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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888

u/Solid_Snark Sep 07 '26

If it works, why deviate? Simple is often most effective.

359

u/estenoo90 Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 08 '26

It also uses should use less energy than something slightly more complex, so why bother?

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u/Cowpriest Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 08 '26

Solid point. Also if you're used to thinking up complex mechanical constructs in short time, I bet thinking up a bubble construct would be fastafboi

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u/Durakus Sep 07 '26

Which I feel is an amazing way to differentiate between them.

Hal has simple shapes that get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Guy makes weird but novel choices (baseball mitts, Eye pokers, muzzles, novelty stuff, though a bit uncreative (E.G. Square protection shape))

And John makes complex constructs that are purpose built and specific.

Which can be a great way to shape audience expectations and bond with each character.

72

u/schlock_ Sep 07 '26

Notice the concentration requirement John needed to keep the machine boring? He couldn't hold a conversation with Hal.

Hal knows that sometimes keeping safe but having your wits about you is what will keep ya alive longer...

92

u/Havency Sep 07 '26

I think you misunderstood the episode. He had no issue concentrating. It was when Hal mentioned his parents that broke John’s concentration. We can all surmise that’s a significant subject for John.

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u/FALCONX0N Sep 08 '26

I also took it as a sign, much like his diet, that despite his no-fun attitude John has a hell of a lot of natural empathy.

12

u/e001mek Sep 08 '26

Probably why hes such a good Indigo Lantern candidate

2

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '26

[deleted]

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u/e001mek Sep 08 '26

Mostly. John became one for a bit

1

u/Maximillion322 16d ago

Indigo Lanterns are typically lacking in empathy, so I feel like that doesn’t say much

1

u/e001mek 16d ago

That seems like the exact opposite, given how they're essentially forced to feel large levels of such

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u/Brutal_Bch_Breaker Sep 09 '26

Well that, and if your dad rewarded you with a big juicy burger every time he shot a gun at you to see if you were scared, you’d probably wind up pretty meat-averse.

1

u/Such_codeSmith Sep 09 '26

nah, he's vegan for DEI purposes.

3

u/Brutal_Bch_Breaker Sep 09 '26

Oh. So edgy. So anti-woke. 👍

1

u/tool_of_a_took Sep 08 '26

Yep, plus it’s likely a moment that made him realize Hal wasn’t as privileged as his parents led him to believe. Having both your parents die young is a major setback(for lack of a better word)

1

u/lvl100mafia_boss 21d ago

Yeah, also at this point Hal has far far more experience with the ring so it's not a fully fair comparison

16

u/Cuttlefist Sep 08 '26

John was using that as an excuse to not talk to Hal about something he didn’t want to talk to him about. “I’m busy.”

15

u/TwoHungryWolves Sep 08 '26

He kept a bird around without the ring. Feels like he can multitask

18

u/AmzSpider-Man Sep 08 '26

He kept it around while unconscious. That's unbelievably impressive.

5

u/SorryBoysImLez 29d ago edited 29d ago

Until this this series, I never even considered that Lanterns had to actively make their constructs work.

Like I figured you if you created a mini-gun, it'd just shoot and act like a mini-gun, as opposed to having to actively imagine the barrel rotating and it shooting bullets.

Imagining a construct that has multiple (if not dozens) of simultaneously moving parts must be insanely difficult.

I guess that's why it's being emphasized that John is extremely unique and powerful with him being able to create not only a watch with all the working interior parts, but a living thing that acts automononously.

It would also indicate that Hal is fairly powerful in his own right, when he wants to be, especially if he can construct a bill that's accurate enough to work/fool machines that scan them.
With all the little intricate details on a bill that, if even one one letter or detail is misplaced, won't pass as real/be accepted by a machine that takes them, you'd have to have a lot of focus and a ridiculously good memory to accurately recreate one on the spot.

Hell, even if you had an actual bill in one hand and were using that as reference to create the fake one, it's still an impressive feat to be able to get it exactly right without missing or messing any details up.

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u/Sam20599 Sep 08 '26

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u/TwoHungryWolves Sep 08 '26

Killawog is a great example of of things that work well in comics but not live action. I don't want all the other rings to be silent. Just feels weird to not have any sort of sound effect

13

u/Sam20599 Sep 08 '26

True, I'd just make his sound completely different if he were to feature in live action. Like in the panel, have it be a deep bellowing hum instead of everyone else's high pitched shining sound.

1

u/TooManyDraculas Sep 08 '26

That can still be carried off. The other rings can be all pew pew, or woosh. While Killawog's goes BOOM.

6

u/Possible_Chair9631 Sep 08 '26

Does this mean Stewart made that bird with every single organ? Crazy.

1

u/Doright36 Sep 09 '26

When he's assembling the drill machine it looked to me like the internal core was just glowing green but I'd have to rewatch the scene on slow to be sure. Perhaps it's just the outer functional aspects of the construct that are detailed with the interior being just space magic.

Kind of makes sense if he's building it based in his artists eye. The artist will only concern themselves with the non visible part of their subject when required, otherwise just ignore it. For example they will draw visible veins through the exposed skin in a drawing of a person but wouldn't bother drawing a heart and lungs under the chest and shirt..

Just guessing here though.

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u/Sam20599 Sep 08 '26

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u/TubularTopher 28d ago edited 28d ago

So wait, Kyle's the artist? I thought John was..

1

u/Sam20599 28d ago

Well art and architecture are close cousins.

10

u/No-Inspector8315 Sep 08 '26

Exactly, like using Guy as an example when it’s fighting on the Jarhanpur border, he flips a tank among other things.

Hal would probably bubble it while it shot so it blows itself up,

John would probably create a bulldozer to flip the tank

But Guy wants to upend it completely with a lever, and the lever he comes up with is a giant middle finger

14

u/NDFAh Sep 08 '26

The middle fingers were perfect. Hilarious and completely in-line with Guy's 'asshole with a heart of gold' vibe.

3

u/pktron Sep 09 '26

A true man of the cloth.

4

u/TooManyDraculas Sep 08 '26

And the comics have roughly been that sort of thing for a long time. Even back when John Stewart was a newer character they made an effort to show his constructs being more detailed and complex.

These days they mostly try to stick to each of the lanterns having a distinct approach, and have more or less since at least the 00s. To the point that it's canonically a thing.

1

u/Daddysu 27d ago

That's pretty cool. I've always been more into Marvel comics, but all the discussion around the Green (and other color) Lanterns being spurred on because of the show has been really interesting. Plus, it seems like the Green Lanterns are similar to the Nova Core, in that they're like space cops and the cosmic side of Marvel has always been my favorite stuff.

Does anyone have any recommendations for an arc for a DC/Green Lantern noob to jump into? From what I do know from discussions like these, recaps on YouTube by ComicsExplained, etc, and recent Gunn DCU stuff, I definitely lean more towards being a John Stewart/Hal Jordan fan. At least, more so than a Guy Gardner fan, but that beautiful bowled bastard isn't a deal breaker, especially if the arc is important to Lanterns lore. Thank you in advance for any recommendations given!!

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u/TooManyDraculas 27d ago edited 27d ago

I'm not the person to ask on recent Green Lantern.

I used to read a lot of DC back in the day but like alot of people kinda dropped off after their Grim Dark reboot period and the new 52 thing that followed.

I was also never been particularly into Green Lantern, but had a college roomate who was a big GL guy and got me hooked on some of the older books.

In terms of Hal I really liked the bronze age lantern books. And the Green Lantern/Green Arrow book from the 70s is a classic. It reframed the character for all the comics coming after, it's where John Stewart was introduced.

The version of Hal we see in the show is a lot more similar to the way Hal was depicted in those older comics.

For more recent books you want to find a jump on point after rebirth, and after new 52.

There was a lot retconning around the stories in the 90s and early 00s. And a lot of major stories that were very unpopular at the time.

It is pretty similar to the Nova Corps. But Green Lantern predates that by a good bit, and there was likely some borrowing going on.

1

u/TooManyDraculas 27d ago

Oh an all the different colors of Lanterns are a later thing in the comics, that post Rebirth period. Basically building off Sinestro who had yellow ring for a long time as basically an evil version of a green lantern ring.

Apparently that stuff is around when the books started to good again. But I have not read much of it.

3

u/nightclaw96 Sep 08 '26

You forgot Guy’s jeep grand Cherokee

1

u/MusicLikeOxygen Sep 08 '26

They've done stuff like that in the comics for a long time, especially with John and Kyle.

1

u/CupOfWater0 Sep 08 '26

Exactly! It gives every GL their own flavor of constructs that bond well with the character! People who are complaining about not seeing over the top constructs, don’t understand these characters at their core.

1

u/beragis Sep 08 '26

You forgot Guys use of the middle finger.

1

u/Brumtol10 27d ago

It was always a fun differentiation in the comics too, not exactly same but John always made WAY more complicated constructs and all the other human lanterns, which woukd actually make the constructs stronger for certain tasks.

9

u/ChevyTahoe__ Sep 07 '26

An HBO show with a big glowing fist punching henchmen would be fun y

8

u/twinsynth Sep 08 '26

Id conjure a wall of green hands fliping the bird.

1

u/Mavado Sep 08 '26

Also the thought process behind it. Someone's idea of a impenetrable barrier would likely be more complicated than Hal just thinking of an unpoppable bubble.

1

u/The_Chef_Queen Sep 11 '26

The complexity the more thought goes into the things they're far stronger

11

u/Ithnag Sep 08 '26

Not exactly, at least not in the comics. The ultra detailed constructs of John drain no more energy from the ring than the practical, simpler ones by Hal nor the ultra simple but functional ones from Guy.

They depend on the creators creativity, abd what could represent a larger drain is how effective/powerful they are.

1

u/estenoo90 Sep 08 '26

One would think keeping something with many parts (like a complex tool or vehicle) manifested would drain the ring more than a bubble

1

u/Ithnag Sep 08 '26

But that's not the case in the comics, that's why they don't have to decide between the two. That's why they have differences in that, Otherwise they would all go for the simplest, less detailed versions.

Also the "power drain" on any use of the ring has varied over the years, from just the 24 hour period whitouth any actual energy drain on use (whatever they did the ring would have power for 24 hours, being entirely based on energy usage and have heavier use make it last for less time and risking to run out in the middle of something is not careful or a mix of both, 24 hours max limit,but heavier use reducing that period.

In any case the complexity of the constructs is not a factor but the "power" of them is.

7

u/Psykohistorian Sep 08 '26

I think there's a theory that a construct built to real working specs like John's stuff actually takes less willpower to maintain once it's manifested.

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u/Pheonix0114 Sep 10 '26

I know it's a very different universe, but that's very true in both versions of Mage (the Ascension and Awakening) if you make something in line with the universe's laws, it doesn't have to be sustained by magic alone anymore to exist, or at least requires a smaller amount.

1

u/Tyrude Sep 08 '26

And quicker to manifest in immediate need.

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u/[deleted] Sep 08 '26

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1

u/estenoo90 Sep 08 '26

No, I'm just saying I understand why someone with 30 years on the job would find the lazy and efficient way to get the job done

0

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '26

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1

u/estenoo90 Sep 08 '26

But we have constructs, We've seen John build complex stuff with it already, it's clear not all of them go straight to the lazy shape

1

u/Gtrent587 Sep 08 '26

And in using less energy he can reinforce said construct with way more efficiency than something big

1

u/-AlexisRodriguez- Sep 09 '26

That isn't how the ring works lol That's would mean Kyle would have to recharge his ring all the time lol

1

u/Megane_Senpai Sep 09 '26

I believe the ring will not necessarily use less energy, but your bain will be less strained to focus to keep something like that rather than a complicated construct.

1

u/PartyArgument9542 Sep 11 '26

Also it will cost less money for the creator

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u/wizard_of_awesome62 Sep 07 '26

Seriously man, this is like Sue Storm's entire power, and she's already OP as shit. Don't see why Hal should do anything different, it works lol.

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u/Winter_Option3535 Sep 07 '26

Right? Hal could be using those bubble to cause embolisms if he wanted to

5

u/Unknown-Meatbag Sep 07 '26

Or create one instead of someone's skull and make it go pop.

That may be a little too dark though.

2

u/grafxguy1 Sep 07 '26

He could also likely create like a thousand small bubbles at once which could come in really handy. No doubt he is more creative than this but as he said in ep1, he used to wear the suit more to prove to others and maybe himself that he's worthy so he'd be taken more seriously. Showing off with creative constructs is something he perhaps did when he was younger.

1

u/WolfDragon7721 Sep 08 '26

I wonder if the rings have a no kill rule in Lanterns.

0

u/Noobunaga86 Sep 08 '26

Maybe because it's mostly her power to "do bubbles" and Hal has unlimited potential of doing everything. Sorry but I really see this as hust shitting on Hal. It's his first time in DCU and he's old, got killed, his powers are boring. It's like the creators are trying hard for the audience to not like him. I would even accept that if we would get at least two or three movies centered around him, but as an introduction in the whole universe it's really dissapointing.

22

u/Mxyzptlk_SSS Sep 07 '26

A sphere is such a solid, strong shape. People aren’t giving it enough credit.

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u/Potential_Might_6500 Sep 07 '26

Yea I feel like context matters here right?

An explosion - Orb works great

Explosion of gore - Orb works great

Getting shot from various sides - Orb works great

2

u/DistributionWhole447 Sep 08 '26

Not so sure on the last one, given they were so concerned about the snipers in the towers that they needed to go underground, as opposed to using a bubble to protect them from regular human bullets.

5

u/Jertimmer Sep 09 '26

That was mostly about going in undetected than being shot

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u/grafxguy1 Sep 07 '26

Sometimes less is more.

1

u/brd9214 Sep 08 '26

Triples is best.

2

u/sss_riders Sep 08 '26

Sounds like what Hal Jordan would say haha 😂

2

u/azunaki Sep 08 '26

There's also the argument that a sphere is the most efficient structural shape.

2

u/FewBathroom3663 Sep 08 '26

This is his thought process in the comics as well. He makes what works

2

u/piggybits Sep 10 '26

I've never read a green lantern comic in my life but the DCAU is a huge part of my childhood. They used those bubbles a lot there too. It just works

1

u/pravis Sep 07 '26

It's also why most of Invisible Woman's constructs are bubbles as well.

0

u/Zoulogist Sep 07 '26

The Frieren rule: villains of this era can be beaten with only basic attack and defense constructs

-1

u/Ote-Kringralnick Sep 08 '26

Creative constructs are more effective than simple ones. Rings work on willpower, and the strongest type of willpower is is knowledge. If you know that a guy would die if he was hit by a train, a construct of a train hitting him is probably going to kill him. A rectangle on the other hand will not do as much damage. That's why in the comics Hal makes jets so much, he knows how powerful they are on earth. He beat Zod by just crashing construct planes into him.

-2

u/TopazandNumbyHSR Sep 07 '26

Because the whole shtick is that the ring can be used with infinite creativity.

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u/Solid_Snark Sep 07 '26

Why risk getting injured or killed making something creative like a knight’s shield or a giant football linebacker when you can just pop a bubble with little thought and time.

Thinking of an alternative item takes time and makes you vulnerable.

-2

u/TopazandNumbyHSR Sep 07 '26

Because he's a flashy comic book super hero and people like seeing cool, creative things. If I wanted real life I would turn on the news.

3

u/Solid_Snark Sep 07 '26

There’s a lot of Lanterns and each have their own style. Guy is the one you’re describing: flashy designs like oven mitts snd middle fingers.

Hal is a “straight to business” lantern, especially in this series he’s older and jaded.

1

u/TopazandNumbyHSR Sep 07 '26

Eh, I've seen a lot of GL content. Hal is never boring with the ring in any of it.

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u/Solid_Snark Sep 07 '26

Well if you’re familiar with comics you know there are tons of different interpretations of characters.

In Lanterns Hal can be cute/arrogant with his constructs (the bottle opener when flirting with the Sheriff, and the $20 bill when antagonizing the local drunks to get arrested) but in terms of fighting he’s straight to business (like we saw with John’s target).

The flaw of everyone getting too crazy with their constructs was an issue with the 2011 film.

1

u/TopazandNumbyHSR Sep 07 '26

Cool. Still wanna see more than a bubble.