Controversial Green Lantern Death May Have Been Retconned by DC

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It’s pretty common for big anniversary issues of comic books to feature a major character death. But bringing a character back to life is less frequent. That’s what seems to be happening with the 600th issue of Green Lantern, which might be changing the established story of one of the most debated deaths in DC Comics history.

A potential retcon appeared in the comic “City of Angels,” written by Jeremy Adams and V. Ken Marion. The story follows Green Lantern Kyle Rayner as he comes back to Earth and his city of origin, Los Angeles. He’s joined by Odyssey the Time Bandit, who is helping him find escaped aliens as a condition of her parole.

Stuck in traffic, Kyle starts telling the story of how he became a Green Lantern. He talks about growing up with a single mother and how art helped him express himself. But he leaves out one important part of his past.

Kyle reminisces about his first love, Alexandra, known as Alex DeWitt. He explains how drawing Alex inspired him to become a comic book artist and ultimately helped him land his first job. However, their relationship ended because Kyle’s low income and dedication to his work kept him home, and Alex felt unsupported and neglected. Eventually, she broke up with him due to these issues.

What Green Lantern death did DC retcon?

Kyle attempts to win Alex over by surprising her at the club she loves, but she’s not convinced he’s truly different. Despite this setback, the night unexpectedly changes Kyle’s life. While stepping outside for some air, he’s chosen as the new bearer of a Green Lantern ring.

When Kyle Rayner first became the Green Lantern in 1994’s “A New Dawn,” he pursued a relationship with Alex. She was willing to try again with him and assisted him in learning to control his newfound abilities. Sadly, she was killed by the villain Major Force while he was searching for the new Green Lantern, and Kyle tragically discovered her body – hidden in her refrigerator.

Okay, so there’s this moment in an old comic book – and it still sticks with me – where the character Kyle discovers Alex’s body… stuffed in a refrigerator. It’s a truly disturbing image, and it became incredibly well-known. It actually sparked a term coined by writer Gail Simone: ‘Women in Refrigerators.’ Basically, it’s shorthand for that frustrating trope where female characters are killed off or put in danger simply to motivate a male character’s storyline or give him something to feel sad about. It’s a sadly common thing you see, and that image really became a symbol for it all.

Interestingly, Green Lantern #33/#600 appears to alter the established backstory. When asked about what happened after a previous event, Kyle doesn’t mention Alex’s death – or Alex herself, for that matter. Instead, he reflects on how becoming a Green Lantern showed him that “dreams can be more complex than they seem.”

Alex DeWitt’s death was a pivotal event that shaped Kyle Rayner’s journey as a hero. It’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have talked about it if she had actually died. Therefore, it appears that in this new reality, Kyle and Alex never broke up, and she is still alive.

Green Lantern #33/#600 is now available at comic shops everywhere.

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2026-03-26 00:57