An apparent plot hole in the DCU series Lanterns may hold the key to many mysteries. The hit HBO Max series has been divisive for the liberties it takes with the comics that inspired it. However, one sore point with readers may explain some changes and also tease the adaptation of an abandoned Green Lantern Corps storyline.
The main story of Lanterns is set in the town of Rushville, Nebraska. Hal Jordan and back-up Lantern in-training John Stewart journey there to investigate a mysterious message. The two find evidence of alien activity, which they try to investigate despite their butting heads with the local authorities and each other.
Further context to the feud between Jordan and Stewart is revealed in Lanterns’ third episode, “OutKast.” The episode explores how Stewart was groomed from birth to become a Green Lantern. This followed his father failing their recruitment test and a subsequent visit from a strange woman.
Played by Laura Linney, the woman claims to be one of the Guardians who created the Green Lantern Corps. This woman is identified as Lianna in the closed captions, but does not use that name in the show. 40 years later, Lianna oversees the job interview where Stewart is judged worthy of replacing Hal Jordan.
Lanterns Episode 4, “The Weenie,” reveals that Lianna had been contacting John Stewart through his parents. The episode also shows her seeking Stewart out to instruct him on how to take the ring from Hal Jordan. She claims this is necessary due to Jordan repeatedly defying their orders. Chief among these orders were not visiting his former mentor Sinestro in prison, or involving himself in terrestrial politics.
How Lanterns’ breaks comic lore and common sense
Comic readers were quick to point out how Lianna’s actions didn’t make sense within the context of the Green Lantern comics. The Guardians are traditionally depicted as having total control over their Power Rings and being capable of telepathy. If that is also the case in Lanterns, there is no reason for them to use Stewart’s parents as messengers.
However, even if the DCU Guardians lack all the powers of their comics’ counterparts, their going behind Jordan’s back makes no sense. They should be able to deny him access to their prison or strip him of his rank. However, Lianna’s actions make perfect sense if she is acting as a lone agent. This, in turn, could tease one of the most infamous “what might have been” storylines in DC Comics history.
Lanterns’ Lianna may be a rogue Guardian
In the 1990s, DC began shaking up their major characters, starting with the Death of Superman. In the Green Lantern comics, Hal Jordan went mad with power in the Emerald Twilight storyline and tried to reset reality. However, the original plans for Emerald Twilight were quite different.
Originally, Emerald Twilight was meant to start a war between two factions of Guardians. Both factions would claim the other were imposters, out to either spread chaos across or establish a tyrannical rule. This would have culminated in Hal Jordan being declared an outlaw after siding with the Chaos faction. He also would have fought his fellow Lanterns, including John Stewart.
While likely a coincidence, Lanterns borrowing from this rejected storyline would explain many of the series’ mysteries. Chiefly, it would explain why one Guardian seeks to replace Jordan with the loyal Stewart rather than simply remove Jordan. Additionally, it would throw a new angle on Sinestro’s coup in Lanterns’ storyline.
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