Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern movie had a costume problem – and the DCU is already poised to fix it. 2011’s Green Lantern was the first live-action adaptation of Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern origin story with Ryan Reynolds in the titular role. Despite Reynolds’ star power and the popularity of comic book movies at the time, the movie was a critical and commercial failure that Reynolds himself has lampooned with relish in Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Criticisms of Green Lantern were leveled at many aspects, but none were so prevalent as those that took aim at the ill-advised CGI super-suit.

Thankfully, the DCU intends to redeem DC Studios’ live-action legacy with a release slate that includes a new Green Lantern adaptation in the form of the Lanterns show. Before then, however, will be Superman, in which Nathan Fillion will debut as the DCU’s first Green Lantern, Guy Gardener. Hotly debated set photos recently revealed a first look at Fillion’s Gardener alongside a slew of other supporting characters, and they have revealed a stark yet promising difference in how the DCU intends to handle this Green Lantern’s super suit.

The DCU’s Green Lantern Costume Is Practical, Not CGI

@clevelanddotcom recently took to Twitter/X to share some Superman set photos that depict Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, and David Corenswet’s Superman in action. The pictures appear to show Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl taking flight before whatever heroics the group has engaged in earns the approval of a crowd of onlookers. Nevertheless, nearly all discussions surrounding these set photos are honing in on the costumes.

In that regard, the DCU appears dead set on practical suits over CGI. Fillion’s Gardner, with his distinctive mop of red hair, is kitted in mostly black and white leather with green highlights and the characteristic Green Lantern symbol on his sleeves. The ensemble has unsurprisingly sparked much debate over its comic book accuracy, but what is undeniable is how far it detracts from the bright green CGI-rendered suit sported by Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan in Green Lantern. The distinct lack of motion capture accessories also suggests that this will be Gardener’s final costume in the movie.

Why Ryan Reynolds’ CGI Green Lantern Costume Was So Hated

Whatever the consensus on Nathan Fillion’s final costume, it will be hard for any hate to supersede the amount leveled at Ryan Reynolds’. Green Lantern pushed the boundaries of CGI capabilities in 2011, which isn’t too surprising given the hero’s ability to generate any solid-light construct that he can imagine from his Power Ring. Extending that CGI to comprise the entirety of his suit, however, was widely regarded as a bridge too far. The result was a distracting example of the limitations of CGI at the time.

Aside from how painfully obvious it was that it was completely fake, the skintight suit was distracting in many other ways. The glowing ripple effect and face-hugging mask looked hammy, while the whole lurid ensemble highlighted the inherent silliness of certain superhero costumes. Nonetheless, Hal Jordan’s comic book look is still infinitely cooler – and it is hard to deny that a practical getup would have landed far better than the computer-generated second skin that was afforded to Reynolds’ Hal Jordan.

Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern Costume Bodes Well For Other DCU Lanterns

While it remains unclear whether and when Guy Gardner will swap the black-and-white leathers for more comic-accurate green ones, the fact that he is wearing a tangible costume bodes well for the Green Lanterns’ future. Lanterns will star two more titular Green Lanterns in the form of John Stewart and a newly cast Hal Jordan in what James Gunn promises will be a grounded crime thriller series. This promise, alongside the evidence presented by Guy Gardner’s set photos, suggests that the DCU’s Green Lanterns will don practical suits instead of CGI-heavy skin suits.

This is positive news as Green Lantern helped prove the general preference for practical suits, a notion compounded by such iconic DCEU costumes as Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Henry Cavill’s Superman. It remains unclear when audiences might get a first look at the suits to be worn by the Green Lanterns in their DCU outing, but that they will at least be green is probably a safe bet. When the two Green Lanterns (and any others) will debut in the DCU remains unclear, but Guy Gardner’s DCU debut will no doubt shed further light on the Lanterns in 2025.

Source: @clevelanddotcom/Twitter/X