Is Hal Jordan Really the DCU's First Green Lantern? Lanterns' Season 1 Premiere Confirms a Missing Hero From Superman's Mural
Lanterns debuts by answering one crucial question: how many Green Lanterns has Earth had in James Gunn's DCU? The Season 1 premiere gives context to a Superman mural.
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR LANTERNS.
Lanterns made its highly anticipated debut and wasted no time in introducing who its main heroes are: Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), an ageing superhero who has served in the Green Lantern Corps for at least 30 years, and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), an aspiring young Green Lantern training under Jordan.
Although fans already had a good sense of their antagonistic relationship from the trailers, what wasn’t spoilt was their origin stories. Luckily, for first-time viewers, Lanterns’ Season 1 premiere confirms that Hal Jordan has his classic comic book origin as an air force test pilot who acquired his Green Lantern ring when its previous owner crash-landed on Earth. John Stewart is also confirmed to have a military background, which is consistent with his more modern portrayals in the comics.
More surprising yet, however, is the confirmation of which iconic Green Lantern is missing from the timeline of James Gunn’s DCU: the original Green Lantern from 1940, Alan Scott. This tracks with the Hall of Justice mural seen in 2025’s Superman (directed by Gunn), where he is also noticeably absent. Between that and Lanterns establishing Hal Jordan as Earth’s first Emerald Knight with John Stewart succeeding him, does this mean Alan Scott doesn’t exist in Gunn’s DCU? Here’s what we know.
