tremendous weights far heavier than 100 tons with little effort.
  • Superhuman Durability: While not super durable of the conventional sense, a Lantern can become endowed with extraordinary durability through means by the ring, allowing them to withstand physical trauma, energy blasts, psychic assaults, and extreme temperatures.
  • Limited Cellular Regeneration: This ring has a limited ability to heal physical injuries, and this seems to be a feature held over from the previous incarnations of the ring. Sinestro Corpsmen can use the ring to repair minor injuries in themselves or others.
  • Energy Projection: The ring can be used to fire blasts of Qwardian energy or projectiles. The ring can project beams of force powered by the will of the user.
  • Energy Construct Creation: The ring can form constructs of Qwardian energy. The primary function of the Power Ring is to provide a weapon capable of transforming the wearer's thoughts into physical constructs through the wearer's mastery of Fear. A Sinestro Corpsman can create any particular item or construct that they can imagine as long as they have the mastery of fear necessary to will it into existence. The constructs are made out of yellow energy, which is a tangible form of pure fear, and they exist only as long as a Sinesteo Corpsman is fueling it with their mastery of fear. Items created by the rings are not indestructible and are only as powerful as the inspired fear of the Sinestro Corpsman creating them. The types of constructs usually reflect the ring wearer's personality.
    • Force Field: The ring can create various forcefields of various sizes and shapes to protect the wearer and others around him. With the cosmic scope of a Sinestro corpsman's duties, it is only natural that the power ring is designed for operation in space. The ring creates a force-field around the wearer, protecting him/her/it from the hazards of the void including filtration of stellar radiation and microscopic particulate matter which would ordinarily be fatal should the space debris strike the ring wielder at high speeds. An atmosphere appropriate to the ring wielder's biology is created inside the force-field, body temperature is maintained and waste products are removed. Gravitational stresses which could cause injury are stabilized for the ring wielder. Theoretically, a ring wielder could use the ring as his/her/its sole source of life support. The force-field seems to be created instantaneously, whether this is due to programming or an instinctive reaction from intensive training has not been established. It could be considered as a subroutine of the ring's automatic defensive system, but as of yet, this theory has not been proven.
      • Self-Sustenance: When using a force field, it helps a Yellow Lantern survive the void and vacuum of space, even travel interstellar distances.
    • Energy Twin: The power ring allows the wearer to create an "energy twin" of his/her/itself that can travel at far greater speeds than that of the ring wielder's physical form. While the energy twin is active the ring wielder remains motionless, his/her/its life force is needed to guide the energy twin. The energy twin cannot alter its surroundings and may only be perceived by another ring wielder as a yellow, ghostlike image. Any knowledge gained by the energy twin is transferred back to the ring wielder's physical form upon recontact with the body.
    • Ring Duplication: Most Power Rings are capable of automatically duplicating themselves. Each duplicate typically shares the qualities and capabilities of the original ring. While the thought of an unauthorized person getting a hold of a power ring and making duplicates for nefarious purposes, their ability to inflict damage is limited because each duplicate still requires to be recharged by a personal power battery.
  • Instill Fear: the Power Ring is unique in that it's base of power, fear, can be manipulated by the ring user. An opponent's fears can be laid bare by delving into their minds. The power only works on the direct emotion of fear. Depending on the user's awareness of the fear of their opponent, their attacks and constructs will be stronger or weaker. This allows them to create the energy constructs of a opponent's worst nightmare. Also, once that fear is exposed, the ring's ability allows the wielder to amplify the fear to the point of irrationality and true horror on the part of victim and conversely empowering the ring wielder.
  • Energy Absorption: The ring can absorb and store most other energies. Unlike the Green Lantern power rings, a yellow power ring can replenish the normal store of energy the ring has. A ring that needs recharging but contained a store of electricity could only discharge that electricity, for example.
  • Kryptonian Charging: Similar to how the light of a Green Power Ring can be used to create artificial Kryptonite energy to harm a Kryptonian, the yellow energy from a Yellow Power Ring can charge the powers of a Kryptonian or Daxamite.
  • Onboard Computer: Like other Power Rings, a Yellow Lantern Ring contains a basic AI that can communicate with other rings, scan the surrounding area, and interact verbally with the user.
    • Universal Translator: Keeping in mind the myriad of worlds, life forms, and cultures throughout the cosmos, it is understandable why Sinestro added a translation system to the power ring. The power ring can translate virtually any language in the universe, facilitating diplomatic encounters rather than violent confrontations.
    • Security Protocol: The rings can be programmed. They can be coded to the wearer so as to make them unusable if stolen.
    • Environmental Playback: Upon request, the power ring can recreate a holographic environment based on data in its memory banks. The ring wielder can observe events in a ghostlike state, but the ring wielder cannot alter the outcome of the playback. All objects in the playback will appear in the full spectrum of colors, regardless of the wielder's level of expertise creating simulacrum's. The power ring will automatically end the playback if outside interference warrants the ring wielder's undivided attention.
    • Preset Conditions: Commands can be stored in the ring to be executed at a later date, even if the bearer is not wearing the ring.
  • Electromagnetic Scanning: The ring has a wide range of detection abilities based on the imagination of the user. If one can conceive of it, he can probably detect it. Magical effects like clairvoyance, seem to be beyond the scope of the ring. Most normal electromagnetic phenomena are within the range of the ring, including radio, television, infrared, ultraviolet, and high frequency band communications.
  • Invisibility & Light Refraction: A ring wielder can render him/her/itself invisible by willing the ring to bend light waves around his/her/its form, as well as that of the power ring. Presumably, a similar action allows an experienced ring wielder to create objects of colors other than green. As Hal Jordan's experience grew, he was able to create power ring illusions of people and objects. It can be assumed the ring wielder would not risk the extra time and effort to create other colors in a combat situation.
  • Phasing: The Power Ring allows the wearer to pass through certain solid objects, such as walls. Which objects that are not penetrable are not known, but it may depend upon the strength of the wearer's mastery of fear and the density of the object's molecular structure.
  • Mind Alteration: As the power ring relies on thought and will to operate, mind tampering is not impossible, the real difficulty lies in properly applying the power. There lies a risk of catastrophic damage to the mind should mistakes be made. A ring wielder can use the power ring to erase portions of an individual's memories. Sinestro Corpsmen have used mind techniques as part of training. New recruits may be subjected to mind scans by other Sinestro Corpsmen. They are taught to build mental defenses to protect themselves from psionic attack. The power ring can also be used to beam information from the ring wielder to another being. Sinestro Corpsmen have used this technique to share information regarding their enemies during combat situations.
  • Wormholes & Spatial Warps: The power ring grants its wearer access to wormholes in space, enabling the ring wielder to rapidly cut time and distance needed for transport. Black holes can be navigated by experienced ring wielders.
  • Time Travel: Time travel is possible with the power ring, though the further forward in time a ring wielder travels, the more mastery of fear it takes.
  • Pocket Dimension
  • Fear Empowerment: Yellow Power Rings can derive great power from feeding on the residual fear of those whom they are enmeshed in terrorizing, essentially by using their greatest weapon to provoke the abject terrors of a victim. The fear they harness, the more powerful a Sinestro Corpsmen will become over time, provided they have enough individuals to garner incredible fear from.
  • Material Alteration: The Sinestro Corpsman's uniform is not made out of fabric. It is created by the Power Ring whenever the wearer wills to wear it. It automatically appears over the wearer's normal clothing, and vanishes when the wearer wills to return to their civilian attire. Most Sinestro Corpsmen wear similar uniforms that are programmed into the ring by default. However, each Sinestro Corpsman is able to adjust their uniform to fit their own needs, personalities and whims. The yellow parts of the wearer's uniform are usually very warm or hot to those who touch it, while the black parts are very cold.
  • Emergency Beacon: A Sinestro Corpsman in distress can use his/her/its power ring as an emergency beacon. The alert can be directed to a Sinestro Soldier's neighboring sector, or it can be a Corps-wide alert.
  • Homing Beacon: A homing beacon in the power ring can lead one Sinestro Corpsman to another. The power ring can be ordered to disguise itself to elude power ring wielding trackers. Most often ring wielders will allow the beacon to signal their location to others.

Weaknesses

• Recharge Protocol: Formerly, the rings needed to be charged after a period of 24 hours, regardless of how often it was used. Currently the rings retain a charge until they run out of power. This variability ensures that the wearer takes greater effort to keep it charged. Sinestro's ring was originally charged by attacking Green Lanterns, presumably to tap into the yellow light of fear provided by Parallax who was trapped in the Green Lantern's Central Battery for eons. With the construction of the Sinestro Corps' Central Power Battery, a Yellow Power Ring has the same power limitations as a Green Lantern Ring.
• Hope Weakness: The transmission and power of one of Sinestro's rings can be greatly disrupted by the presence of a Blue Lantern Ring.
• Rage Weakness: Since rage is a stronger emotion than fear, Red Lantern Rings can easily override Yellow Power Rings if the said user's rage is stronger than their projected fear.

Alternate Versions

• Ring of Evil: in a world where the Nazi Party won World War II, Heinrich Himmler created a golden ring infused with the souls of twelve Nazi "priests" and the dream of the demon Karelia. This ring passed on to Abin Straus, Hal Jordan, and finally John Stewart, who purged Karelia's dream and changed it to the dream of the Lanterns of the Green, also turning its color from yellow to green and replacing the double thunderbolt to the Green Lantern symbol.
• Ring of Volthoom

See Also

• Appearances of Yellow Lantern Ring
• Item Gallery: Yellow Lantern Ring
• Images featuring Yellow Lantern Ring

Footnotes