--- title: "The controversy around ‘Lanterns’ is real—and makes for a better show" date: "2026-09-08" modified: "2026-09-08" authors: - name: "Shannon Corbeil" job_title: "Contributor, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/scorbeil.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/entertainment/the-controversy-around-lanterns-is-real-and-makes-for-a-better-show/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" tags: - "Entertainment" - "Television" --- # The controversy around ‘Lanterns’ is real—and makes for a better show ![lanterns review]() *"Lanterns" is not streaming on HBO Max. (HBO)* Maybe you read the comics. Maybe you watched the Ryan Reynolds film, "Green Lantern" (insert wincing face emoji). Maybe you’re going in blind. The consensus is that “Lanterns” is awesome—or at least it was until Episode 3 when audiences diverged. Let’s start with a spoiler-free description of the series. Rather than beginning with Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern origin story, “Lanterns” starts about three decades into Hal’s service as Space Sector 2814’s Green Lantern—and Earth’s (and humanity’s) first Green Lantern. **Also Read: [The real star of David Ayer’s ‘Heart of the Beast’ is Uber (the K9)]()** Played by silver fox Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”), Hal is not only an intergalactic cop, he’s also mentor to John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre (“The Underground Railroad”), a new recruit who must be trained to be ready to take over the mantle when necessary. They are “drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland,” according to [the official synopsis](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UIBOsuUwc4 Green Lanterns are selected for their fearlessness and Hal fits the bill. He’s also cocky, arrogant, uncooperative, and emotionally closed off—due in no small part to his parents’ deaths. Canonically, Hal’s father was an Air Force pilot who tragically died in a plane crash in front of young Hal. Played by Chandler, this version of Hal is still loveable and amusing for the audience while being infuriating for the characters he interacts with. John, meanwhile, is his complete opposite: disciplined, mission-oriented, and a follower of orders. ![lanterns review kyle chandler]() *I’m obsessed with Kyle Chandler's windblown hair. (HBO)* It’s fun to learn Green Lantern lore as the series reveals it, but if you are unfamiliar, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to tell you how the Green Lantern Corps works. Green Lanterns derive their abilities from power rings which are able to generate constructs made of green energy in the shape of whatever the user desires, as long as the user’s will is strong and the ring has been recently charged. The buddy comedy set-up between old timer Hal and rookie John makes for a great dynamic that is very entertaining to watch. And for the first two episodes, audiences agreed. [Then came Episode 3]() “Outkast” on Aug. 30, 2026. *Here’s your spoiler warning for the first three episodes.* ![lanterns review pierce]() *The rookie learns how to use the ring. (HBO)* “Outkast” gave us John Stewart’s origin story, beginning with the night Hal Jordan was selected to be humankind’s first Green Lantern. The selection process was decidedly alarming for a planet that hadn’t seen much alien life or magic (remember, “Lanterns” exists within James Gunn’s new DC Universe, which also includes “Creature Commandos,” “Superman,” “Peacemaker,” and “Supergirl.”). Essentially, a huge ball of green light levitated potential humans and a booming voice asked them if they were afraid. Hal was the first to say, “No.” But there were others who were *very understandably* freaked out by the experience—and one of them was John Stewart’s father. Imagine asking a Black man in America if he was scared—especially after levitating him out of bed in the middle of the night in a ball of green energy. “How the f\*\*\* was I not supposed to be scared? Got lifted out of my bed. I was in a…a bubble,” said a trembling John Sr. (played by J. Alphonse Nicholson, “They Cloned Tyrone”). His wife Bernadette, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones (“Hamilton”), spells it out when a Guardian—a member of the aliens that founded the Green Lantern Corps—goes around to apologize to all of the families of the candidates who were freaked out. “Do you know the differences in race on Earth?” she asked. “Do you understand how unfair it is to ask a Black man in America if he’s afraid? We are terrified daily of persecution and still show up, sometimes better, than everyone around us. Did you know that? Even in space, y’all don’t consider us.” Yes, “Lanterns” has given John Stewart an origin story where his race as a Black American contributed to his upbringing. That night—and the meeting with the Guardian—had a profound impact on John’s family. From that moment on, John’s parents decided to raise him to be fearless so he could become a Green Lantern one day. I’d argue that protesters would not have made much of a fuss about this. But then Hal Jordan shows up at the Stewart family house and behaves in such a way as to indicate that this beloved superhero just might be a li’l bit racist. Hal throws around multiple jarring microaggressions in this scene, from calling John’s parent’s “Midwest Huxtables” (in reference to the Black television family on "The Cosby Show"), to calling John “Junior” instead of “John”—even after his parents made it clear that he goes by John. It’s just giving “boy” a little bit. ![lanterns review parents]() *Just look at their faces. They are *not amused*. (HBO)* Hal is not a white supremacist, but he was clearly trying to intimidate the Stewarts and disrespect John. He is a flawed character, which is what makes him interesting. And he has a history of being flawed (and even evil) in the comics. But it certainly set some corners of the internet off and created a lot of discourse about the depiction of Hal in the series. The chemistry between Chandler and Pierre is undeniable. Both men depict flawed characters—as any compelling character should be. They complement one another and actually make a great team. They have much to learn from one another. The question the series is setting up is: Can they overcome their rivalry and work together? And I, for one, can’t wait to find out. **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **• [Real military captains drive Jeep’s ‘Captains of America’ commercial]()** **• [This is what it’s like to play a petty officer on ‘NCIS’]()** **• [She drove an ambulance during the Blitz then helped win D-Day]()** ## Author Shannon Corbeil has worked for We Are The Mighty as a digital video producer, writer, and host, as well as a staff writer covering military history, trivia, and valor. Shannon is a fierce veteran advocate, covering the achievements of members of the military community and volunteering in multiple veteran non-profit organizations, including Pin-Ups for Vets and Warriors for Peace Theatre. Her undergraduate degree is in Humanities and Philosophy and her Masters is in Strategic Intelligence. A screenwriter and actor recently seen on SEAL TEAM and THE ROOKIE, Shannon writes about exciting projects in the entertainment industry. She is an alum of the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Project, a Finalist in the Disney TV Writing Fellowship, an inaugural fellow for the STARZ/VME #TakeTheLead Program, and has performed at the Geffen Playhouse and Kennedy Center as a writer, dancer, singer, and actor. As a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer, Shannon supported the 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base, South Korea, and conducted Cyber Threat Analysis at the National Security Agency. Her work has been seen in Business Insider, Task & Purpose, Military.com, and various other publications. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()