"As long as there is life, the universe will never be without fear!"
Thaal Sinestro of Korguar has the unenviable position of being the first (but not the last) renegade of the Green Lantern Corps. Banished to the Antimatter Universe for the crime of taking over his home planet and installing himself as it's ruler, Sinestro swore vengeance on the Guardians who put him there. His mad schemes to restore order to the universe through fear have cost millions of lives, and his fascist ideals make him one of the most consistently monstrous villains DC has to offer.
First Appearance:
Green Lantern (vol. 2) #7
Powers/Abilities:
Sinestro has displayed a variety of skills and abilities in his time, but his most enduring one is the use of a yellow power ring of similar design to that of the rings used by the Green Lanterns. As a result of this, Sinestro is able to conjure constructs of whatever he thinks of to aid him in battle, as well as gaining the ability to fly and breathe in the vacuum of space. Unlike his counterparts, however, Sinestro's ring is not powered by Willpower but by fear, and the dread entity Parallax. As a result, it's lethal potential is incredible, making it more than a match for the green power ring, though it still must be recharged every 24 hours.
Sinestro himself is a masterful tactician, displaying on a number of occasions the ability to plan years ahead in order to outhink his opponents, as well as being a highly persuasive public speaker, able to win masses to his cause.
Sinestro is just awesome, okay? He's a mixture of Napoleon, Adolf and Lenin, in that he's crazily radical in his views and ambitions and, somewhat unfortunately, has the muscle and intelligence to make them happen. In short, he's the ultimate Hitler comparison. However, he's not as cool as the next person on the list, and unfortunately, even Sinestro's badassery cannot supplant the next villain from his rightful place in the top 3.
But who has overcome the power of fear and strong-armed their way into #3? Fear the Dark Side, dear readers...
