James Gunn's DCU Makes Bold Decision That Reshapes the Universe's Future

Warning: Includes MASSIVE SPOILERS for Lanterns Episode 1!!!

James Gunn and Peter Safran have certainly produced an interesting slate of projects over the past two years. Under their leadership, DC Studios has focused on both more prominent IP from the vast DC Comics library and plenty of lesser-known characters that, until now, have been pushed to the wayside. Creature Commandos was an unexpected starting point for the new DCU, followed soon by their first feature film, Superman, and then Peacemaker Season 2. Besides Supergirl (which was, let’s face it, a critical and financial failure), not many prominent DC heroes have been introduced at this point. Now, Lanterns has finally premiered on HBO, introducing two of the most iconic characters to wear the ring: Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre).

The premiere episode does an incredibly good job of setting the scene and jumping between timelines almost seamlessly. From an introduction set in 1996 to Hal and John’s partnership in 2016, the show gives the title of Green Lantern real history and weight. However, only one person can wear the ring, and that person has been Hal. The series implies that for 30 years, Jordan has been Earth’s only Green Lantern, and he won’t give up his position without a fight.

Hal Jordan’s Shocking Fate Sets a Dangerous DCU Precedent

“The only way you’re going to get this ring is over my dead f***ing body,” Hal tells John in the pilot episode. As it turns out, that is much truer than either Hal or John knew. Most of the pilot focuses on a mystery that begins to unravel in Rushville, Nebraska, in 2016, and may have dark cosmic ties. However, a time jump at the end of the episode features John visiting that town again in 2026, ten years later. It’s there that he discovers Hal has been murdered, and that he doesn’t have his Green Lantern ring. It’s a perplexing and deeply unsettling ending.

In just the first episode, Lanterns sets a new precedent for the DCU: not everyone’s favorite characters are safe, no matter how rich their history is. Hal Jordan has long been considered the preeminent Green Lantern, receiving as much attention in comics, animated movies, and shows as John Stewart eventually received. Ryan Reynolds even played the character in the doomed 2011 film. Hal Jordan is pivotal to many DC Comics crossover events, including DC: The New Frontier, which features Hal becoming the Green Lantern for the first time and meeting many future members of the Justice League.

Hal’s death in 2026 helps clarify the rule that only one Green Lantern can wear the ring, which the show’s promotional material has heavily featured (with the tagline “only one can wear the ring”). James Gunn’s 2025 film Superman shows Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) as Earth’s Green Lantern, implying that Hal may not have the ring at that point in the DCU timeline. Moreover, the 2026 time jump doesn’t explicitly show if John is now in possession of Hal’s ring. Still, the character brushes the snow off of Hal’s hand when examining the body, almost as if he’s checking for a ring (that isn’t there). It’s an interesting setup that also robs the DCU of one of the most iconic characters to wear the ring.

‘Lanterns’ Gives Hal Jordan a Legacy Instead of a Future

Jon Stewart on a TV interview dressed in his Green Lantern costume in Lanterns

Still, this twist at the end of the Lanterns pilot doesn’t mean Hal Jordan is entirely lost. Lanterns is a show structured around a dual-timeline narrative, jumping between 2016, 2026, and other pivotal years for the show’s two characters. The first season still has much more to tell, and it will undoubtedly explore the unconventional dynamic between Hal and John. More than anything, though, it seems that Lanterns wants to use Hal Jordan to tell a story that is rarely seen in movies and television shows about comic characters: a grizzled and worn-out hero who is forcefully removed from his responsibilities.

Series creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King seem to want to tell a superhero story that is both grounded and cosmic. Despite its dusty, small-town setting, Lanterns seems to be exploring a sinister cosmic mystery that will showcase why Hal has been able to be a Green Lantern for so long—the tense interrogation scene in the first episode is indicative of that. While the twist ending of episode 1 might seem disrespectful to the comic character of Hal Jordan, it’s anything but. The reveal of his death completely reframes the first episode and will undoubtedly shape the rest of the season as the series explores John Stewart’s eventual transformation into a Green Lantern.

There is also the fact that Hal Jordan’s consciousness is backed up inside the Green Lantern ring. In an interesting move by Lindelof and King, Lanterns seems to have its cake and eat it too. Along with the bitter, older version of Hal, there is an idealistic and younger version of the character that comic fans will surely recognize. Despite viewers already knowing Hal is dead after the end of the first episode, Lanterns seems dead set on exploring the legacy of the character, his impact on future Green Lantern John Stewart, while also exploring how his past shaped the hero that he is in the present day.

The DCU Is Already Building a History of Heroes

Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in Lanterns

So, while it seems like Hal Jordan may not be a part of the present-day DCU, Gunn, Safran, and the creative team behind Lanterns have still managed to create a rich 30-year history for the character. Up to this point, no major superheroes like Superman have been established in the world the series takes place in. Making Hal a veteran character, rather than a newcomer like the last son of Krypton (who, in Gunn’s film, has only been Superman for two years), creates an interesting dichotomy for John and Guy. Even Batman, who has only ever been referenced, has operated in Gotham for an unknown amount of time.

The idea of heroes coming and going within the DC Universe makes it feel much more lived-in. Although some may have expected Hal Jordan to stick around for a while, his impact on future DCU projects will likely focus more on his relationship with John and his past actions over a 30-year career. The series also has seven episodes left, and the mystery of Hal’s death (if he’s even dead at all, since this is a comic book story) still needs to be addressed, along with the mystery he encounters in Nebraska in 2016.

John Stewart’s road to becoming the Green Lantern is irrevocably tied to Hal’s tenure as Earth’s designated Green Lantern. Aaron Pierre’s performance demonstrates that the actor was born to bring John Stewart to life and play an integral part of the DCU. With John Stewart being set up as a prominent hero, Hal Jordan will always have a legacy, should the rest of Lanterns season 1 prove to be successful.