If you’re a Green Lantern fan, you probably know the drill: brave soul finds a ring, recites the oath, and joins the Corps. But Jennifer-Lynn Hayden, better known as Jade, didn’t need a ring to join the family business. She was the ring—living, breathing, and glowing green. While modern fans might know her from the Stargirl TV show or her romance with Kyle Rayner, Jade’s comic book origin is a fascinating mix of Golden Age tragedy and 1980s teen drama. It’s a story about adoption, secret siblings, and finding out your dad is basically a superhero god. Here is the deep dive into the origin of Jade, written for fans who want the real story behind the emerald skin.
The Secret Birth
To understand Jade, you have to go back to the Golden Age of comics. Her father is Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern of the 1940s. Her mother, however, was a villain: Rose Canton, also known as “Thorn.”
Rose suffered from a split personality—her sweet “Rose” side and her deadly, plant-controlling “Thorn” side. During a brief period of sanity, Rose married Alan Scott, and they conceived twins. But Rose’s mental instability returned, and she feared her “Thorn” persona would harm the babies.
In a heartbreaking decision, Rose gave the children up for adoption and faked her own death to protect them from herself. Alan Scott had no idea he was a father. He went on with his life, believing his wife had died childless, while his children were hidden away in the foster system.
Growing Up Hayden
The baby girl was adopted by a couple in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Julian and Myra Hayden. They named her Jennifer-Lynn.
For most of her childhood, Jenny lived a normal life, unaware of her cosmic heritage. But there were signs. She was born with a strange, star-shaped birthmark on her palm (a direct connection to the Starheart, the magical entity that empowers her father).
As she hit adolescence, things got weird. While her dad needed a lantern to charge his ring, Jenny began to realize she didn’t need any equipment at all. Her powers manifested instinctively. In some retellings, this happened during a moment of trauma where she had to defend herself; in others, it was a gradual awakening of energy. Her skin and hair eventually turned a vibrant shade of green—something she couldn’t exactly hide with makeup.
Unlike the Green Lanterns of the Corps who wield scientific weapons, Jenny became a living conduit for the Starheart’s mystical energy. She could fly, blast energy beams, and create hard-light constructs just by willing it.
The Twin Connection
Jenny wasn’t the only one discovering powers in Milwaukee. It turned out her twin brother had been adopted by a different family in the same city. He was named Todd Rice, and he was growing up with shadow powers that were the polar opposite of Jenny’s light.
The two eventually found each other in their late teens. It wasn’t just a coincidence; they shared a psychic bond (often called “twin-pathy” in the comics). Realizing they looked alike and both had superpowers, they put the pieces together. They weren’t just random metahumans—they were the lost children of the Green Lantern.
Rejected by the JSA, Embraced by Infinity
This is where Jade’s origin becomes a classic superhero underdog story.
Jenny and Todd (now calling himself Obsidian) tracked down the Justice Society of America (JSA) to demand membership. They marched right up to Alan Scott and dropped the bombshell: “Hi, we’re your kids.”
It was a shock, to say the least. But the JSA, being an older and more traditional “club,” actually rejected them. They felt the kids were too young and inexperienced.
Not taking “no” for an answer, Jade and Obsidian teamed up with other rejected sidekicks (like Atom Smasher and Northwind) to form their own team: Infinity, Inc.
It was in the pages of Infinity, Inc. that Jade truly became a hero. She adopted the codename “Jade” not just because of her skin, but because she was precious and tough. She proved she didn’t need her father’s permission to be a hero—she just needed his genetics.
