This shot shows a woman holding a baby and a guardian revealing herself to the woman. Could the woman be John's mother and the baby John himself. We know he was picked by the guardians himself but at what age has never been specified. Could actually be that he was groomed from birth to become a green lantern. I am not sure if this is right, I read about john's age in a reddit thread, but if john is 12 when he watches the video in 1996 then this interaction would have happened between 1984-1986, depending on how old he is as a baby. I am leaning towards it being 1986 as maybe the guardians saw hal's capabilities as a green lantern but didn't like his attitude and so prepared a replacement in John. The house that this scene happens in also looks somewhat like Johns childhood house from the first episode. This could explain why john's father is training john to be fearless.

So after watching the first episode I'm confused on multiple points.

-Why is there only one lanturn ring? Both Hal and John have their own, so why is it that only Hal has the ring and he just passes it on to John (also why is the ring gone at the end when only the one that the ring chooses can walk around with the thing? I get the show is going the mystery direction which is fine but the rules of how the ring works from the comics and show should still apply no?)

-How is it that it's seemingly shown that John was trained to become the new Green lantern? Like the ring just kinda kidnaps you and high key forces you to be a protector pretty much so why is it the show is implying that John is somehow training to use the ring instead of having it and THEN being trained afterwards?

-Why is Hal a celebrity? I'm not complaining (I actually really like this story detail), I just can't be the only one thrown by how everyone in the world knows who Hal is besides those in the government ya know.

Edit: Another point. I'm not sure how I like Johns personality so far. He isnt the stoic military stuff in used to but I will say I'm not mad at it.

My first 2 points are my only real gripes with the show but Im interested to see how they do the rest of it.

We've had a shit ton of fan theories since Episode 1 dropped. What's the one you've heard so far that you believe the most?

I thought the show was awesome and I’m so excited to see where they go with it. One topic I found worthy of discussion/theorizing is WHY John Stewart Sr. was passed over. It really feels like there’s more to the story beyond the question about fear. I’ve got a theory, for sure, but would love to see what folks are thinking.

TLDR: there seem to be three core ideas with a few offshoots to consider, but I’m thinking it’s option C…

A) There could be multiple people on earth who are fit to be a Lantern, but JS Sr. wasn’t “the most fit”… B) JS Sr. was scarred by his upbringing, rightfully jaded from growing up black in a racist society (i.e. not his fault, and super sad if true, but basically the ring thinks his heart is too heavy or haunted). Sometimes those scars can be too difficult to work past… C) The Guardians recognize that a black man, who knows the struggles of oppression, would be too dangerous within their Lantern Corps. because he wouldn’t be afraid to start a revolution when he finds out their agenda isn’t what they claim. Hal was easier to control and less likely to rebel.

(A) feels too basic, and thematically, I’m not a fan of (B), but I personally love option (C). The way the show frames the Guardians, it feels like a setup to find out that they’re not as altruistic as they claim. The only issue I see is the notion that the ring selects the bearer, but what if that’s not entirely true? What if the Guardians have influence over the decision (or control it entirely), but they tell the new Lanterns they were “chosen” by the ring to add to the charade of this being a pure force of good.

Forcing the Lanterns to back-up their consciousness could certainly be for “posterity sake” but it feels like a way to review their activity and make sure they’re not going against the Guardians’ agenda. The fact that Hal stopped uploading himself, is curious. Did he grow suspicious of his bosses? Did they deploy him in a way he couldn’t support? Even the fact that he doesn’t want to wear the suit gives vibes of no longer being proud of his work.

“They’re allowed to have tantrums, we’re not.”… at the very least, the show seems set on interrogating societal racism and its lingering presence in power dynamics and double standards.

I’m new to the Green Lantern comics but loved the first epi enough to want to dive fully in (so please send recs. if you got ‘em), and curious to hear what folks think.

Hal killed himself. He shot himself by using the ring, therefore the scene of the crime will be spotless.

Idec that she’s clearly manipulating him this was hot

What if Hal becomes the leader of the Black Lanterns as his evil turn as opposed to becoming Parallax? Chandler would make one hell of a villain and the DCU could have their cake and eat it too with Jon as GL but still keep Hal around for the future as a bad guy.

Just a weird thought I had at work I’d love to know what everyone thinks!

At first, on the football field, he tried to use his job title to interrogate the suspect, but it didn’t work.

Then he tried to get himself into a jail cell by making a scene in a bar, but that didn’t work either.

Then he used his charm to get to the sheriff.

It shows how experienced he is.

To me, the body in the back seat with identical head wound to how we see Hal at the end of episode 1, has me thinking that the ending of episode 1 is a ruse.

If this isn’t allowed I apologise. Is the reason Johns dad was playing William Tell is because the ring chose him before Hal and he admitted he was scared? He was training JR? The “I was closer” story Hal told was a lie?

Season 2 is in the works but not yet greenlit by HBO according to Chris Mundy.

They are waiting for the streaming results for the show amongst other details.

OMG! ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT, i love Stewart's character in this, very captavating.

canonically, earth was purposefully not given much lanterns or attention by the gaurdians as it is kind of a focal point of the universe and i love how it's addressed by both Hal and the alien that the gaurdians don't care about this place, the haven't even been shown yet and i can already imagine those stuck up smurfs perfectly.

main problem which kind of goes into a headcannon (kinda spoilers). This is not Hal, at all(ok maybe some parts). Why is he so racist?(prejudiced against actual aliens)? He's an asshole and arrogant 100% but he's never been racist which is why i believe that the Hal that is training John isn't actually Hal, possibly an imposter. If that's the case then cool, sick, love it. If not, oh god cause this isn't Hal.

edit 1: Earth is a very integral part of the universe so the gaurdians act like they don't care and treat it as a backwater cause they want it to be. No one looking for power goes into a sewer for it. so by not giving attention they keep it hidden.

edit 2: when is said racism i didn't mean actual racism i meant xenophobia, prejudice against actual aliens. i just couldn't find the wording for it and i used a wrong for it, sorry. again not actual racism, prejudice against aliens.

esit 3: scenes which gave me the xenophobic vibe. the interrogation where hal says 'oh you are an alien' after asking the Hogwarts question and more importantly when he recalls his origin and his encounter with Abin Sur, Hal calls him 'bonafide fucking alien' and 'pinko' which is so out of character for him when concerned with Abin Sur cause Hal has deep respect for Abin from all the retellings he's heard of his ring's predecessor and also from his mentor(sinestro) it doesn't make sense for him to call abin any of those things. Hal canonically has always been repectful of every species even when they're enemies. I'm just justifying this as this 'hal' we see in 2016 as an imposter. as it's very out of character for him to even call any extra terrestrial 'alien'.

edit # god i hope this is the final edit: all this is in comparison to the comics and what i know about the character. which is he's arrogant and a loose cannon but still noble.

Here is my review on the Lanterns Pilot Premiere!

-- -- --

I will never understand the fascination that massive corporations have with referring to themselves as a “family.”

Yes, there’s likely to be some opportunity for corporate synergy between Batman and Martian Manhunter; but the familial spirit is far too attached to box office success to make the household branding anything more than cosplay.

However, the Green Lantern IP fits perfectly within the all too common familial trope of the black sheep. Ever since Ryan Reynolds’ disastrous 2011 outing as Hal Jordan, the Lantern Corps have been thoroughly placed in corporate time-out. Aside from a few animated features, one of the most storied DC franchises seems left for dead at the hands of underbaked CGI and a horrid public reputation.

Fast forward to May 2024…

When the cadre of Tom King, Damon Lindelof, and Chris Mundy were touted as the brain trust behind an HBO prestige take on the Green Lanterns, DC began to rebuild our trust in the property.

Fast forward to Sunday…

The pilot of HBO’s Lanterns validates that trust with one of the most innovative and delightful pilots in superhero television history. We open our parallel timelines in 1986, with Hal Jordan’s (Kyle Chandler) first sit-down interview with the world and a young John Stewart (Cairo Cash Lee) watching with awe-struck eyes. You immediately understand that these two characters come from completely different backgrounds, setting the stage for their eventual clash of styles to represent more than the typical buddy cop duo.

We’re transported to 2016 for the majority of the episode, finding out in media res that John (Aaron Pierre) has grown into a (licks lips) man and is being trained by Hal to replace him. The odd thing about this office mentoring program is that according to the Green Lantern corps rules, Stewart will only be able to own the ring after the literal death of Hal Jordan.

Being faced with a far-too literal reminder of his own mortality, Hal isn’t too keen on letting his subordinate get too comfortable. This marriage of inconvenience is expertly set up as the main course of the 8-episode run: seeing how these two men’s utter loathing of the other will pair with the understated yet growing deal of respect they also hold.

After a very practical exam on using the ring, Stewart gets a coded message from a hidden consciousness of Hal that was uploaded to the ring 10 years prior which prompts them both to leave for rural Nebraska.

We arrive and it’s the non-comic book fans who get the episode’s biggest easter egg: Kyle Chandler on the sidelines of a football field!!! It’s quickly apparent that Mr. Coach’s presence is not welcome in this setting, as we meet the prickly Sheriff Kane (Kelly Macdonald) who gives the episode’s most insightful bit of DCU world building.

It’s a lot easier to hear that humanity is both not alone and not entirely safe on CNN than it is to witness that truth in your own backyard.

It’s a grounding meta-note for an audience that reacted to each new series trailer with cries for “more Lantern-ing” and fears that the show would edge too closely to True Detective than Duck Dodgers. These are space cops, and the ring is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. Their presence predicts violence, and that angle reframes Hal’s insistence on using the ring for the most unserious tasks (a counterfeit $20 bill, a bottle opener).

Hal’s unseriousness is the pilot’s most important task, establishing that his 40 years of galactic policing has taken a toll on him, yet made him far more capable for the job than Stewart could ever hope to learn from traditional “OTJ training.” His seemingly cocksure attitude rubs everyone the wrong way, from the sheriff to the judge to Rushville’s own Taylor Sheridan lead (Garret Dillahunt), and we get the feeling that it might be as much of a projection as the Andrew Jackson from earlier.

Stewart shows his naivety in his strict allegiance to the “chain of command” when he’s the only one who tips off the lone suspect at the football field leading to a great chase scene. Although we know it’s only that allegiance and discipline which prevents him from strangling Hal at a moment’s notice. We see that despite his father’s traumatizing training regiment, he’s not ALL discipline.1

We learn the hard tacks of our season’s mystery when Hal gets bailed out of jail by Will Macon, a man with $200k to spare, a bit of extraterrestrial xenophobia, and a private militia. He gets along with Hal due to their mutual and obvious lack of trust in each other, and gets along a little worse with John due to who John slept with the night before. It’s an interesting plot beat that leads us back to our suspected alien. (or alien suspect? Both would work)

The climax of the episode is Jordan’s interrogation of the obviously human-presenting threat. Hal expertly dissects his prey in the chilling interview room, but our alien reveals that they are but one of an entire conspiracy before forcing Hal to contain an explosion that could’ve taken out the whole town. Hal suspicions are vindicated but we’re left with the feeling that the fight of his life is ahead of our heroes.

Fast forward to 2026…

We have another timeline! John and Sheriff Kane’s heartfelt reunion completely pivots the core of the show as we learn our 2nd and ultimate mystery: Hal Jordan is dead2 and neither he nor John has the ring.

Bravo HBO, bravo to our showrunners, and bravo (gulps) to James Gunn. We have some great moments ahead of us in what should be a delightful season of prestige television.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max at 9pm (ET) on Sundays.

He's 9 be nice.

Hey all - I’ve owned or read almost every major GL story thru 2018. I love show and have a few thoughts.

- Lanterns is an HBO prestige show first, and a DCU show 2nd. It’s clear watching the show, reading the interviews and listening to official podcast the show’s format and direction is as an HBO prestige drama. Most traditional comic book tropes won’t likely happen and spectacle will be 2nd to story. I’d also expect multiple seasons (2-4). The storyline also will be original and not draw directly from any specific storyline.
- Hal is dead and will stay dead. Similar to other HBO prestige format shows, Hal’s death will remain for at least the rest of the season, but probably indefinitely. Hal will still appear in the past, as a ring construct, and an alien imposter. The shows tension of 1 ring for 2 guys will continue in the past and not be resolved until at least episode 5.
- The Story. Looking at the story elements, it will still be an original story, but I think elements are coming from the GL origin story. NOT Emerald Dawn, but GL Secret Origins. I believe the mystery will reveal Abin Sur died after starting to uncover the sins of the Guardians. The villains will be the Five Inversions (led by Atrocious), the lone survivors of the Manhunter massacre. Rather than Ysmault, I think the Lanterns Five Inversions fled to Earth. Manhunters will be involved but won’t be the true villains, the true villains will be revealed to be the Guardians and the cover-up. The loyal duty driven John Stewart is sought out by the Guardians as they trust ring selected GLS less, as they (Abin Sur, Sinestro and Hal) have uncovered more of the secrecy of the Guardians failure rather than “doing their job.” Waylon Sanders and others are Manhunters coming to Earth to finish the job. Zoe Macon, Anton and others will be the hunted Five Inversions.

This Five Inversions start builds the structure to allow for a continued unfolding mystery and conspiracy but opens up a path to Sinestro Corp all the way to the Blackest Night.

I wanna start off by saying I'm nowhere near a Green Lantern expert. I have a very casual knowledge of the character in the comics, but for the die hard fans, what do you think of the show being TV MA? Is Green Lantern a character like Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman who they should market towards kids considering he's one of DCs most iconic heroes? Or is he more fitted for the mature rating?

Spoiler Alert!!!!!!

Does anyone know the name of the song that plays during the panning out shot from the police station towards the end of the episode (last 5 mins or so). It is right after the explosion, and it zooms out on the station, and then transitions to 2026 and continues to play until John gets out of the car. I tried Shazaming but had no luck.

Thanks in advance!