Hammond exit prison to pursue the entity trapped inside Larfleeze's lantern. Hammond attacks Larfleeze and Hal Jordan and during the fight manages to swallow Larfleeze's battery, allowing the entity, Ophidian, to possess his body just as Parallax possessed Hal's. The battle with Ophidian does not go very well for Hal or Larfleeze. While fleeing Ophidian, Larfleeze admits that he was not entirely honest about his ownership of the orange lantern and that he and Ophidian have a rather antagonistic relationship; however, he is quick to blame Ophidian for starting whatever it was that came between them. Ophidian states that Larfleeze was the only being in the universe capable of resisting his temptations, thereby allowing Larfleeze to subdue him and become Agent Orange and now it is Larfleeze's turn to be subdued and used by Ophidian. Ophidian then attempts to devour Larfleeze, but he is saved by Hal. After that, the desires of Hector begin to override those of Ophidian and he leaves to search for his ultimate desire: "Carol Ferris". Ophidian would later apparently reassert its hold on Hector as he joins Krona and helps the renegade Guardian of the Universe discover the location of the Butcher and was last seen returning with Krona to Ryut where he began purging the universe of all emotionally unbalanced beings. Hector's fate afterwards remains unknown as the Orange Battery is seen in the Book of the Black which prompted Larfleeze to try to recover it only to be trapped himself in the Book and Ophidian is seen without its host, launching, along with the other entities and Krona, an attack on Oa, where it possessed a Guardian of the Universe. The New 52 In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Hector Hammond first appears in Superman #18, seen comatose as a prisoner in S.T.A.R Labs, where he suddenly recovers the ability to dream. However, when Orion arrives in the lab looking for Superman, he detects Hammond to be brain dead and leaves. Hammond is seen in an uneasy alliance with the H.I.V.E. He later plays an important role in the Superman: Psi War story arc. His comatose body is stolen from S.T.A.R. Labs by H.I.V.E. agents. The H.I.V.E. Queen's plan is to use his considerable mental powers to mentally enslave the world in preparation for Brainiac's return. However, by chance, a live cable in his life support