Warning! Spoilers for The Green Lantern Season Two #11
As a member of DC's cosmic police force, Green Lantern’s forte is more sci-fi than fantasy, but Hal Jordan just proved he can fit into either genre. Not only that, but the most recent issue of The Green Lantern Season Two includes a small detail that explains a big conundrum with the fantasy genre as a whole.
While some fantasy franchises, such as Harry Potter, incorporate magical elements into the modern day, most series take place in a feudal or medieval setting. Many fans are content to immerse themselves in a bygone era of knights and dragons, but others can’t help but wonder why these worlds remain stuck in the past. Take The Lord of the Rings, for example. Tolkien's Middle-Earth lore is lauded for being incredibly in-depth, but how is it that, in a world full of magical energy and immortal elves, no technological advancements comparable to the real world have been made? After all, when you have wizards that can return from the dead and magic rings that turn you invisible, indoor plumbing shouldn't be much of a challenge. As paradoxical as it may seem, DC just gave fans a pretty solid explanation on the fantasy genre's behalf.
The Green Lantern Season Two #11 has Hal Jordan travel to Athmoora, a planet inhabited by all manner of fantasy creatures. The world borrows heavily from iconic settings like Narnia and Middle Earth, and the issue’s title “Contest of Crowns” seems to be a nod to the popular series Game of Thrones. Once Hal arrives, he immediately changes his uniform to resemble a knight's armor, excited to re-immerse himself in Athmoora’s fantasy society. His ring, however, doesn’t share his enthusiasm. “The intelligence engine that maintains Athmoora’s culture in a feudal/medieval state of development…interferes with my function!” it says. This line is easy to miss, but it actually goes a long way in solving the problem with these fantasy worlds.
According to Green Lantern's own ring, Athmoora is under the control of some kind of intelligence engine, which perpetually keeps the planet in a feudal/medieval time period, thereby preventing any groundbreaking societal or technological advancements. This explanation could easily apply to other fantasy worlds as well. Who’s to say Westeros and Middle-Earth aren’t being held under similar engines? It would certainly justify why no one has thought to use their magic to create a light bulb or other basic inventions. It may sound far fetched at first, but in worlds full of fire-breathing dragons, undead white walkers, and wildly powerful balrogs, nothing is entirely out of the question.
Of course, at the end of the day, this theory is no more than food for thought. There’s no real proof of this being the case in any of the aforementioned fantasy worlds, but for those who can’t help but see the stagnant medieval setting as a plot hole, hopefully Green Lantern’s intelligence engine idea fills in the gap.
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