DC Studios just revealed the best look yet at Hal Jordan’s real Green Lantern suit. Anticipation is running high for the DCU’s next release, HBO’s Lanterns, although the crime drama has faced backlash for swerving much of the green in the Green Lantern Corps, most notably on the suit worn by Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan. Interestingly, Jordan isn’t even the first DCU Green Lantern to have their superhero costume criticized. There was also a mixed reception to Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner and the Justice Gang’s matching LordTech costumes in Superman, which were clearly intended to denote their corporate nature. Fans are still waiting to see what Green Lantern attire Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart will be sporting, as he hasn’t suited up in Lanterns‘ marketing.
HBO officially released the first five minutes of Lanterns Episode 1 ahead of its premiere on Sunday, August 16, which brings the exciting reveal of Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern suit, as the Guardians of Oa intended. The eight-episode DCU saga will officially begin with a flashback to 1996, when a young John Stewart watched a TV interview with Jordan, early in his heroic career, and was clearly inspired.
Lanterns‘ suit controversy kick-started with the HBO series’ first trailer, as Hal Jordan’s only vaguely green (mostly brown) suit was pictured on a hanger. As many theorized, it’s now clear that the veteran space-cop’s suit had simply weathered with age, and even the bulky armored look may be intentionally dated.
Thanks to the flashback clip featuring de-aged actor Kyle Chandler, fans can now see what the suit looked like when Jordan first became a Green Lantern. While the new look should alleviate some of the color criticisms, many will still be concerned that the suit isn’t a will-powered construct from the Power Ring, as it usually is.
For the most part, outside of this 1996 flashback, Lanterns will split its story into two timelines across 2016 and 2026. In a moment that likely comes from the HBO series’ earlier timeline, the Emmy-winning actor is spotted wearing his suit while visiting his old mentor and adversary, Sinestro, at some kind of sci-fi prison.
Lanterns will feature Hal Jordan on the verge of retirement and training his old fan, John Stewart, a marine veteran, as his Green Lantern replacement. Examining the suit two decades apart makes it clear that this is a space-cop and superhero who has been through the wars, carrying the very same suit along his whole journey.
It’s unclear whether Lanterns will feature any more 1996 flashbacks with better looks at Jordan’s costume, fresh off the hanger in Oa’s closet. Regardless, the fact that the suit has remained intact at all after two decades of heroics is a clear sign of its durability, even if it has scuffed and faded along the way.
Is Hal Jordan’s DCU Green Lantern Costume Bad on Purpose?
DC Studios is making it evidently clear that the 60-year-old Kyle Chandler and his take on Hal Jordan won’t be their primary Green Lantern going forward. That decision will undoubtedly still anger many, as Jordan has only been adapted in live action once before, in 2011’s Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds, and it was executed so poorly that it has tarnished the Emerald Knight’s mythos to this day.
Much of Lanterns will seemingly see Jordan clinging to his superhero mantle and refusing to hand it over to the younger John Stewart. It seems DC Studios may be using Jordan’s old-guard, weathered suit to emphasize the difference between the Lanterns‘ leading men and to highlight how long he has been in the game; after all, they have openly responded to the green backlash, screaming that it is by design.
Up until now, Aaron Pierre, the actor behind Stewart, has only been spotted in civilian clothing, military get-up, and what appeared to be a blue prison outfit. DC Studios may be saving Stewart’s suit-up for later in the season, when he may wear a more classic Green Lantern suit that will also carry over into next year’s Man of Tomorrow, where Pierre will reprise his superhero role.
