A Labor Day Tribute: 10 Cool Jobs Held By Super Heroes

Test Pilot

Job held by: Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)

It’s hard for people of Gen X or later to fully comprehend since we’ve all grown up during times when air travel was commonplace, but that wasn’t always the case. Brave men had to push the boundaries of what was possible in airplanes, which is why a test pilot would be a very cool job indeed.

It would probably help if you were without fear, or at least extremely talented at overcoming fear, which is the way Hal Jordan’s character is defined in modern times. He certainly was that, even before he was summoned by the pilot of a downed alien craft and given one of the most powerful weapons in the universe.

To me, it always made sense that Hal would be one of the members of the Green Lantern Corps who would rebel a bit and march to the beat of his own drummer simply because of what he did in his civilian life. Being a test pilot meant going past the limit, even when the smarter move would be to play it safe, but the Silver Age Green Lantern rarely did that.

It just wasn’t his style. Like some other origins of DC super heroes’ Hal’s has been revamped a bit, but he’ll always be a Ferris Air test pilot in my mind.

Next: Hero Times Two