Lanterns Fills in the Gaps of the DCU After Superman

This article contains spoilers for Lanterns season 1 episode 6.

Guy Gardner isn’t a good guy. He’s not a bad guy by any stretch of the imagination, at least not in a world where Lex Luthor and the White Dragon exist. But anyone who saw Superman knows that the Earth’s current Green Lantern is a craven opportunist, someone who uses the massive power bestowed upon him mostly to advance his own economic interests rather than doing good as its own reward. As played by Nathan Fillion, Guy concerns himself with brand identity and the fate of the Justice Gang more than he does stopping Lex Luthor or the hostile nation of Boravia.

So when Guy shows back up in Lanterns, coming to Rushville, Nebraska years after the events of episode five, one would expect him to feel pretty high and mighty. After all, Hal Jordan, heretofore the only human Green Lantern, had completely screwed up, as had the Guaridans’ choice for his replacement, John Stewart. Guy has the opportunity to prove that only he is worthy to wear the ring. Yet, instead, Guy shows something like concern for his predecessor, indicating that some character growth in the world after Superman.

Even though it’s preceded by Creature Commandos, which itself indicated that some parts of The Suicide Squad and season one of Peacemaker are canon, Superman was the first proper entry in the new DCU inaugurated by James Gunn and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran. As such, Superman entered a world already inhabited by superheroes, even though his public arrival, three years before the events of that movie, introduced the most powerful meta-human in the world.

Through Superman, Creature Commandos, and the second season of Peacemaker, we got a sense of the heroes who preceeded Superman: the members of the Justice League and Task Force X, of course, but also those who show up on the mural in the Hall of Justice, which includes Golden Age characters like Starman and Iron Munro. Lanterns went further to show that Green Lantern had been on Earth since 1986, making Hal Jordan a craggy veteran by the time Superman debuted in Metropolis.

While these events have set up the DCU’s past, Lanterns gives us a better sense of the DCU’s present, after the events of Superman. Superman wasn’t just about how the Man of Steel defeated Lex Luthor and saved Jarhanpur from Boravia. It was also about how Superman inspired people with his goodness, including other superheroes. And no hero needed inspiration more than Guy Gardner, the bowl-cut sporting GL in the Justice Gang. When we first meet Guy, he shows little care for civilians or the kaiju that he and the Justice League take down. But by the end of the movie, he and the Justice Gang decide to help the people of Jarhanpur, even if doing so might harm their brand and the profits it can bring.

To be sure, that’s just a small change in the heart of Guy Gardner. He still initially rejects Metamorpho’s bid for membership on the grounds that he’s too ugly, and only changes his mind when Metamorpho calls Justice Gang “a cool name.” And when he and Hawkgirl show up alongside Maxwell Lord in Peacemaker, they have no problem mocking Chris Smith, showing no interest in actually listening to the potential Justice Gang member.

So no one was too surprised when Guy makes his presence known in Lanterns by shining a light in John Stewart’s eyes, mocking his would-be fellow member of the Green Lantern Corps. And Guy has no problem rubbing the disaster of Rushville in the face of John, as if the loss of the Corps’ reputation matters more than the people who died.

However, Guy does arrive in Rushville, a place that clearly still hates Green Lanterns, to attend Hal Jordan’s funeral. Moreover, when John asks Guy to get Hal’s Green Lantern ring and uniform for the burial, Guy actually agrees. He’s not nice about it. And Guy has no problem reminding John how badly he and Hal screwed up. But Guy does it, even if it risks his standing with the Guardians and the reputation of the Green Lantern Corps.

Through Guy’s actions, we’re beginning to see the true effect that Superman has had on the world. The desire for power and fame that affected even the world’s superheroes has begun to weaken. In its place, people with power are beginning to realize that they have a responsibility to help others.

As obvious as that observation sounds, it has huge ramifications for the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. As James Gunn has made clear, Man of Tomorrow will feature two protagonists, Superman and Lex Luthor. The two will be forced to work together as they deal with not just the threat of the intergalactic collector Brainiac, but also Salvation, the prison planet where ARGUS is sending superhumans. Whether he likes it or not, Lex is going to have to use some of his genius for the good of humanity—just like Superman hoped would happen.

Of course, it will take an extreme change of heart for Lex Luthor to become a hero. But if Superman can make Guy Gardner a good guy, maybe he can inspire anyone.

Lanterns airs new episodes every Sunday at 9pm EST on HBO and HBO Max.

The post Lanterns Fills in the Gaps of the DCU After Superman appeared first on Den of Geek.