Lanterns’ Ending Perfectly Sets Up John Stewart’s DCU Movie Debut

Published Oct 6, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT

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Warning! The following contains spoilers for the entire first season of HBO's Lanterns.

The first season of Lanterns is over, but the ending of the fantastic DC Universe series has set its main character up for a huge role in one of next summer's biggest movies. With fantastic twists and turns, the season finale of Lanterns did a great job of moving forward some of DC's most exciting characters following Hal Jordan's death.

John Stewart's new DC oath is only one of several major events for the popular character in the latest episode of HBO's fantastic series. Now that the show is over, major developments have shaken the foundations of the entire universe, with characters like Guy Gardner being relegated to new roles overseeing the galaxy beyond Earth.

Hal's killer has been revealed, and the new Manhunter has left the show unscathed. Noah Macon could still have a major role in the future of the DC Universe, but it looks for now that life for him is hopefully going to find as ordinary a domestic shape as is possible. John Stewart, meanwhile, has reunited with his family.

Stewart's story doesn't stop there, however. And after a thrilling ending with some genuinely satisfying thematic resolution, the show has revealed a happier and more hopeful version of the hero than he appeared at the beginning of the series. This is only the beginning of his crime-fighting career, with a clear setup for next summer's biggest movie.

John Stewart Will Return In Next Year's Superman Sequel Man Of Tomorrow

The Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow releases on July 9, 2027, and is set to feature John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and many other familiar faces alongside David Corenswet's Superman and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor. Few details have been shared about the film, except that it will see the Superman rivals forced to team up to confront Brainiac.

This will follow the ending of Lanterns, where John Stewart asserts to Guy Gardner that he will serve as the new Green Lantern of Earth.

John has taken Hal's old ring and the lantern forged by Sinestro, and the end of the series finally sees him taking flight with his newfound powers, teasing a series of brilliant visuals for the future of the hero.

Where the stories align from there is up for speculation. It does not seem likely that John Stewart will be interested in fulfilling the role of a corporate-sponsored superhero as Guy Gardner did, but he does certainly plan on serving as a guardian on Earth. This will likely result in his providing some aid during the upcoming film's larger conflicts.

All of this seems to be leading toward some Justice League-based future in the upcoming installments of the DC Universe. And with all of that in mind, there is so much to look forward to that could occur in Man of Tomorrow and beyond.

How John Stewart And Guy Gardner Fit Into The Future Of The DC Universe

What the future of Green Lantern looks like in the DC Universe remains to be seen. There has been a writers' room assembled for Lanterns season 2, and James Gunn has confirmed that the most recent episode was a season finale, not a series finale. However, the shape of future stories is not certain.

There are all kinds of fantastic Lanterns, and exploring the cosmic side of that universe would be strong on television or on the big screen.

However, with one of the lead characters of the series now being dead, the show would have to be entirely reformulated to make sense, whether built around Aaron Pierre's John, pairing him with Nathan Fillion, or exploring other Lanterns.

Regardless, following Green Lantern's long absence from the big screen, it is so exciting to see so much of the Green Lantern Corps now showing up on both TV and in movies. More of Lanterns' John Stewart in Man of Tomorrow has been set up perfectly, and makes the future of the entire DC Universe even more exciting.