Lanternshas been slow-rolling the lore of the Green Lantern Corps, while taking the more grounded approach of following two space cops (Hal Jordan and John Stewart) investigating a clandestine alien plot in small-town America. It’s understandable: Green Lantern is one of DC’s most fantastical characters, and the Ryan Reynolds film from 2011 proved that a direct sci-fi/action adaptation is incredibly hard to do. As such, the sci-fi elements of the Lanternsare being carefully peppered into the series, including the Lanterns’ bosses, the Guardians of the Universe.
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In Episode 3 of Lanterns, we learn the backstory of John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and why he became so dedicated to becoming a Green Lantern. Part of that story revealed that the Stewart family has a long history with the Guardians, and one in particular. In one pivotal scene, that Guardian reveals herself, and also reveals a key piece of DC Universe lore.
LanternsEpisode 3 Finally Reveals the Guardians’ True Form (And It Was Teased So Early)
LanternsEpisode 3 “OutKast” reveals the emotional aftermath of John Stewart Sr. (J. Alphonse Nicholson) failing the test to become the Green Lantern. John Sr.’s wife, Bernadette (Jasmine Cephas Jones), has trouble believing in her husband’s wild account of alien contact, until a Guardian actually shows up on her doorstep. That Guardian, Lianna (Laura Linney), wants to make amends for shattering the Stewart Family’s stability. Bernadette initially refuses to believe the seemingly human lady about her claims and demands that Lianna reveal her true form. The Guardian does just that (only seen from behind), before returning to human form and forming a bond with Bernadette and John Jr.
Lianna’s transformation has been a focused talking point for diehard DC fans; there are already theories floating that the scene is a misdirect, and that Lianna is possibly the Manhunter posing as a Guardian. However, if we take the scene at face value, it is ironic to look back at some of the trailers for Lanternsand realize that this pivotal reveal was given to us very early on. Before the show premiered, many thought the scene was an evil alien (like the Manhunter) revealing itself, in a perilous moment for a key character. Now that we know the full context of the scene, it’s another fine example of clever showrunners like Damon Lindelof (LOST,HBO’s Watchmen) hiding big secrets in plain sight.
Why Hasn’t Lanterns Shown The Guardians’ Full Appearance?
There is a bit of “controversy” over how Lanternsis adapting the Guardians. One reason fans didn’t guess what was happening from trailers is that Lianna’s physical design in her true form is vastly different than the Guardians in the comics. On the page, the Guardians look like blue Oopma-Loompas with white hair and garbed in red-and-white robes. They are not tall and lanky like Lianna, which has only fueled rumors that she could be a Manhunter in disguise.
However, it’s just possible that there is no mystery behind the reason not to show Lianna in her true form, directly: TV budget constraints. The way Lanternsis slow-rolling into all the cosmic superhero lore is as much fiscally strategic as it is narratively strategic. It’s also a much bigger risk trying to show an alien face that’s connected to such a well-known human face like Laura Linney (Ozark). DC Studios may not want fans online bashing the design or CGI quality of the Guardians this early on; it might behoove Lanternsto introduce other Guardians, only in natural form, later on in the series.
Lanternsis streaming on HBO Max. New episodes air Sunday nights on HBO.
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