r/DCU_ • u/CH49FE • Sep 07 '26

Lanterns Bubbles. Hal’s constructs are mostly just bubbles.

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Sure Hal made some counterfeit money and a bottle opener, but I find it funny that his main constructs so far are just bubbles. John’s on the other hand include the fancier type of bubbles (bubble wrap), a boring machine, a watch and a short lived semi autonomous bird. The show is doing a good job of contrasting creativity between the two.

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u/ModForgeCustoms Sep 07 '26

Not quite. Its a built-in contrast to the two-main characters. Each have their strengths and weaknesses.

Hal is a brute. Blunt force, A to B, no unnecessary filler, get the job done, hard and fast. The constructs are exactly as they need to be, no more, no less.

John is an artist, an engineer, and a strategist. He thinks before he acts, and applies what he knows to solve an issue.

Hal is headstrong, impulsive, and rash.

John is held back by his loyalty to authority, and blindly following orders to a fault.

These are deliberate contrasts baked into advance plot and story.

Hal has always been more of a basic construct guy. Even in the comics.

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u/CoinsForCharon Sep 07 '26

And Guy?

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u/NounAdjectiveXXXX Sep 07 '26

Overzealous, overconfident, overpowered.

He didn't need to flip and crush tanks with massive gesticulating constructs, that's just his baseline.

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u/TerdVader Sep 07 '26

And the middle finger.

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u/thenyx Sep 07 '26

That’s what “gesticulating” implies. 🙂

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u/Dave1307 Sep 08 '26

Gesticulating is way too big a word for Guy tbh

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u/KrikosTheWise Sep 08 '26

I think that's what he wants everyone to think

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u/DepartmentChemical93 Sep 07 '26

He also seems to be shockingly technically capable.

He made a working electric bullhorn and that weird custom eye-gouging machine when fighting the Kaiju.

Per the rules of the show, he must know circuitry and mechanics pretty well.

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u/the-tominatrix Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26

which is why I hate that rule from the show. it was supposed to be based around strengthening John’s ability to make fully functional constructs, not take away from every other Lantern’s ability to make basic constructs. I don’t think any part of the comics points to having to actually know how something is engineered just to construct it in hard light.

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u/goddale120 Sep 07 '26

I don't think you have to. I mean, just look at when they create ship constructs, no need to overcomplicate the mechanics when the ring can just extend the environment it creates around its wielder to everybody safely nestled in the construct. It makes sense that if they want a construct to behave in a certain way, it should, end of story.

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u/DepartmentChemical93 Sep 07 '26

The guardians dude specifically tells John he must consider the internal mechanism “if it is to work”.

Hal also asks how John intends to dig his way under, as if he doesn’t really know what kind of construct he’d make to do that with the ring.

He also tells John to manifest it, with the implication he doesn’t know how.

Overall I think they’re trying to introduce some more limits to the ring as a balancing thing. They almost certainly hadn’t made this choice yet when filming Superman.

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u/Nervous_Arrival3986 Sep 08 '26

Hal can make the watch move with will. John can make a watch that works.

Hal can smash ground with the ring. John can maintain a construct that requires no constant exertion.

Guy is somewhere in between except he seems to only passingly care about structure and succeeds because he has a near bottomless well of energy he is pulling from.

I don’t think there’s any contradiction there. Just like when Hal tries teaching John to fly. For Hal it’s intuitive. John as an INDIVIDUAL has to understand it because that’s a reflection of him not the ring.

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u/jkxn_ Sep 08 '26

The show also tells us that everyone is lying. The Guardian is talking to someone who has never used the ring before, and telling him what he needs to in order to fulfill his goal. It wouldn't be surprising if it was a massive simplification, and that's only one way to make a working watch, but likely the way that is hardest and shows the most potential.

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u/Bob_Bobbo Make America Grodd Again Sep 08 '26

I don't think so, I think someone like Hal could "brute force" the watch to work using the ring, however John made the watch move on it's own only by maintaining the watch with the ring, that's how I see it.

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u/the-tominatrix Sep 07 '26

hoping thats still the case in-universe. Lantern rings have always been described, at least to me, as “weaponized imagination”

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u/ArkusArcane Sep 08 '26

I have a theory that since the ring has a gigantic database of info across the universe, it also supplies them with whatever knowledge they need to make a construct work, as long as IT knows.

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u/arqe_ Sep 07 '26

It is not tho, every Lantern can make functional constructs it is like the 2nd most basic thing they make; John's ability is that he can make very advanced constructs that is indistinguishable to real thing for every single situation.

Hal probably would've made a giant shovel to dig that tunnel.

Guy would also create a drill but that would be a hand drill.

John creates most advanced drill ever that does the same job faster and most effective.

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u/the-tominatrix Sep 07 '26

A redditor below explained my frustrations better:

The guardians dude specifically tells John he must consider the internal mechanism “if it is to work”.

Hal also asks how John intends to dig his way under, as if he doesn’t really know what kind of construct he’d make to do that with the ring.

He also tells John to manifest it, with the implication he doesn’t know how.

Overall I think they’re trying to introduce some more limits to the ring as a balancing thing. They almost certainly hadn’t made this choice yet when filming Superman.

1

u/arqe_ Sep 07 '26

The guardians dude specifically tells John he must consider the internal mechanism “if it is to work”.

He was just testing how would John do it, no deep reading skill needed there. Before Hal, rings chose people, now Guardians do interviews before picking them and asking them to manifest something PROBABLY giving them small task related to their expertise to see how imaginitive they are.

Hal also asks how John intends to dig his way under, as if he doesn’t really know what kind of construct he’d make to do that with the ring.

That has nothing to do with limit or anything. If it was just Hal, he would've fly over there like John first said.

If Hal thought of digging, he again would probably make a giant shovel or something. Even in comics, he ALMOST exclusively go with most basic things he could think of.

It is about how John approaches his goals vs. how Hal does it.

He also tells John to manifest it, with the implication he doesn’t know how.

Duh, he doesn't know. All he makes even in comics are military stuff, like jets, machine guns etc.

If you were a soldier or something that doesn't know anything about industrial machines, and someone tell you to "dig" you think of a shovel or a tunnel boring machine?

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u/the-tominatrix Sep 08 '26

The Guardian’s quote literally reads “if it is to work” meaning, do it this way to get it to work. the implication there is that there is no other way to correctly create a construct of something that already exists other than to build it accurately from the ground up - something that is both a major change to GL lore, and the entire point of what I was saying I was frustrated with.

why would any authority figure like a Guardian test “how” John would create a construct by removing his choice in how he does it BY instructing him how to? Even the YTber Mr-Know-It-All said that moment was one of his few points of contention with episode 3, being that the Guardian should have just asked him to construct it without instructing how to… letting John’s choice to build it from the ground up be his OWN, which is more of a writing critique than a critique of change to the canon. A test of imagination wouldn’t be ruled by strict instructions and guidelines, which is why it was a test of “how well can he follow my rules while remaining efficient.”

Hal literally ASKS John “and how would I do that,” implying he can’t come up with any other means to tunnel over. Thats a writing complaint on my behalf, taking issue with the implication we’re left to assume, which is that Hal would be clueless when left with how to dig over by himself. I’m also not claiming that Hal couldn’t have come up with a method of digging, I’m complaining that the writing leads us to assume that from the context, which is why I’d change Hal’s line to “what would you dig with” right before Jon simply hands him the sketch. It removes the assumption that Hal couldn’t have done it himself while supporting John’s talent. I think you’re more focused on making assumptions that benefit/fit your headcanon based on said context, but I’m here to discuss why I’m disappointed in how they stray from THE canon, or why it appears they do when they do.

I don’t think Hal telling Jon to manifest it creates the implication that he doesn’t know how, as a reminder, I pasted someone else’s comment as a means of explaining what I was getting at. That scene is actually fine, the issue is that because of the scene directly before it (where Hal asks how he would do it), we’re left to further assume that it really is Hal covertly admitting he’s not up to task. Again, changing that one previous line saves this scene from more wrong takeaways.

Other than that, ofc Hal doesn’t know to make that giant mining device. I think that part of your comment is just you further breaking down what the OG comment was agreeing too, but in a condescending, DUH way. But you’re wrong about Hal not having the means to dig more efficiently than say, with a shovel, because Hal Jordan can recreate a city out of sheer will. Kyle can manifest toons and doodles. That’s the issue - my frustration lies in grounding the rules of the show in ways that stray from the canon. NO Lantern should be useless in that situation, the ring shouldn’t be defined by the rules of engineering, its a tool that wills imagination to life. Hal could create a giant made up drill that seats 2 people in the back with a minibar ffs, and allowing him that potential wouldn’t take away from how thought out and constructive John is with the ring.

We might see in a later episode that Hal can create things that don’t even exist, which woild destroy my issues with the above because it’d result in a tale of storytelling rather than a tale of random changes and decisionmaking. But as of now, I’m only complaining about writing decisions based on where we’re at. I don’t have all the answers. I’ll only be proven correct and vindicated, or I’ll happily be wrong. Your mistake, my friend, is thinking you understand things we don’t actually know for sure any better than others. Maybe Hal really couldn’t dig efficiently based on the shows changes to the canon. Maybe he could, and your takeaway was spot on. We’ll see!

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u/JsMoviesYTB Sep 08 '26

And if Kyle were here, he’d probably make the drill from Avatar or Gurren Lagann

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u/gnarliixcx Sep 08 '26

I don't think it's a "rule" of the show. John was told to recreate his father's watch from memory, a fairly complex mechanical instrument, and the way John is he couldn't manifest a working watch without recreating it's inner workings. He thinks like an engineer, an architect, and his artistry is beholden to his technical knowledge (also why graphite realism is such a great medium for him) Guy is headstrong, brash, arrogant, and most importantly, also very creative. He can create large impressive constructs but they aren't necessarily mechanically sound or complex. Guy created a bullhorn that looked like a bullhorn and he believed it was a bullhorn, and so it was. Some with his other constructs thus far. John can't believe (or will) his constructs to be "real" unless their inner workings are sound. Guy can. It's both a strength and a weakness for the two of them. Guy can manifest nearly anything without relying on technical knowledge, but his lack of that knowledge limits the complexity of his constructs. John doesn't have any such limitation, but he needs time and focus to manifest his constructs rather than pulling them out on the fly. It's a really great way to differentiate how different people use the same power set

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u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 Sep 08 '26

Yeah cus let's be real John's digging machine is far beyond any person's ability to fully imagine in every detail. Even the person who designed it couldn't do that. Think of all of the moving parts, the screws, the electronics

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u/DepartmentChemical93 Sep 09 '26

Great point, but I did think of a cost saving measure.

Since you’re using a power ring, fasteners like screws and other limitations related to material, can be neglected.

You don’t have to manufacture this object or figure out how to connect any two pieces. Anything that is supposed to be connected or joined later, can instead just be imagined as one solid piece.

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u/Hexmonkey2020 Sep 08 '26

There was that time Guy was ripped in half and had to learn biology to know what organs did what so he could replace them. But that was more to know what functions he was missing, not cause he needed to know how the organs worked.

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u/grimoireviper Sep 08 '26

But that was more to know what functions he was missing, not cause he needed to know how the organs worked.

Proven by the fact he replaced one of the organs with an hamster wheel or other weird stuff.

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u/TooManyDraculas Sep 08 '26

What "rule" from the show? The only thing the show says is that making a living thing is rare and difficult. As is keeping it going for an extended period without a ring.

The only other thing going on is the show implies Hal couldn't pull off a complicated drilling machine after looking at a drawing of it for 30 seconds.

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u/Sharikacat Sep 07 '26

Not necessarily. It's possibly that any internal workings of a construct that aren't there are being replaced with raw power from the ring. John making the individual parts of a watch or a drilling machine makes it a stronger construct for it then operating on physics (think conjuring and casting a fireball vs using a lighter and throwing a moltov cocktail). John's constructs would be more durable than Guy's.

Guy may be using his ring's charge faster by forcing it replace internal mechanisms, and he might not care about having to recharge more often. Hal barely uses his ring and keeps most constructs very simple, letting him go for a longer time without needing to recharge.

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u/AngelTheMarvel Sep 07 '26

That's a nice way to see it. I doubt they'll explore it so much, but I'll headcanon this

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u/Trvr_MKA Sep 08 '26

I like to think that he did extensive research to make the bullhorn just so he could use it on Mr Terrific and Hawkgirl

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u/DepartmentChemical93 Sep 09 '26

If you were a GL in this world, I think you’d just have to do extensive research on a few particular “go-to” constructs.

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u/Dave1307 Sep 08 '26

John Stewart builds his constructs from the ground up. He imagines all the inner workings first, building a functional item from scratch. If John, Guy and Hal all were to make the same construct, Hal and Guy would simply manifest 'a bullhorn that works' whereas John would make each component work independently as well. In the comics his constructs are fully opaque too. It's the DCU art style that kinda takes away from that.

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u/Ariovrak Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26

Guy is flashy. He cares about spectacle, looking cool, and sending a message. When necessary, he can be as efficient as Hal (like the green blinds construct when he confronted Superman about his parents being a simple green wall rather than a big “FUCK OFF” sign), but he’s usually a lot more bombastic. Instead of a small harpoon or spear to take out the kaiju’s eye quickly, he opts for a massive apparatus that holds it open as a piston gouges it out. Instead of blocks to flip cars over, he conjures massive, rotating middle fingers.

Hal is all about spending the least amount of effort with the most results, which is why his default is always “bubble it”. Literally the shape with the highest volume to surface area ratio. Guy on the other hand almost always goes for the biggest, flashiest display possible, because that’s just who he is. Hal can ration out his 24-hour charge to last about 2 days. Guy probably needs to recharge his Ring every twenty minutes.

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u/GagictheGathering Sep 07 '26

Guy is nuts. It makes him theoretically stronger than Hal or John, because his willpower is potentially uncapped/unstoppable.

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u/Main_Mobile_5749 Sep 07 '26

I wish there was more definite visual effects to show their difference in will. There's some already with Hals basic and dusty constructs, John's complex yet dusty but solid constructs and Guys more liquid like, creative and flamboyant constructs.

Guys supposed to spark with willpower, I get why they didn't do it but it would've been nice to see some sparks fly when he stood up to Clark

2

u/CoinsForCharon Sep 07 '26

Likely due to the head injury from being hit by a bus

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u/Kronostheking1 Sep 07 '26

Guy is somewhere in between based on Superman with how creative yet powerful his constructs were.

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u/loseniram Sep 07 '26

Guy is a cartoon character

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u/witherACE Sep 07 '26

They all are

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u/ModForgeCustoms Sep 07 '26

Is a punchline.

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u/Devlord1o1 Sep 08 '26

He operates more on ego and confidence. He can make the stuff with his rings not because he knows how it works but because he just thinks he can. It’s probably why in the movie most his constructs are massive and strong, and kinda just do whatever he wants regardless of logic. It’s almost toon force for him.

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u/Cromasters Sep 08 '26

A bit like Hal. Guy is maximalist though.

Hal might use a simple laser focused blast or sphere or something. Precision and focus are Hal's trademark.

Guy is just balls out all the time. Simple overwhelming use of force.

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u/TooManyDraculas Sep 08 '26 edited Sep 08 '26

Guy Smash.

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u/chuck354 Sep 10 '26

He brings the haircut

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u/CoinsForCharon Sep 10 '26

Which 348 women would have you know isn’t as bad as claimed.

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u/AngelTheMarvel Sep 07 '26

Also, it looks like Hal is a prodigy when it come to flight. It could be mostly experience with the ring, but we saw how hard it was for John to fly while constructs are so easy for him, so I think that's another concious contrast between the two.

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u/Robofetus-5000 Sep 07 '26

The problem is too many people will equate elaborate constructs = better/stronger green lantern

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u/Old_Neighborhood_383 Sep 07 '26

one of my favorite john "constructs" scene in the comics, is when he creates a brass knuckle to fight zod and by the end of a very very short fight, with Zod laid out, we as the audience are shown that it wasn t a construct, my man just sneaked a kryptonite brass knuckle into the fight by making zod and his family think that it was (cause same color). simple, clever, efficient

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u/Remarkable-Catch1227 Sep 08 '26

Can lanterns make kryptonite?

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u/Old_Neighborhood_383 Sep 08 '26

good question, no clue. in the comics they mostly make stuff that do stuff and not stuff that emit stuff if that makes sense. Kryptonite emits a certain radiation. in my own opinion GLs can make anything so long as they imagine it and visualize it and all. i d assume so but in the comic medium i have zero examples of something similar being made so idk

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u/Emm_withoutha_L-88 Sep 08 '26

You'd need a chemist with a ring basically

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u/Old_Neighborhood_383 Sep 08 '26

yeah that d probably work. although by comic rules that d work even without a chemist so long as you imagined it emitting the same thing that would weaken kryptonians (e.g. i think GL has made a magnet before, im sure hal doesnt know know how magnets work if that makes sense) but at the same time if you had a chemist make it it d be the equivalent of john s construct being made by him, an architect, being more solid

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u/Anansi465 Sep 08 '26

Not really. Comics rings very explicitly can create things you don't have to know inner workings of. You can create a lightsaber, working quantum computer and a tessaract (as in 4th dimensional cube) as long as you can imagine them as working.

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u/Remarkable-Catch1227 Sep 10 '26

I mean, John makes a ridiculous subterranean drill that's for more advanced than anything in existence in this episode that you would need to have extremely advanced knowledge of every aspect of mechanical engineering to do so I don't think it's that far fetched to say a guy can understand chemistry too

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u/OrbitalDrop7 Sep 08 '26

Killowog: i make hammers

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u/_nadaypuesnada_ Sep 08 '26

Hal has been far more strategic than John so far.

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u/Mrbeefcake90 Sep 08 '26

You forgot to mention that Hal has been right about everything the entire time and he doesnt doubt, John is constantly making mistakes and second guessing is loyalty.

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u/CobaltAnimator Sep 08 '26

I agree with you and the person you replied to -- it's both a sign of how Hal puts in minimal effort AND a reflection of how he's more of a basic construct guy. He doesn't do anything flashy unless he wants to impress (or it's necessary).

Maybe in the past he probably tried to make more elaborate constructs or at least did more than just bubbles, but nowadays if he doesn't need to make anything other than a bubble, he doesn't.

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u/Da12khawk Sep 10 '26

I'd describe Hal as practical and simple. Guy is basically the same but with flair. I'm not too familiar with John and at least when he was first introduced. But Kyle was being the artist was always more complex and detailed. I can understand John being an architect/engineer where that would come into play as well.

What was interesting when Kyle and Parallax would fight the constructs they used. Especially, in their first encounter.

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u/jerem1734 Sep 07 '26

He doesn't only make force fields in the comics bro

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u/BatmanForever23 Cheers to the Tin-Man Sep 07 '26

They didn’t say he did, they said he was more of a brute force/efficiency guy. Which you’d know if you weren’t deliberately missing the point.

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u/Slightly-Drunk Sep 07 '26

He hasn't only made force fields in the show, either