What are the powers of a Green Lantern's ring?

Question

Can someone tell me what they are supposed to do in the comics? From the description in wikipedia, it seems like a what you wish is what you get ring.

Does that means a Green Lantern can create anything, eg. car, house, robot.... just by focusing through the ring?

Answer 1

Across the years, the ring has been shown capable of accomplishing anything within the imagination of the ring bearer; the greater the user's willpower, the more effective the ring. No hard upper limit to the power ring's capabilities has yet been demonstrated and it is often referred to as "the most powerful weapon in the universe".

Power rings allow the user to fly and to cover themselves and others with a protective life-support force field, suitable for traveling through outer space, underwater and so on. The ring also generates its wearer's Green Lantern uniform - and, when they go "off duty", regenerates their regular clothes.

The most frequently-used function apart from this is the generation of solid-light constructs, the size, complexity and strength of which are limited only by the ring-bearer's willpower. Thus Green Lanterns are often seen creating cages, transportation platforms, restraints, weapons, creatures, walls, battering rams, vehicles, tools, boxing gloves etc. etc. The style of construct varies with the character and mindset of the Green Lantern wielding the ring. Hal Jordan tends to create solid, workmanlike constructs; John Stewart's constructs are almost like three-dimensional blueprints, with carefully-designed internal workings, as he is an architect by trade; Kyle Rayner, a comic book artist, uses the ring as an imaginative outlet, envisioning cartoonish and often highly detailed constructs. Guy Gardner's ring is constantly sparking, even at rest, and his creations are simple, and often blurred by the excess energy his willpower causes. The alien Kilowog's ring, for reasons yet revealed is, according to Hal, "The only one that makes a sound". Kilowog unleashing his power ring is often accompanied by a loud sonic boom.

The ring can also search for energy signatures or particular objects and often serves as a universal translator. Less frequently used capabilities include splitting atoms and manipulating sub-atomic particles (effectively producing new elements), simulating forms of radiation (such as that emitted by green Kryptonite, which is harmful to Superman), and creating brand new, fully functional duplicate power rings.

Power rings usually have to be worn to be effective. However, it is occasionally shown to be possible to wield (or at least summon) the ring without touching it, or while somebody else is wearing it, or to order it to carry out commands automatically after being removed. Power rings also appear to be semi-sentient computers, able to talk to and advise the wearer as to various courses of action, and sometimes capable of independent action - in particular, the ring of a killed Green Lantern will automatically seek out a suitable replacement Lantern.

The requirements needed to wield a power ring have changed sporadically across the years, often creating continuity errors. Allowing power rings to fall into the wrong hands has been a favorite plot device in many previous Green Lantern stories, since in general, power rings can be wielded by whoever wears them. However, as of Green Lantern: Rebirth (2004), it seems that only people with exceptional wills can use power rings, a restriction which makes uses of the rings by average individuals improbable. It remains to be seen whether or not power rings will be kept out of the hands of average people in the future.

In some incarnations, a power ring can only be used by someone who literally has no concept of fear and is completely honest. Sometimes this is treated as just a recommendation.

Some power rings have been shown to have genetic locks allowing use only by their designated owner.

Answer 2

The ring focuses the willpower and imagination of the wielder to create solid energy constructs.
When the wielder is very creative, or detail oriented (like Kyle Rayner and John Stewart) then the ring creations are also elaborate and detailed.
In the case of more direct wielders (Guy Gardner) the ring can project more simplistic creations such as force bubbles, energy blasts, etc.
The creations are not permanent, but can be made to last a long time.

The ring can also translate languages, and prevents the wielder from dying so long as it is charged.
Also, the wielder can fly, survive in space, and analyze the chemical compositions of matter.

On at least one occasion, Hal Jordan used the ring to create Green Kryptonite.

The ring is somehow related to the Emerald Eye of Ekron (see: Legion of Superheroes, Emerald Empress).

Answer 3

It's all based upon focus and willpower so if strong enough a lantern can pretty much do anything

Answer 4

to add to your question i wonder if he can create another green lantern who can also create another, a never ending process of creating green lanterns.

Answer 5

it has the power to make and create things, it allows him to tkae different forms and it also acts as a force field.