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Every Green Lantern Confirmed for the DCU, Including One Literally Too Big to Show in the TV Series
Even before Lanterns made its debut on HBO, it was far from the first use of that side of the DC Comics canon in the newly christened DCU franchise, as Nathan Fillion already made his debut as Guy Gardner in the Superman movie. That said, fans were ready to see both Hal Jordan and John Stewart make their debut in this new cinematic universe, not only to finally get a second attempt at bringing Jordan to life (some fifteen years after Ryan Reynolds’ disastrous version) but also to finally see John Stewart realized in a form that wasn’t animation or video games. Having three characters in the franchise acting as Green Lanterns was already huge for DC fans.
Though the HBO series itself was largely Earth-focused, it’s worth noting that Lanterns made it clear that the Green Lantern Corps found in the DCU was just as varied and extensive as the one readers knew from comics. In addition to the three heroes that fans knew would appear, the series also confirmed the existence of even more Green Lanterns that are out there somewhere. In truth, only a few of them actually appeared on screen, but there’s a whole Corps waiting in the wings in the DCU, and these are the ones we know about.
7) Hal Jordan
When Lanterns begins, Hal Jordan has officially been the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 for a decade, and by the time the Rushville mystery in 2016 kicks off, he’s been at it for twenty years at least. As viewers know, the series results in Hal no longer being a part of the Corps after almost everything in Rushville explodes under his watch and for the last ten years of his life he’s just a regular guy.
The Lanterns finale does go on to make clear that even though everyone in Rushville hates his guts, the world at large still sees Hal Jordan as a hero. Furthermore, the finale seems to make it clear that he’s really gone, and even though that means we may not get more Hal Jordan in the DCU, his place as a Green Lantern is still cemented in history.
6) John Stewart
In training for his entire life to take on the mantle of Green Lantern, one of the biggest twists in the Lanterns series was when John Stewart officially turned down the opportunity to become the hero. By the end of the series, though, it’s revealed that the character had an ace up his sleeve, taking on the mantle of Green Lantern with a major twist.
Officially armed with Hal Jordan’s old ring and an “unsanctioned lantern” forged by Sinestro, John Stewart is not only a Green Lantern but one who is fully his own man. By not answering to the Guardians, not working with the rest of the corps, and even creating his own oath to charge the ring, the DCU’s version of John Stewart is about to become the most exciting hero in the entire cinematic universe simply thanks to his potential.
5) Guy Gardner
Technically the first Green Lantern to appear in the DCU, Nathan Fillion’s version of the controversial comics character has proven to be a favorite since his debut in Superman. Part of that stems from embodying the gruff exterior that comes with the territory for the character, but also because Fillion plays him with a oafish fearlessness that is required to pull off a haircut and gold tooth like that.
The Lanterns finale once again details that Gardner is still out there in the world, not only serving as the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 but still a member of the Justice Gang, as seen by his costume. As the episode ends, though, battle lines have been drawn, with John Stewart telling him to carry out his duty across the sector, but that he’ll take care of Earth. It remains to be seen how that will really work, but
4) Sinestro
Though technically not a Green Lantern when we see him in the series, the history of Sinestro is revealed across Lanterns, including his time as a member of the Corps. Lanterns confirms that the DCU Sinestro had a fascist side to him, though, just like the version seen in the comics. Rather than taking over his home planet using the power bestowed upon him, the DCU version attempted a coup against the Guardians and, in doing so, actually killed one of them.
By the end of Lanterns, Sinestro is far from a Green Lantern but clearly has his eye on the future with ambitions of something else. All of his dialogue in the finale points toward the character starting his fear-powered yellow lanterns in the near future, which could perhaps signal that the other Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum corps could show up too.
3) Abin Sur
Though he’s never seen on screen, we know that Abin Sur previously had a place in the DCU because Hal Jordan sure does like to talk about him a lot. Like in the pages of DC Comics, the former Green Lantern of Sector 2814 dies on Earth and has to find a replacement, with Lanterns confirming that a slew of other options were considered before Jordan got the job.
We not only know that Jordan met him (he uses the color of Abin Sur’s skin as a test for one of the potential Manhunters), but also that the Green Lantern was transporting the Manhunter before it critically injured him and crashed on Earth. It remains to be seen if Abin Sur will ever show up in the DCU proper, but given how the timeline of the series has been moving forward and there’s almost no reason to show Hal Jordan’s origin again, it seems unlikely. That said, Abin Sur is a confirmed Green Lantern in the DCU, even if we never see him.
2) Ch’p (or B’dg)
There are only so many other Green Lanterns mentioned by Hal Jordan across the series, partially because he’s the only one that’s been to OA and seen his fellow Corpsmen, but one he spotlights specifically is one that really sticks out. As Jordan calls him, “one of them’s a f–king squirrel,” it’s clear to comic book readers who he means, but the truth is that Jordan could be talking about one of two “squirrel” Green Lanterns.
Enter both Ch’p and Bd’g, aliens from the planet H’lven who have both served as the Green Lanterns of their sector across DC Comics lore. The DCU Jordan may harbor ill will toward Ch’p because in the original comic lore, the two of them are actually part of the same training class. It’s easy to see how Kyle Chandler’s version could immediately resent that, but it’s worth noting that Ch’p befriends John Stewart in the comics as well. That said, we still don’t know which squirrel he meant.
1) Mogo
In the pages of DC Comics, the literal biggest Green Lantern of them all is Mogo, a character so big that he couldn’t even appear on screen in Lanterns, because he’s not a humanoid at all, he’s a planet. We know that Mogo exists in the DCU thanks to two specific references made in Lanterns. The second of these is a test by the backup of Hal Jordan that’s in his ring, teasing John Stewart about his funeral and asking if Mogo attended as a trick question, where he confirms that Mogo is a planet and not an alien that can walk around.
The first reference to the character is the most pointed one, though, with Jordan revealing that the password to open his pocket dimension safe at home is “Mogo doesn’t socialize.” In addition to being a funny joke about the character’s existence in the DCU, it’s also the name of the story in DC Comics where Mogo first made his debut. That same issue also featured a storyline about John Stewart taking over as the main Green Lantern for Earth. So while we wait for Mogo to make his proper debut in the DCU, we know that the team behind Lanterns were also using his comic history to tease their own TV series’ conclusion.
