James Gunn's DCU To Replace A Major Superman Character Before Man of Tomorrow (Theory Explained)
Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.
With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.
Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Lanterns episode 7
The DCU's new Lanterns series could be setting up a major change before James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow releases next year. Across the board, Lanterns has been expanding the lore and history of Earth's Green Lanterns in several exciting ways for the DCU. Case in point: although Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner was the first Green Lantern introduced in the DCU with 2025's Superman, he wasn't Earth's first to sling the ring.
As seen in Lanterns, an investigation into a murderous rogue Manhunter brought Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan to Rushville, Nebraska, alongside Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, Hal's trainee who'd been chosen by the Guardians to replace him as the next Green Lantern. However, the events of the 2016 investigation saw John refusing the role and Guy being chosen in the interim before 2026, when John has now come back to Rushville to investigate Hal's death in Lanterns' final episodes.
While Gardner himself was featured in Lanterns episode 6, teasers for the finale have confirmed his return, and we think we know why. For a handful of reasons, it feels quite likely that Guy Gardner's days as Earth's sole Green Lantern may be numbered (one way or another).
Guy Gardner Is Confirmed To Return In Lanterns' Finale
Firstly, Guy Gardner's return in Lanterns' upcoming finale has already been confirmed. Shown flying down to Rushville near his Green Lantern Bat-signal rip-off he installed in the small town, the finale's teaser suggests that John will call him again, just like he did in Lanterns episode 6 when Stewart needed Gardner's help retrieving Hal's decommissioned power ring.
Because John Stewart has been using the ring's last bit of charge to power the digital backup of consciousness known as the Halogram, it follows that John will likely need Guy's lantern to charge the ring back up. However, this will likely be easier said than done, as Guy previously said that he and John were even after stealing Hal's ring from the Guardians on Oa in the first place.
Sector 2814 · Ring Active How Well Do You Know Lanterns? “In brightest day, in blackest night...”
💍The RingPowered by will
🔦The Corps3,600 sectors
🌌OaThe Guardians
👮Earth BeatSector 2814
⚠Yellow
PerilThe fear entity
01
Lanterns is one of the tentpole TV series launching James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. On which streaming platform does it air?
✓ Correct! HBO Max — Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streamer and the natural home for DCU prestige TV alongside Peacemaker and The Penguin. Lanterns is positioned as the DCU’s high-end serialised drama counterpart to Gunn’s theatrical Superman relaunch, sharing canon with the films. Disney+ runs Marvel; Netflix and Apple are rival streamers.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is HBO Max. Netflix has had various superhero shows but not DCU. Disney+ is Marvel’s home. Apple TV+ doesn’t house DC. HBO Max is Warner Bros. Discovery’s streamer and the TV home of the Gunn/Safran DCU — Lanterns joins Peacemaker and upcoming DCU series there.
02
Unlike most Green Lantern adaptations, Lanterns pairs two Earth-based ring-bearers in a buddy-cop framework — a weathered veteran and a newer recruit partnered together on Sector 2814 duty. Which two Lanterns lead the show?
✓ Correct! Hal Jordan and John Stewart — two of the most beloved Earth-assigned Lanterns — are paired as the show’s central duo. Hal is the hot-shot test-pilot veteran, John the disciplined ex-Marine architect with a sharper sense of justice. The pairing draws heavily from the Geoff Johns comics era and lets the show explore two very different philosophies of what a Green Lantern should be.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Guy Gardner (played by Nathan Fillion) is a separate DCU character who appears in the 2025 Superman film. Kyle Rayner is a beloved Lantern but not part of this show. The Lanterns duo is the Hal/John pairing — a pointedly contrasting veteran and recruit on Sector 2814 duty together.
03
The role of Hal Jordan — the weathered, test-pilot-turned-space-cop original Earth Lantern — went to a veteran actor best known as Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights and for leading Bloodline. Who plays Hal?
✓ Correct! Kyle Chandler — Emmy winner for Friday Night Lights, star of Bloodline, and part of the Monsterverse (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) — plays an older, weathered Hal Jordan. James Gunn wanted a seasoned, grounded presence rather than a rookie. Ryan Reynolds played Hal in 2011’s widely-mocked Green Lantern film (a different continuity); Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Kyle Chandler. Ryan Reynolds’ Hal was the 2011 film (a separate, mostly-disowned continuity). Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film — not Hal. Chris Pine isn’t in the DCU. Chandler’s weathered, Friday-Night-Lights gravitas is exactly the mature Hal energy Gunn wanted for the show.
04
John Stewart — ex-Marine sniper, architect, and one of DC’s most iconic Black heroes — is played by a British actor who broke out in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge. Who is he?
✓ Correct! Aaron Pierre — the British actor who earned raves as Caesar in The Underground Railroad (2021) and carried Netflix’s Rebel Ridge (2024) with a performance frequently compared to early Denzel Washington. Gunn called his casting “a no-brainer.” Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown and John Boyega are all great actors but not in the role.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Aaron Pierre. Winston Duke is M’Baku in the Marvel universe. Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, American Fiction) is Marvel-adjacent too. John Boyega famously played Finn in Star Wars. Pierre’s Rebel Ridge performance — playing a disciplined ex-Marine — is essentially his audition for John Stewart, and Gunn’s team cast him off it.
05
James Gunn has repeatedly pitched Lanterns as a grounded, small-town murder-mystery thriller — where the space-cop rings are secondary to a detective case on Earth. Which acclaimed HBO series is his go-to tonal comparison?
✓ Correct! Gunn has explicitly called Lanterns his “True Detective in the DCU” — a slow-burn, atmospheric, character-driven case with superhero elements layered over a grounded murder mystery. Showrunner Chris Mundy actually did True Detective: Night Country duties, bringing that DNA directly. Watchmen (Damon Lindelof) was also cited, and Lindelof has consulting writer credits, but True Detective is the primary comp.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is True Detective. Gunn has named it as the explicit tonal blueprint — a slow-burn, character-driven murder mystery with superhero elements layered over it. Chris Mundy, the show’s runner, worked on True Detective: Night Country, bringing the DNA directly. Watchmen was a secondary comp (Damon Lindelof consults), but True Detective is the primary pitch.
06
When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as DC Studios co-CEOs in 2022, they announced a rebooted slate of interconnected films and TV shows — with Lanterns among the launch titles. What is this first DCU phase officially called?
✓ Correct! Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters — announced in January 2023 as the Gunn/Safran DCU’s opening slate. It includes Superman (2025), The Authority, Supergirl, The Brave and the Bold, Paradise Lost, Waller, Creature Commandos, and of course Lanterns. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a comics event; Flashpoint and Dark Knights are other DC storylines, not the chapter branding.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a famous DC comics crossover event (and Arrowverse crossover) but not a DCU chapter label. Flashpoint was referenced in The Flash (2023) from the now-defunct DCEU. The Gunn/Safran era officially named its launch phase Gods and Monsters — Superman 2025, Lanterns, and related titles.
07
Green Lanterns serve the Guardians of the Universe, an ancient race who created the Corps’ 3,600-sector peacekeeping force and charge the Lantern rings from a central Power Battery on their home planet. What is the Guardians’ homeworld called?
✓ Correct! Oa — the small blue-skinned Guardians’ home at the centre of the universe. It houses the Central Power Battery from which all Green Lantern rings draw their energy, and serves as the Corps’ academy and operational base. Krypton is Superman’s destroyed homeworld; Themyscira is Wonder Woman’s hidden Amazon island; Apokolips is Darkseid’s hellscape.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Oa. Krypton is Superman’s homeworld. Themyscira is Paradise Island where Wonder Woman was raised. Apokolips is Darkseid’s grim world in the Fourth World mythos. Oa is specifically the Guardians of the Universe’s planet — home to the Central Power Battery that fuels every Green Lantern ring in all 3,600 sectors.
08
Every Green Lantern recites the same oath when charging their ring — a four-line rhyming incantation that’s become one of the most famous pieces of verse in comic-book history. How does it famously begin?
✓ Correct! “In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” The oath dates back to 1940’s All-American Comics #16, was refined through the Silver Age, and is considered one of DC’s most sacred bits of verse. Every canonical adaptation includes some version of it.
✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is “In brightest day, in blackest night...” The full oath: “No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” It’s been canon since 1940 and remains one of comics’ most instantly recognisable pieces of verse — recited in every major Green Lantern adaptation.
Ring Depowered · Report to Oa Your Corps Rank
💍
/ 8
Honor Guard veteran — or still in Corps training?
It feels doubtful that Guy will just let John use his lantern if that's indeed what he's after. Likewise, John doesn't think very highly of Guy, as the arrogant former gym teacher is the one whom the Guardians picked when John turned the gig down ten years earlier. Everything Guy has is because John turned it down, and he said as much to Guy's face in Lanterns episode 6.
While that might have worked once to motivate Guy's reluctant help, it's doubtful that Gardner will appreciate being reminded of that fact again. Likewise, John using Guy's lantern could be a bigger deal than it may seem. After all, the Guardians told John years earlier that all he had to do to take Hal's place and become the next Green Lantern was claim the ring and recite the Green Lanterns' oath while charging it, meaning he could become a more legit Green Lantern with a uniform and everything (albeit likely unsanctioned).
John Stewart Has Been Confirmed For Man of Tomorrow
The biggest reason this idea is worth exploring is that Aaron Pierre's John Stewart has already been confirmed to appear in 2027's Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming Superman sequel directed by James Gunn. That alone supports the idea that the season will likely end with John Stewart wearing a power ring for the long term in the DCU.
Becoming an official Green Lantern would certainly make John's appearance in Man of Tomorrow easier to justify, allowing him to join the roster of other heroes who've also been confirmed for the upcoming movie. If John Stewart does end up taking on the responsibility of the ring by the season's end (as he likely will), we'd be looking at an all-new Green Lantern in the DCU, 10 years after he was meant to become the next intergalactic protector of Earth and Sector 2814.
It'd absolutely be a natural ending point and evolution for John Stewart, now taking on the role on his own terms, rather than due to the expectations of his parents or the Guardians themselves. However, this all begs the question of whether this indeed comes to pass by the finale's end: what about Guy Gardner's Green Lantern?
Will John Stewart Replace Guy As Earth's Green Lantern?
Obviously, one of the simplest (yet still surprising) possibilities is that John Stewart ultimately replaces Guy as Earth's primary Green Lantern. Assuming he does indeed need Guy's lantern to charge Hal's ring, reciting the oath could see him taking the role from Guy, just like he was meant to take it from Hal a decade earlier.
That being said, the other possibility is worth exploring as well, one where John and Guy end up serving as simultaneous Green Lanterns in the DCU. The DC Universe of the comics has several human Green Lanterns all operating at the same time, so why not in the DCU? Furthermore, the chance to see Guy and John having to work together as partners despite a clear dislike for each other would definitely give us a great new dynamic in Man of Tomorrow and perhaps even in a second potential season of Lanterns.
It'd also be hilarious if Guy and John had to share the same lantern, mirroring the comics where Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz shared a single lantern after their respective power batteries were merged by Hal Jordan when they were both rookies and members of the Justice League. As such, they were forced to work together and remain in each other's proximity, a scenario that would no doubt be all kinds of entertaining for John Stewart and Guy Gardner in the DCU.
While it's pretty easy to see John replacing Guy by the end of Lanterns' finale ahead of James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow, it's just as easy to see how keeping both John and Guy around as full-fledged Green Lanterns could have some solid potential as well. Either way, it's clear that Earth's current status quo for Green Lanterns (and specifically John Stewart) is about to significantly change with the upcoming DCU finale.
The finale of Lanterns premieres October 4th on HBO Max from DC Studios.
- Release Date
- August 16, 2026
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Chris Mundy
- Directors
- Alik Sakharov, James Hawes, Stephen Williams, Geeta Patel
- Writers
- Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy, Tom King, Vanessa Baden Kelly, Justin Britt-Gibson, Breannah Gibson
-
Kyle Chandler
Hal Jordan
-
Aaron Pierre
John Stewart
- Franchise(s)
- DC Universe
- Creator(s)
- Tom King, Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.