2. Hal Jordan
The man we all most closely associate with being a Green Lantern, Hal Jordan is naturally not without fault but without him, there would be no Green Lantern universe to enjoy. He is the first Green Lantern as we have come to know them, the archetype, the blueprint, the de facto leader. No other Lantern is as responsible or been in the center of as many events as Hal. Having both destroyed the Corps and saved them, he walks a thin line between good and evil as his long standing guilt will attest to. His bonding with the Spectre went a long way to right his wrongs and since his "Rebirth," Hal is once again the true hero we all wanted him to be. Though cocky, arrogant and quick tempered, Jordan will always put the needs of others over himself (well, as long as Parallax isn't involved...) and his on-again, off-again stand off with Sinestro provides us with a clear picture of just how quickly noble ideas can turn into terrible consequences.