John Stewart’s ‘Lanterns’ origin just got a major twist fans didn’t see coming
Before Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart ever found himself donning a green ring, there was another Stewart who almost got it. HBO Max’s ‘Lanterns’ has been slowly unveiling the secrets of John’s past in the first two episodes, starting with the mysterious apple balanced on his head in the first episode’s opening moments, then the strange bird who seemed to be watching him in episode two. Episode 3, ‘OutKast,’ finally lifts the veil to show that what happened to John was far darker than what was revealed in the DC comics. The episode begins with Stewart falling through a portal into an interview with one of the Guardians of the Universe, who is disguised as a human in the form of a sharply dressed woman. After that, viewers are shown lengthy flashbacks of how he ended up in that room.
As it turns out, before John was even born, Abin Sur’s ring searched Earth for a worthy successor and landed on his father, John Stewart Sr. The ring asked his father if he was afraid, and he admitted that he was. The ring moved on, and Stewart Sr. fell into despair and became the drunk and unstable father figure that he was in John’s comic book history. Then, one of the Guardians comes to Stewart’s mother, Bernadette, to express their apologies, noting that whatever the ring saw in his father was in his genetics, which could be passed on to John, who, they said, would be their candidate if he was not overcome by the fear that drove his father. It creates the perfect setup for the childhood that Stewart has been shown to have in the comics, where his mother and father train him to prepare him for the day that the ring comes for him. They test his resolve in increasingly strange and frightening ways, such as telling him to stand still while his father aims a gun at the apple on his head and telling him to survive in the dark and dangerous unknown territory. They tell him that the birds circling above are the eyes of the Guardians watching over Earth, but it, too, would turn out to be a lie to help him grow up strong and fearless.
John eventually joins the Marines, where he becomes a sniper known for his ability to keep his cool. However, he and his team are sent on a diplomatic mission that goes awry because Hal Jordan (who has already become a Green Lantern) intervenes, sabotaging the operation and causing John to be dishonorably discharged. And with his mom’s blessing, he heads to art school. That experience accounts for his Green Lantern constructs being so detailed and mechanical. Show writer Vanessa Baden Kelly revealed to TheWrap that that was intentional, giving John’s constructs a more exact style than Hal or Guy Gardner’s looser, more playful constructs. She described the entire arc as a look at identity, saying in an interview with TheWrap that the show’s underlying question was what it meant for a Black man to be given the ring when generations of exceptionalism were holding him back.
By the time the episode wraps up, the Guardian offers John the job, completely aware of how much resentment Hal is going to feel about receiving a “backup.” When Hal finds out, the two have a huge confrontation before deciding to begin training on Monday, an alliance based on the tension neither of them wanted. ‘Lanterns’ Episode is set to air on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, September 6, 2026. The finale episode of Season 1 will air on October 4, 2026. Notably, Season 2 of the series has not been greenlit as of now.
