HBO Max’s Green Lantern series will feature a multitude of other Green Lanterns, but not Hal Jordan and John Stewart, which is the right thing for the show to do, at least for the beginning. Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti’s next DC TV project will be the most ambitious one he has ever done, with HBO Max bringing the Green Lantern Corps to the streaming screen and reaching new levels with the series. While the show won’t be set on Earth-Prime with the other Arrowverse heroes, Green Lantern is part of its Multiverse by originating from Earth-12. What’s more, instead of one, Green Lantern will focus on multiple iconic Emerald Knights in different time periods.
Finn Wittrock will star as Guy Gardner, with other Green Lantern Corps members like Alan Scott, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Sinestro, and the original creation Bree Jarta. Despite the massive number of characters they are revolving the show around, many have wondered why Hal and John aren’t part of this. So far, there has been no indication that either of them will star in the series, which is the best move for the HBO Max drama to start on. There are multiple factors to consider why Hal and John are, as of right now, not part of Green Lantern. Since Warner Bros. is seemingly reviving their Green Lantern Corps DCEU feature film, Hal and John were always going to be a hand-off, especially following the complicated situation that occurred with Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Since the Snyder Cut was forced to remove Wayne T. Carr’s John Stewart cameo, it seemed inevitable for the HBO Max show not to have access to him or Hal. That could always change, but it doesn’t change the fact that Green Lantern is being smart by using the other characters. Outside of 2011’s Green Lantern movie with Ryan Reynolds, Hal hasn’t been featured as a lead in any live-action projects, while John has only been depicted in animation. But that is also the case for Simon, Jessica, Alan, and Guy, who, in comparison to John and Hal, aren’t as recognizable to the mainstream audience. Aside from Alan’s short Smallville cameo and the not-so-beloved Justice League of America pilot that Guy was in, they haven’t had any big media appearances.
HBO Max starting Green Lantern with the other members allows them to find their audience outside the comic realm. Simon and Jessica mark a huge step forward for diverse superhero representation. Jessica is one of the few Latinx heroines who is finally getting a shot in starring in a huge series like the HBO Max show. But Jessica also provides representation as a superhero who suffers from PTSD and anxiety. Outside of the upcoming Ms. Marvel series, Muslim superheroes and superheroes of Middle Eastern descent are something media lacks greatly. Thanks to Green Lantern, Simon will finally jump from page to screen as a Lebanese-American Green Lantern who is also Muslim. The series is also including the LGBTQ+ community by featuring Alan as an openly gay man who was Earth’s first Green Lantern.
Green Lantern will allow audiences who may not be comic book readers to get to know these characters, who deserve to stand on their own. There is also nothing stopping John and Hal from being introduced later in the series, especially if Green Lantern Corps eventually connects to the TV show since HBO Max and DC Films are working together. If the DCEU project doesn’t happen, after all, it could open the door for Hal and John to appear in the HBO Max series. But letting Alan, Simon, Jessica, Guy, and even the new Lantern, Bree, be in the spotlight, they will get their own followings. That would be a stable path to start on before bringing Hal and John into Green Lantern, which would be incredible as it would unite all of them, especially if they were to later add Kyle Rayner, too.
