Red Lanterns
In the aftermath of the War of the Green Lanterns and the death of the rogue Guardian Krona, Atrocitus felt his rage dimming, and feared losing control of his Corps. [10] He decided to uplift one of his Red Lanterns, making them almost his equal. He chose Bleez as his new second-in-command, and hurled her into the Blood Ocean to restore her intellect and memories. After she emerged from the ocean, he took her back to her home planet of Havania, where she confronted Count Liib and Baron Ghazz, the men who had been responsible for her kidnapping and torture by the Sinestro Corps. After killing Ghazz, she and Atrocitus disagreed over Liib's fate. Bleez wanted to leave him alive and hunt him down later, but Atrocitus, uninterested in her 'subtleties', simply killed him outright. [11] Despite this initial clash, events seemed to progress smoothly. Bleez was able to regain some measure of control over the Red Lanterns, but Atrocitus came to believe that she was manipulating the Corps for her own ends. When Atrocitus decided to immerse three more Red Lanterns in the Blood Ocean to keep Bleez in check, she attempted to dissuade him, noting that the trauma of regaining their memories might drive them insane. [12] After Krona's body disappeared from Ysmault, Atrocitus attacked Bleez, believing her to be responsible. She held her own against him, causing the other Red Lanterns to realize that Atrocitus was losing his rage and his focus. [13] Bleez subsequently seized control of the Corps, leading them on a galaxy-wide hunt for Sinestro, whom she held ultimately responsible for her condition. [14]
After Abysmus poisoned the Red Lantern central power battery, Bleez returned to Ysmault with her Red Lanterns, briefly coming into conflict with Atrocitus, who had been drawn back by the dying battery. After Atrocitus reasserted his leadership over the Corps, Bleez decided to confront the Star Sapphires, whom she believed to be responsible for the battery's destruction. [15] Bleez led a squadron of Red Lanterns, including Rankorr, Zilius Zox, and Ratchet, to Zamaron to confront the Sapphires, only to be defeated and captured by them. [16] The Star Sapphire Fatality attempted to convert Bleez into a Star Sapphire, using her violet ring to envelop Bleez in a crystalline dome. Bleez, in turn, attempted to poison Fatality with some of her own blood, in an effort to make her a Red Lantern. Fatality tried to make Bleez see that she could be redeemed by the violet light of love. Under the influence of the crystal, Bleez finally admitted that all her acts of vengeance had not brought her peace, and nearly accepted a violet ring from Fatality. [17] Before she could take the ring, Atrocitus killed Abysmus and restored the central battery, whereupon Bleez's ring returned to full strength. She rejected the Star Sapphires and returned to Ysmault with her Red Lanterns. [18]
During the events of Rise of the Third Army, Bleez and several other Red Lanterns were attacked by Third Army drones on the planet of Arhtky. [19] While Atrocitus rallied the rest of the Corps to confront the Guardians and the First Lantern, he ordered Rankorr to return to Earth and kill Baxter, the man who was indirectly responsible for his transformation into a Red Lantern. Bleez chose to accompany Rankorr, to ensure that the deed was done properly. Rankorr quickly found Baxter, but hesitated to kill him. [20] Bleez responded by poisoning Baxter with her napalm blood, which Rankorr interpreted as her attempt to prove that she was still worthy of being a Red Lantern after nearly accepting a Star Sapphire ring from Fatality. Bleez admitted that she had indeed been tempted by Fatality's offer, and that a part of her longed to be something other than a Red Lantern, but that there was no other path for her, or for him. She then attempted to seduce Rankorr so that she could obtain his blood, which would allow her to create light constructs. Rankorr rejected her and escaped, attempting to live life as a human. [21] Bleez tracked him down and again attempted to take his blood, but she was interrupted by Atrocitus, who issued an order for all Red Lanterns to hunt down and kill him, as he now deemed himself responsible for the destruction of his homeworld. She joined the rest of the Corps in attacking Atrocitus, during which he finally experienced the true depth of his Corps' rage. Declaring himself 'reborn', Atrocitus led the Red Lanterns to Oa to destroy the Guardians for good. [22] They arrived at the climax of the battle with Volthoom, and aided in his defeat. In the aftermath of the battle, Bleez led the Red Lanterns back to Ysmault, where they found the Four Inversions attempting to destroy the central power battery. Their dark magic nearly defeated the assembled Lanterns, but Bleez was able to withstand their sorcery, and they fled. Skallox suggested that she ought to assume leadership of the Corps, but before she could decide one way or the other, Atrocitus returned to the planet, and she re-pledged her loyalty to him. [23]
