DCU show Lanterns returned to HBO this week with its fourth episode, bringing us back to Rushville, where the mystery of the Manhunter was brought to light. However, in the midst of the chaos, you may have missed Aaron Pierre's accent slip-up.

During a tense interrogation scene, Pierre's John Stewart asks, "Who are you?" slamming his hand on the table, then, in the most prominent South London accent, he shouts, "Speak up!" The clip has since gone viral on Twitter. Pierre had so far been able to keep Stewart's Detroit accent steady, but fans seem to be celebrating the added hint of English nonetheless.

Although the slip-up may be a little embarrassing for Pierre, HBO Max UK is seeing the funny side of the situation. The streamer posted a 'fan edit' of Pierre on Instagram containing the scene in question followed by Stewart's most iconic moments. The caption reads, "You can take Aaron Pierre out of Croydon, but you can't take the Croydon out of Aaron Pierre." Check out the post below.

It should come as no surprise that fans are loving the edit. "The Green Mandem'" commented one fan, and another added, "Brightest day, darkest night innit." Many are praising how HBO has handled the slip-up, with one pointing out, "You have to admit it's next level marketing for a streaming company to make memes of a flaw in the actor's performance rather than hoping people ignore said flaw."

The slip-up doesn't change the fact that Pierre has done an amazing job in bringing Green Lantern trainee Stewart to life alongside Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan. The DCU Chapter One show debuted to a near-perfect 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has become one of HBO's most successful shows ever behind House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. In our Lanterns review, we awarded the show 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Lanterns continues to release weekly. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our breakdown of how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd, a mockumentary based on the DC comic of the same name, has begun filming and set leaks are abound. Some DC fans, however, aren't convinced that the gorilla we've seen in the photos is the titular gorilla on trial.

There have been many leaked set photos, from a gorilla in some '80s-style garb to that same gorilla in a graduation gown to even dancing in a tuxedo. Reactions to the first look at the film have been mixed, to say the least, but one fan posited a theory that the costumed gorilla may be the DC character King Solomon instead.

The fan pointed out that King Solomon frequently wore clothes, something that Grodd does not do in the comics, and that James Gunn has already mentioned the specific comic starring King Solomon on social media, going so far as to call it a direct influence on Superman and DC overall. The on-set gorilla also appears to be wearing the exact same outfit King Solomon wore in the comics.

"I think they're two random Gorillas who know Grodd, and were called to participate in the documentary, talking about him," another fan posited.

"I think either Grodd hired Solomon to fill in for him in public or Solomon is a symbol of gorillas coming into society," said another.

In my opinion, it's highly likely that modern day audiences don't want to see a naked gorilla on screen and that putting Grodd in regular clothes humanizes him just a bit... but only time will tell.

The People v Gorilla Grodd does not yet have a release date. For more of what's on the way, check out our guide to upcoming DC movies and shows.

Upcoming DC mockumentary The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd has started filming, and the set leaks have been coming thick and fast. The biggest reveal so far has been the first look at the DCU's take on villain Gorilla Grodd, who has been spotted doing everything from singing in an acapella group to dancing in a tuxedo.

Several students at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, where the show is being filmed, have been sharing videos from the first day of filming. These feature the notorious gorilla during his college years in the '80s. Right now, he looks pretty realistic as simply an anthropomorphic gorilla, but it's not clear if this will just be a stand-in for a CGI character or not.

DC fans have been reacting to the first look, and it's fair to say that no one knows quite how to feel about it. Some have been pleasantly surprised by the comedic tone that the new show looks like it's going to have, while others have been wondering how closely it will stick to the comics.

"This might end up being the best superhero movie or show ever released, not even joking," wrote one on Twitter, while another added: "This is really looking to be a peak comedy gold show, and I'm here for it." A third commented: "Imagine lacking whimsy and soul so much you think this isn't absolute peak." As a fourth simply put it: "Fuck The Sopranos. Fuck The Wire. Fuck Game of Thrones. We are witnessing the making of the greatest HBO series ever."

Not everyone has been impressed by the depiction of the character so far, especially those who know his comic book history. "This shit is way too meme-heavy, they turned Gorilla Grodd into a total idiot," wrote one, as a second suggested: "Someone here said there are at least 10 gorillas in DC Comics who are perfect for this type of scenario, but Gorilla Grodd isn't one of them."

One thing is for sure though, James Gunn's DCU is taking some bold swings. With this mockumentary comedy on the lineup alongside a body horror version of Clayface and the gritty crime thriller style of Lanterns, the universe is looking pretty eclectic, and arguably all the more exciting for it.

For more of what's on the way, check out our guide to upcoming DC movies and shows.

The DCU is full steam ahead, as just over two weeks after James Gunn officially announced that The People v. Gorilla Grodd had been greenlit, the series has already started filming at a university in the US.

The upcoming Jimmy Olsen show has started filming at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and thanks to leaked set photos, it looks like the series will fully embrace the university setting. Images posted by a Georgia Tech student on TikTok show banners for Metropolis University, branded in blue and purple. Many presumed the photos were taken on the set of Man of Tomorrow, but that finished filming in August.

On August 21, Gunn took to Twitter to share that the previously announced Jimmy Olsen show, which is a true-crime mockumentary, is officially going ahead at HBO. According to the in-universe bulletin from The Daily Planet, the eight-part mock-doc, directed by Daily Planet reporter and Superman character Olsen, will "take a fresh, 360-degree look at the case, revealing a lesser-seen side" of Grodd, who was imprisoned for the "murder and brain consumption of his father, King Grodd."

So, why is the show filming at a university? Well, the documentary is set to include "interviews with witnesses and experts on both Grodd's and the Metropolis District Attorney's side of the case." Plus, another image shows a newspaper dated Friday, November 3, 1989. This means that Olsen is doing some digging and could pay some university professors a visit to ask about the super monkey's abilities.

First introduced to DC Comics in 1959 as an antagonist to the Flash, Grodd gained his powers when he was exposed to a space rock, making him hyper-intelligent and able to control the human mind. Alongside Olsen star Skyler Gisondo, the cast also includes Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White.

The People v. Gorilla Grodd does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One and keep up with all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows.

The ongoing question of who the Manhunter is in Lanterns has seemingly been answered in the latest episode. At the end of episode 4, Hal Jordan and John Stewart aired their suspicions that Zoe Macon is the alien they've been looking for.

It's long been suspected that Zoe could be the Manhunter. Ever since her introduction in episode 1, there's been something off about the character and her unusual family. This only became more obvious in episode 4 when she seemingly faked her own death after a string of strange behavior.

However, some fans think that even though she is the imposter alien, that doesn't necessarily mean she's bad. In fact, it's been suggested that she may have even helped Hal Jordan and John Stewart save the whole of Rushville.

"Well, the theory is that indeed Zoe is the manhunter, but the town protects her because she's really not bad; she helps and heals the town," one viewer wrote on Twitter. "The real villain is the Guardian. Zoe takes the form of Hal Jordan and is killed so that Jordan and Stewart can stop the Guardian."

This was taken one step further by another viewer, who suggested this is why we see John shedding a tear over the body back at the end of episode 1. Indeed, there's certainly no love lost between him and Hal, so it felt quite unusual to see his emotion at his former mentor's death.

If it is really the Guardian that is the big bad, that will be a pretty huge twist for the DC series. We're at the halfway point of the show now, so we'll have to follow along to see just how this all plays out.

Read our Lanterns release schedule guide so you don't miss a moment, as well as our Lanterns review for why you should be watching the show.

Lanterns episode 4 is another corker, and seemingly answers one of several major mysteries in the DCU show: Who is the Manhunter? But fans aren't sure if there's still more to the case of a killer, shapeshifting alien lifeform hiding in plain sight.

Warning: full spoilers for Lanterns episode 4 follow.

In Lanterns episode 4 'The Weenie', it is revealed that Zoe Macon is the Manhunter hiding out in Rushville. While Zoe doesn't technically verbalize her true identity, many things point to this, most notably the fact that she cured William Macon's cancer. Zoe Macon actor Poorna Jaganathan has also been discussing her role as the secret Manhunter in several post release interviews, telling EW: "I wasn't told when I got the role that she was the Manhunter. I had to read it to find that out.”

Case closed? Not quite, as Lanterns fans think they answer to such a huge mystery came too soon, and too easy, meaning there must be more to it.

"Why did Zoe blow herself up if she was in charge of the decoy Manhunter?! Why did the show make it so obvious that she's the Manhunter?!" asked one user on Twitter. "Because she probably isn't," offered one fan in response. "We don't find that answer so easily, 4 episodes in. Or the Manhunter is not the main threat."

With half a season still to go, it does feel surprisingly early to be blowing the lid open on a mystery that could run all season. But with another huge question – Who killed Hal Jordan? – still to be answered, and the entire 2026 thread of the story untouched since episode 1, there's still plenty to be explored.

And we do have another question to answer now: who killed the Manhunter? And if it was Zoe who used her own laser satellites to blow herself up (or make it looks like she had), why go to such lengths? The questions keep piling up.

Lanterns episode 4 is streaming now on HBO Max in the US and UK, and on NOW in the UK. For our spoiler-free verdict on episodes 1-7, check out our Lanterns review. And bookmark our Lanterns release schedule, so you never miss an episode.

Lanterns has been a huge success for HBO Max, now becoming the streamer's third most successful show ever made. According to new figures, it's only behind House of the Dragon and The Last of Us in viewing figures.

According to box office and streaming commentator Luiz Fernando, "HBO is celebrating #DCU’s series #Lanterns quickly becoming their #3 most successful first season after #HouseOfTheDragon & #TheLastOfUS, beating even #AKnightOfTheSevenKingdoms."

They continued to break down the numbers, explaining: "While the season premiere has reached 20M viewers since its debut, Episode 3 reached 10M Global viewers in just 3 days (7M from the US alone), more than what the Season Premiere itself achieved on the same period two weeks ago, showing the steady viewership growth with each episode as positive WOM spreads."

Lanterns introduces the Green Lantern Corps, a group of superpowered individuals tasked with keeping law and order in the galaxy. Earth's representative is Hal Jordan, who's joined by a rookie lined up to replace him, John Stewart. Together, they head to the small town of Rushville, Nebraska to investigate a strange crime.

Part of the success of the new show, beyond appealing to comic book fans, comes from the fact that it's really, really good. Our Lanterns review gave it 4.5 stars, with critic Bradley Russell arguing that it proves "the DCU is back on track".

It's also introduced a tantalizing series of mysteries to keep viewers returning week on week. First up is the lingering question of who killed Hal Jordan, following his dramatic death at the end of episode one. Then there's the conundrum about who the Manhunter is, after it was revealed that an alien was hiding in plain sight in the show.

Follow along weekly with our Lanterns release schedule to make sure you don't miss a moment.

Hal Jordan has been Earth's Green Lantern since 1986, which means he might have come into contact with a certain metahuman at some point. DC fans have been speculating that the superhero would likely have wanted to check out an alien spaceship crashing in Smallville, Kansas when Kal-El arrived after Krypton's fall.

As is usually the case with the Man of Steel's backstory, he is then raised by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent. And, as one fan theorized, this might be what put Hal off from intervening. They suggested: "The concept of Hal checking out the crashed spaceship in Kansas only to see a tiny baby Clark in Ma & Pa's hands and immediately backing off because he can't 'take care' of this cutie patootie of a threat, so Hal just checks in regularly as Clark grows up."

Now this is a cute headcanon, but we're going to be honest, we're not sure that Hal is the caring, uncle type. Other fans weighed in too with their ideas, with one imagining that "young Clark sees Hal on TV all the time and wants to be a hero like that some day." This one does seem more likely as we've already seen a young John Stewart doing just that too.

There has been no indication yet that Superman and Hal have crossed paths, but given Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner is set to appear and John will feature in the sequel Man of Tomorrow, it does seem likely their lives have intersected. We'll have to wait and see whether this gets addressed in the HBO show or not.

In the meantime, there is plenty to keep us busy while watching Lanterns as we try to uncover who killed Hal Jordan and who the Manhunter is. The show is airing weekly, so check out our Lanterns release schedule for how to watch and our Lanterns review for why you should be.

Perhaps the strangest upcoming project in James Gunn's DCU Chapter One is The People vs. Gorilla Grodd. Starring Superman's Jimmy Olsen, it's being billed as an eight-part true-crime mockumentary and comedy.

Created by American Vandal's Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, it sees Olsen investigate the crimes of a telepathic gorilla and notorious DC villain. He tries to work out whether the character has been wrongly convicted of murdering his father in the unique new show.

It's definitely a fun idea, and it's hard to think of anything else we've seen like it in the superhero space. However, that hasn't stopped people from trying, with ScreenRant calling it She-Hulk meets Invincible in a recent feature.

Gunn reacted to this on Threads, admitting he was a little bit confused by the comparison after a fan shared it with the caption: "After Lanterns and Peacemaker @jamesgunn could green light an 8-episode series of ice cubes melting on a kitchen table and I'd be there every Sunday night with bells on."

The DC Studios head replied: "Although, The People Vs is a DCU true crime docuseries, so I don't see what it has in common with either of those shows. But I appreciate the support and hope it will help push my Melty Ice Cube series through this fall."

However, Gunn probably didn't realise that his reply has also got fans hoping the show will be a multi-season project. By calling it "The People Vs.", some have been wondering if it's being set up as a new anthology show – and they have plenty of suggestions about who it should cover next. "The People vs Giganta," suggested one, while another added: "The People vs Darkseid".

We'll have to wait and see what happens there. In the meantime, the DCU is releasing Lanterns weekly on HBO Max and Clayface will be heading to theaters very soon. For all the other projects on the way, check out our guide to upcoming DC movies and shows.

Ryan Reynolds has made it clear over the years that he doesn't love his Green Lantern movie – but, despite that, he'd still be willing to return for a cameo in Lanterns.

In fact, Reynolds seems so regretful of his own Green Lantern film that, in the Deadpool 2 post-credits scene, the Merc with the Mouth shoots Reynolds in the head after the actor gets the Green Lantern script. And, in the first Deadpool film, Wade Wilson asks for his suit not to be green or animated.

"I would totally do a cameo in that," Reynolds told Entertainment Tonight. "I love it. I learned so much making that movie. And I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, 'Oh, learned what not to do.' In part, yes. But also, any time you're making something that large, there are core lessons that come of it. And I owe my entire career to that movie. I owe everything to that… Everything about it was a gift that keeps on giving. And I really enjoyed the experience of making it."

If Reynolds did return for a cameo, it wouldn't be as Hal Jordan, since Kyle Chandler took up the mantle in Lanterns. Aaron Pierre stars as John Stewart.

As for Reynolds's Marvel future, at the moment, it's unclear. The actor has shared he's working on a fourth Deadpool movie, but he's not currently included on the supersized cast list for Avengers: Doomsday, despite participating in humorous 'bits' during the Marvel panels at both SDCC and D23.

Lanterns continues weekly on HBO, while Doomsday arrives this December 18. For more, check out our Lanterns review for our spoiler-free verdict on the show, or our Lanterns release schedule to keep up to date.

Immediately killing a beloved hero of almost seven decades instantly established that nothing is sacred in HBO's Lanterns. Anyone can die, and the DC comics this show is based on are a mere guideline at best. Yet even so, John Stewart's decidedly dark origin story – explored in episode three – comes as a big surprise to anyone familiar with his start in the source material.

Powerhouse comic book duo Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams introduced John as the fourth Green Lantern in Green Lantern #87 (1971) where he quickly proved himself to be worthy of wielding such emerald might. The character was originally an architect and civil rights activist who actively distrusted authority. This might seem worlds away from Aaron Pierre's somewhat uptight take on John in Lanterns, but that military background explored here didn't just come out of nowhere.

Although Stewart continued to be portrayed as an architect throughout the decades that followed, it wasn't until the character was rewritten as a former U.S. Marine in the noughties Justice League cartoon that he became more prominent. The comics soon followed suit, retconning John as a Marine sniper, although his architect roots were reintroduced again just recently, aiming for a best of both worlds scenario in line with Lanterns.

This unique combination of creativity and discipline isn't easy to balance in a character, although Pierre does a masterful job of it on the show. That tension is key to understanding his version of John in Lanterns and it unfortunately makes his life all the more tragic as a result.

No fear

In the premiere, we watched as John's father shot an apple off his head as a child, yet it's not until episode three where this show really digs into the 'why' of it all. Why would John Stewart Sr. risk his son's life so casually? And why wouldn't the boy cry or run away?

Early in the episode, we discover that John's father was offered the ring before Hal Jordan, while John was still in the crib. Flashbacks reveal he was tested by the Guardians, but failed upon admitting that he was "afraid." His wife, Bernadette, didn't believe John Sr., not until one of the Guardians showed up at their door and confirmed the truth of his account.

Bernadette called her out, asking, "Do you know how unfair it is to ask a Black man if he’s afraid?" The Guardian conceded that the ring selection process is unusual for humans, so she offered a new opportunity to make up for it.

The ring clearly saw something in John Sr.'s DNA and Bernadette had proved herself to be "formidable" too, so she suggested that perhaps their "offspring could one day be an excellent candidate" in the future.

The catch is that he too would need to be "fearless."

And so begins what can only be described as an endless torrent of abuse. To ensure that John will one day become worthy enough to replace Hal Jordan, his parents push him through disturbing trials throughout his childhood to erase any hint of fear in his mind.

These include regular instances of apples being shot off his head, as we saw earlier in episode one. But young John is also abandoned alone in dangerous neighbourhoods and even made to shoot an apple off his mother's head, risking her life in the process too.

This all takes a toll on his parents, but what's far worse is the toll it takes on young John himself.

When the Guardian suggests to adult John that his "training must have created a lot of loneliness," he denies it. And why would he not? This is all John has ever known. As such, the very real physical danger and emotional turmoil he endured doesn't register as abuse. For him, it's just a sign that his parents wanted what was best for him. And that's why he's so obsessed with doing everything in his power to make their dream for him come true.

Rebuilding better

More than Hal Jordan's death in 2026 or even the deaths that continue to hit Rushville in 2016, it's John's upbringing that represents the real tragedy of Lanterns. Stewart can't even fathom what he was put through because it was normal to him. And what's worse is that his parents knew exactly what they were doing.

"He's going to hate us," they discuss early on, realising that what they're about to do to their baby boy isn't right. But in the end they decide, "So be it." Because their dream is more important than anything John could ever wish for himself.

The cracks are starting to show, even if John himself can't comprehend them just yet. We see it in the flashes of creativity that John never got to pursue as a career over his work in the military. And we see it in the frayed emotional bonds he shares with his family, be it these abusive parents or his siblings who always felt John was favoured over them.

It's all far darker than the early days of John's run in the comics, and as such, some fans may balk at these changes, just like they did at Hal's death. But isn't this what we want from new adaptations of stories so old in the tooth?

As Damon Lindelof told The Hollywood Reporter just recently, "There’s almost a responsibility to take risks. I don’t think anybody wants to see you be completely and totally vigilant to the source material because then it isn’t an adaptation at all."

And that's exactly how characters like John and Hal will continue to impact us another seven decades from now, by evolving and reinventing the mythos they spring from to fit our times, be it in darkest day or blackest night.

Lanterns is streaming weekly on HBO. For our verdict on the season, check out our Lanterns review and never miss an episode with our Lanterns release schedule.

Even superheroes have bosses; at least they do in HBO’s Lanterns. As much as Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) acts like a charming rogue who follows his own rules and doesn’t care about authority, he does answer to a higher power that can technically fire him at any time. That power is the Guardians of the Universe, a race of aliens who are seemingly no friends of Hal Jordan, and are so bad at their job that they have given the universe as many supervillains as they have heroes.

As the name suggests, the Guardians of the Universe have sworn to protect and defend the universe as the oldest police force in existence, creating the Green Lantern Corps to patrol the universe. And yet, more often than not, their efforts result in some spectacular mistakes and acts of cruelty. If Lanterns is your first exposure to the worst bosses in creation, we are here to guide you through the long history of the Guardians of the Universe.

Already seen Lanterns episode 3? Be sure to dive into our breakdown of John Stewart's dark new origin story. We're also playing detective by investigating who killed Hal Jordan and asking who is the Manhunter? For a full verdict on the DCU Chapter One show, check out our Lanterns review.

The Guardians of the Universe in DC comics

The Guardians of the Universe first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 from 1960, created by John Broome and Gil Kane, where they essentially interview Hal Jordan after he gains a power ring and deem him worthy of joining the Corps. Originally, they were portrayed as benevolent sages, little old aliens with weak bodies but incredibly powerful minds.

They are considered the oldest beings in the DC universe, a group of scientists and thinkers who conducted all sorts of experiments (like torturing other beings to create new species). One of these experiments accidentally resulted in the creation of the multiverse and of evil itself, which prompted the Guardians to dedicate themselves to combating chaos and evil.

Over the years, the Guardians have gone from benevolent old aliens to rather stern bosses who occasionally make bad calls and butt heads with their employees, to a rather corrupt organization capable of untold evil. For example, at one point the Guardians arbitrarily decided that magic was intrinsically bad, and stole it from the entire universe, sealing it along with any magic being inside an orb.

They are now mostly portrayed as emotionless and detached beings with a big backlog of sins that they’ve covered up across the eons. The 2004 Green Lantern: Rebirth comic series by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver revealed that the Guardians once encountered the very embodiment of fear and decided to trap it within the Central Power Battery that fuels every single Green Lantern ring, and then kept that knowledge hidden despite knowing that creature would make every Green Lantern power ring useless against the color yellow.

It isn't just ancient cosmic horrors that the Guardians have trapped inside the battery; they also use it to imprison their own employees when they are no longer useful to the Guardians, like when they imprisoned Sinestro inside the battery in Green Lantern Corps #222 from 1988.

But all of that pales in comparison to the Guardians’ first attempt at creating a police force. The Guardians are also responsible for creating the Manhunters, a robotic interstellar police force that eventually became self-aware and resentful of their creators. The Manhunters went on to rebel against the Guardians after concluding that evil was intrinsic to biological life and deciding to eradicate it.

The Guardians of the Universe in Lanterns

As in the comics, the Guardians are responsible for creating the Manhunters in the Lanterns universe. In the show, the bosses of the Green Lanterns are starting to play an increasingly impactful role. So far, we've only seen Laura Linney's Guardian, both in human form and briefly in her true-blue form (albeit from behind). This, it says, is less upsetting for humans, making the Guardians appear relatable and even approachable. But in truth, this is them disguising their true selves, their intentions and lack of empathy and compassion.

We learned that the Guardians tested John Stewart’s father when he was younger, but when he failed to convince the ring of his fearlessness, they moved on to the guy who eventually got the job – Hal Jordan. They acknowledge that they failed to foresee the psychological damage an alien encounter would have on the rejected candidates, messing up the lives of John’s father as well as many others, and offering a comically large diamond as recompense (which lands John's mother in hot water).

Even their attempt at making things right with the Stewarts is quite monstrous, as they welcome John’s mother dedicating her life to turning her infant child into a soldier, raising him to be cold and calculated without a guarantee that he’ll get the job when he grows up.

But how are they as bosses? Well, what little Hal Jordan has talked about them makes it look like the Guardians are emotionless, cold jerks. But in episode 3, we truly learn how bad they are. It seems like the primary reason John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) was even hired to become a Green Lantern was specifically because the Guardians of the Universe want him to execute Hal Jordan and take over his role, as they ask John if he’s prepared to do that.

Sure, the Guardians could do it themselves; they could probably just take his powers away. Instead, they are hiring Jordan’s replacement and testing his loyalty by making him kill his mentor. But that’s not all. We also learn in the episode that Hal Jordan’s own mentor, Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), at some point went rogue, killing a Guardian in the process. We don’t know how many other Green Lanterns turned evil, but it’s not great that the supposedly all-knowing Guardians could not sense that this guy could become a monster.

Lanterns is streaming weekly on HBO Max in the US and on HBO Max and Sky/NOW in the UK. Never miss an episode with our Lanterns release schedule, or continue your comics journey with our list of the best Green Lantern comics.

Kelly Macdonald says she watched The Penguin to prep for Lanterns, and picked up the wrong accent along the way.

"Within the first couple of months of the shoot, as well, I was watching The Penguin at the same time," Macdonald told Entertainment Weekly. "Sometimes I’d been over-watching The Penguin, and I’d be going through my dialogue in my trailer, and I'd realize I was doing the whole Gotham thing. I’d be like, 'Turn it down a little bit,' 'cause I’d been told very specifically, 'She's from Gotham but don’t do the accent thing.' She has to be more ambiguous than that. I’m sure you’ll be able to tell the scenes where I’ve been watching The Penguin."

For some clarity, Lanterns episode 2 revealed that Sheriff Kane is originally from Gotham (which some fans suspected all along after she was heard checking in with a certain Commissioner as well as a 'Barb' on the phone). Kane is also the maiden name of Bruce Wayne's mother... so there's that. The series takes place in rural Rushville, Nebraska, so Kane is supposed to have something of a Nebraskan accent after living in town for so long. In real life, Macdonald is from Glasgow, Scotland. So we can see how all the accents might've gotten into a bit a conundrum.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

Lanterns fans are pretty much in agreement that there's something not quite right with Kelly MacDonald's Sheriff Kerry Kane, and they think she's definitely hiding something.

Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for Lanterns season 1 episode 2, so turn back now if you haven't caught up. First, read our spoiler-free Lanterns review.

After William Macon shoots Hal Jordan, Sheriff Kane takes him to the hospital, where she watches over him while he wakes up from his anesthesia. Once awake, Kane proceeds to tell the Green Lantern that he was saying Sinestro's name in his sleep. However, fans think the Sheriff was lying. "What if Hal wasn’t actually muttering Sinestro's name while he was unconscious, and the sheriff said that to plant the idea in Hal’s subconscious to go see him once he got word of the Manhunter?" said one fan on Twitter.

If Hal had been put to sleep, he would've had no idea what he had said, which means Kane could have said anything at that point. Also, when Hal checks out of the hospital, he finds that no one else had checked in or out during his stay – which would have been over quite some hours if he had been put under and had surgery. In fact, the whole ward was empty, with hospital equipment still in its packaging. That's weird, but what is even more strange is that Sheriff Kane didn't seem to see an issue with it.

But it's not just the hospital scene. Fans think the show has secretly been hinting at Kane's dubious energy through clever reflection shots, which you can see below. "The way Lanterns keeps showing Kerry through reflections… there’s definitely something they’re trying to tell us about her," said the fan. However, despite Kane being on our list of suspects, the poster doesn't think she is the Manhunter, but that she's "definitely not who she says she is."

In the midst of all of the mystery, episode 2 did confirm that Kane is originally from Gotham, which some fans suspected all along after the Sheriff was heard talking to a Commissioner on the phone. In DC Comics, the Kanes are one of the most influential families in the city, and Bruce Wayne's mother's maiden name is Kane. The plot thickens.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

Lanterns episode 2 has a deep-cut Alan Moore tribute that you almost certainly missed.

In the episode, John Stewart is tasked with heading back to Hal Jordan's place to retrieve the lantern needed to charge the Power Ring. Upon reaching Hal's vault, he calls up his reluctant mentor for the voice code needed to unlock it. The passphrase? "Mogo doesn't socialize."

As pointed out by the perfectly-named Mr. Know it All on Twitter, that's actually a reference to a story in 1985's Green Lantern #188.

'Mogo Doesn't Socialize' revolves around Bolphunga the Unrelenting attempting to defeat the universe's most powerful warriors. After being told he can never defeat Mogo, he goes in search of the Lantern – only to discover he is, in fact, a sentient planet.

Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof has previous history with the infamously cantankerous Moore, writing a sequel to the Watchmen graphic novel for HBO.

That even included the – fairly excruciating – act of Lindelof penning a letter to Moore before the project aired.

Responding in an interview with GQ, Moore said, "It went on through a lot of, what seemed to me to be, neurotic rambling… I got back with a very abrupt and probably hostile reply telling him that I'd thought that Warner Bros. were aware that they, nor any of their employees, shouldn't contact me again for any reason."

Moore added, "I explained that I had disowned the work in question, and partly that was because the film industry and the comics industry seemed to have created things that had nothing to do with my work, but which would be associated with it in the public mind. I said, ‘Look, this is embarrassing to me. I don’t want anything to do with you or your show. Please don’t bother me again."

Lanterns is now airing on HBO and HBO Max. For what that means where you live, head on over to the Lanterns release schedule.

We also have a list of suspects for who killed Hal Jordan, if you fancy some sleuthing.

We're only two episodes into Lanterns, but it is packed with Easter eggs and DC references. However, you may have missed some hilarious pop culture nods in the recent installment.

Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for Lanterns season 1 episode 2, so turn back now if you haven't caught up. First, read our spoiler-free Lanterns review.

Partway through Lanterns episode 2, when Aaron Pierre's John Stewart looks around Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan's huge house for the Lantern, he stumbles upon some pictures on the wall from Hal's time in the limelight. One picture shows Hal meeting the pope, another shows the hero sitting with ex-US President Barack Obama, and another shows Jordan standing with the cast of Harry Potter on the red carpet.

Now his rant in episode 1 makes a lot more sense. When he interrogates the alien, Jordan asks the suspected extraterrestrial some pop culture questions to prove he's not human, including "Where does Harry Potter go to school?" Now, every English-speaking person should know that. When the alien fails to answer, Jordan says, "Harry Potter went to Hogwarts, you ignorant alien fuck!"

Lanterns fans are loving the little tidbits, as one wrote on Reddit, "God, this show is so fucking funny." However, another has pointed out that Hal's wall of celeb meetups is actually rather sad. "It really reinforces how alone he is and how the job is all Hal really has. Not a single picture of anyone he cares about. It’s a really fun way to set up his fear of being replaced and having no purpose."

Hal's loneliness is reinforced by his big empty house. He doesn't even have a couch, just a sole camping chair positioned in front of a huge TV. Hal's time as the Green Lantern meant he never got married or had a family, with his companion being an alien plant he keeps in his backyard. This might explain why he behaves the way he does, and why he is so eager to push John away at any given moment.

Some think his erratic behaviour puts him under suspicion of being the Manhunter, but I think his personality is the result of his job. Plus, there is a reason he would rather post up at a shabby motel in Nebraska and devote his life to the case rather than go home to his wealth.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One, and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

With the introduction of Manhunters and the mysterious circumstances of Hal Jordan's death in Lanterns so far, plenty of wild theories have been circulating about the DC Studios show. The latest fan speculation to emerge surrounds the mysterious Zoe Macon and how she might be linked to Sinestro.

Posting on Twitter, one fan suggested that Zoe could be Soranik Natu, the daughter of Sinestro. The character is the leader of the Sinestro Corps in the comics, as well as being a former member of the Lantern Corps.

The theory of why Zoe could be her in hiding seems to stem from Sinestro's knowledge of John Stewart. At the very end of Lanterns episode 2, Hal Jordan visits his former mentor, who quizzes him on what he knows about John. But as fans pointed out, if he's imprisoned, then how does he even know about John?

One answer could be that his daughter is communicating with him somehow. We know that Zoe and John are well acquainted in the HBO Max show after their liaison in episode 1. Could she be the missing link?

"Today's episode had a lot of yellow imagery and lighting around this scene in particular with John and Zoe," Twitter user sz0 added. "And again, it’s definitely possible she’s the manhunter. Or, she was told by Sinestro to keep a close eye on Hal, and that's how he knows about John." Intriguing…

As the user suggests, Zoe is also one of the prime Manhunter suspects. As we learnt in episode 2, the mysterious and highly dangerous alien has infiltrated Rushville and is hiding in human form. Zoe's husband William Macon, son Billy Macon, and Sheriff Kerry Kane are all also suspects. Only time will tell who the real villain is.

For more on the show, check out our guide to when Lanterns takes place on the DC timeline as well as our breakdown of the Lanterns release schedule.

TV veteran Damon Lindelof – known for Lost, The Leftovers, Watchmen, and now Lanterns – has delivered what we hope is the final say on adaptations changing aspects of their source material.

“We all just have to acknowledge that there’s a level of hubris involved in taking on any of this preexisting IP. But it is called adaptation. Source material is supposed to change and evolve [by definition],” Lindelof said in a discussion with The Hollywood Reporter.

Lindelof added, "As a consumer and as someone who’s making this stuff, there’s almost a responsibility to take risks. I don’t think anybody wants to see you be completely and totally vigilant to the source material because then it isn’t an adaptation at all. Shouldn’t we be beyond this conversation by now?

"Nobody who does what we do goes to bed at night, saying, 'All that I care about is whether or not I pissed off the fans.'" Lindelof continued. "They go to bed at night, going, 'Did I do anything worthwhile creatively? Did I put anything authentically emotional into this story that people can relate to?'"

Those who have religiously followed Lindelof's work over the years will know the writer and creative thrives on change – and even going beyond the boundaries of source material.

The second and third seasons of existential drama The Leftovers went past the story penned in Tom Perrotta's novel of the same name.

Famously, Lindelof also created a 'sequel' to Watchmen as an HBO miniseries, which followed the characters created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons over three decades after the events of the 1980s seminal graphic novel. Lanterns is also a changed, grounded take on DC's Green Lantern comics, although some cosmic elements remain.

It's something I've encountered over the past few years, too, in the video game adaptation space. Nothing wrong with sticking closely to a popular brand or franchise, of course, but I've definitely been an outlier in liking shows such as Paramount's Halo and Amazon's Yakuza more than most – because they at least tried to do something fresh. If I wanted the same old thing again, I'd play the games.

Lanterns is now airing on HBO and HBO Max. Keep up to date with its streaming plans with our Lanterns release schedule.

We're also doing some detective work in Rushville. Join us as we break down the suspects for the Manhunter and who killed Hal Jordan.

Lanterns returned to HBO this weekend with its second episode, sparking an alien debate amongst the DCU fanbase, which in turn prompted an interesting theory about Hal Jordan's alleged death.

Warning, the following contains mild spoilers for Lanterns season 1 episode 2, so turn back now if you haven't caught up. First, read our spoiler-free Lanterns review.

The new DCU show follows Kyle Chandler's Green Lantern Hal Jordan and his trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as intergalactic cops who are drawn to an extraterrestrial murder case in Nebraska. During last week's premiere, we learned the aliens are able to pose as humans, with Jordan rooting one out in an intense interrogation scene.

However, in Lanterns episode 2, it is revealed that when an alien takes human form, they can then be killed as a human and leave behind a human corpse. With that in mind, one Lanterns fan on Twitter thinks that the flash-forward scene in 2026, which shows Hal Jordan's dead body frozen at the football stadium, might be a red herring.

"If the alien doesn't change shape upon dying, then there's the possibility that Hal Jordan actually didn't die and was an alien disguised as him," said the fan. Others seem to agree, as another replied, "This is what I’ve been saying! Also, if you notice in episode one when Hal sets down the ring onto the car dash, there’s this dark band of residue/ impression from his decades of wearing the ring that isn’t present on the dead 'Hal'." Now that is another interesting theory.

It came as quite a shock to see one of the show's leads dead at the end of episode 1 (you can read our list of suspects here), and many DC fans were not too happy about it. However, soon after the series premiere, showrunner David Lindelof told Collider that he's "willing to absorb the boos from the audience in the first inning," urging fans to wait and "see how you feel at the end of Episode 8." Hmm, it sounds as though not all is as it seems.

In the chaos of it all, episode 2 also introduces DC Comics' Sinestro and confirms that Sheriff Kerry Kane is actually from Gotham, which some fans suspected all along.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One, and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy has opened up about the second episode's Sinestro appearance and how it acts as a shock to the system for those who thought the HBO series was going to outright reject its comic book origins.

"We held off on a lot of the more comic book stuff. It's very grounded," Mundy said on Lanterns: The Official Podcast. "We're in western Nebraska. Hal is wearing jeans and a jacket. It felt like a good time to remind people we understand the show we're making and we understand who the players are."

The scene, which arrives at the end of the second episode, 'Trust Fall', sees Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan fly off to the intergalactic prison in which former Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) is being held.

While tensions are understandably frosty between the pair, the moment is framed as Hal returning to his mentor for help in cracking the case on Earth – as a Manhunter runs loose in Rushville.

"It felt like the moment in the show to let everybody know we're doing space cops," co-executive producer Vanessa Baden Kelly added.

The sudden emergence of Sinestro, and the history between him and Hal, is proof enough that – in Kyle Chandler's words – the show won't be a "slow burn" after the shocking episode 1 cliffhanger.

"I think it turns out great," Chandler told GamesRadar+. "I think there's a lot of different moves in the whole deal. It's an exciting poker game."

"We didn't have all the scripts starting out. They started coming in… it's not a slow burn. It goes from one world into another, and grows into that."

Lanterns is now airing weekly on HBO and HBO Max.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule, plus our best guesses at who the Manhunter is in Lanterns.

DC Studios' Gorilla Grodd TV show is coming to HBO Max as an eight-episode series now officially titled The People v. Gorilla Grodd.

James Gunn, co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, took to social media to announce the news. Gunn is executive producing the series and calls it DC Studios' "first foray into the true crime genre." Really, it's a mockumentary-style exploration of the cult-favorite arch-enemy Gorilla Grodd, one of the wildest creations in DC history, and whether he's guilty of murdering his father.

First conceived way back in 1959 during the early days of the Silver Age DC Universe in The Flash #106 by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino, Grodd is a super-intelligent ape with psychic powers with world-conquering ideations. In the DC Studios TV show, he's convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City, while Jimmy Olsen, played by Skyler Gisondo, reopens the case to find out whether Grodd is truly guilty or innocent.

Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault, the directing duo known for creating the 2017 Netflix mockumentary series American Vandal, are serving as writers and showrunners on The People v. Gorilla Grodd. The cast includes Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White.

"We're excited by the challenge of creating a series that feels less like an entry into the DCU and more like an artifact from it," Yacenda and Perrault say in a statement to Variety. "A Daily Planet original documentary made for the people of Metropolis. We hope it'll appeal to fans of the comics, comedy and true crime. And while we can't speak for audiences here yet, we already know it's a huge hit in Metropolis. They love this series."

Meanwhile, Gunn repeats that the Grodd TV show is one of two shows alongside Lanterns that he pitched to Warner Bros. before he even joined the company. "With Tony and Dan at the helm, it's something truly special," he says.

While we await more details, here are all of the upcoming DC movies and shows on our radar.

After stumbling slightly with Supergirl, it looks like James Gunn's DCU is back on form as new series Lanterns sets a major record for DC Studios.

As per Variety, Lanterns season 1 episode 1 pulled in a whopping 9.3 million viewers in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max worldwide, marking the biggest series premiere for a DC Studios show ever. Plus, 6.6 million of those views came from the US.

This is quite the feat, as Lanterns has beaten Creatures and Commandos, Peacemaker, and even beloved Batman spin-off The Penguin, which took eleven whole days to amass the amount of views Lanterns hit in just three days. Lanterns now sits in the top five series premieres on HBO behind Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which opened to 6.7 million viewers in the US earlier this year.

The massive viewership is not too much of a surprise, as the show hit HBO to rave reviews on Sunday, August 16. Lanterns currently stands at an impressive 94%. In our Lanterns review, we awarded the new DCU project 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a "captivating murder mystery that prides itself on relentless pacing and masterful character work from Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart."

Although it's only early days, there have been some rumblings around a possible Lanterns season 2, with scribe Chris Mundy already back in the writers' room working on new stories. Lanterns' success also follows a bit of a shake-up for Gunn's DCU Chapter One as Peacemaker spin-off Waller and Wonder Woman show Paradise Lost have been scrapped.

The show follows Chandler's Green Lantern and Intergalactic Cop Hal Jordan as he trains Pierre's new recruit John Stewart to take over the mantle. However, the unlikely duo are quickly pulled into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder that seems to have extraterrestrial ties. Lanterns also stars Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, and Nathan Fillion.

Lanterns continues to air weekly on HBO Max. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

The first episode of Lanterns ended with a huge twist: Hal Jordan is dead. Discovered by John Stewart and Sheriff Kane in Rushville, we see Hal's frozen body sitting upright with a bullet in his head at the end of the episode.

This sets up a major mystery about who's behind the big death (you can read our list of suspects here). However, one viewer has noticed something in the show's trailer, which might have blown the case wide open.

Sharing a few screenshots from the new Lanterns trailer on Reddit, they saw a body with a similar wound as well as a similar skull. Check this out below.

"The body Hal drags out from the morgue has a wound on its forehead, exactly where "Hal's" wound is at the end of episode 1," they wrote. "And the skull John picks up also has what looks to be a healed wound in a similar area. Lends me to suspect Hal's still alive, and these are all aliens being murdered."

Another viewer agreed, pointing out that elsewhere in the same trailer, Hal can be seen dragging the body from the morgue into the same football field that his body was found in.

Redditors have been running with the theory. "That's an actually insane discovery. If true, this would be exceptional foreshadowing," one wrote, while another added: "Don't forget they made a HUGE point to tell the audience that there are species of aliens who can shapeshift so well that they can even fool medical scans without an issue."

We've got to admit, we're hoping there's something to this theory. While we'll likely see more of Hal in the series, we're holding out hope that he might somehow be still alive.

For more on Lanterns, check out our Lanterns review as well as our breakdown of the Lanterns release schedule.

Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy says season 2 is being mapped out right now and will be told in a "slightly different way"

"The question is whether [season two] is a story people are interested in," Mundy told The Hollywood Reporter. "If that's the case, then we’ll get to do another one. We'll tell it in a slightly different way, so that it feels fresh, with characters you know and care about."

Of the ongoing pre-production plans, Mundy added, "We're about six weeks into laying out a season, and then we'll talk to folks about it really soon."

Given the title of Lanterns, there had been some expectation – including from myself, admittedly – that each season would go full True Detective and follow a different Lantern and new crime each season.

But given the talk of "characters you know and care about", there could be some familiar faces back and rocking the ring instead. So, likely no Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, or more obscure Lanterns like Saarek.

Is that a good thing? Well, I'll just say this: I didn't know how much I wanted a Guy Gardner and John Stewart buddy cop duo until now. Make it happen, James Gunn.

Speaking of Gunn, Mundy reaffirmed that the DC Studios boss never meddled in the narrative ahead of John Stewart's appearance in 2027 Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

"We knew we were putting John on his feet, but there wasn’t an actual story point that we had to land him on," Mundy said. "In one way, it makes it scarier because it could be anything, but at the same time, we weren’t shoehorned into anything at all."

Lanterns is currently airing new episodes every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule. We also have a list of prime suspects behind episode 1's shocking whodunnit.

The name's Lantern. Green Lantern.

Whether he intended to or not, Henry Winkler's recent social media activity added another name to the long, long list of actors who are on audience's wishlists to play the new James Bond.

"Aaron Pierre should be the next BOND," Winkler tweeted on Sunday night after watching the British actor step onto the scene as rookie Lantern-in-training John Stewart on HBO's Lanterns.

In the 2026 scenes, it's hard to disagree. Pierre takes over the show in style (literally, too, thanks to that trendy winter attire), showcasing the blend of charm and command that could easily see him working for His Majesty's Secret Service on the big screen.

Lanterns co-star Kelly Macdonald, who plays Sheriff Kane in the series, wants Pierre to keep on trucking with his role as John Stewart, however.

"I just feel sorry for anybody that gets [linked] – it sort of gets spoken about too much," Macdonald tells GamesRadar+. "Saying yes to a Bond film is a big, big, deal. Lots of people get thrown in the mix. It feels like every week there's a new person."

Macdonald adds, "He certainly could be [Bond], but I hope to see him as a Green Lantern for many years to come."

When we mention Winkler's tweet to Pierre himself, the John Stewart actor – who is set to reprise the role in 2027's Man of Tomorrow – remained humble over the links.

"I think that is an enormous compliment, and I appreciate it greatly. That's very kind. It's a very kind thing for someone to say."

The hunt for the next 007 continues, with producer Amy Pascal recently saying the next Bond actor will be "different" and announced by the end of the year (via Deadline).

Whether he likes his martinis shaken or stirred, it appears Pierre is blocking out the noise – from the spy world or otherwise. Still, Lanterns could yet be an audition for him to earn the number.

Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, here's all the latest on DCU Chapter One.

Lanterns isn't Aaron Pierre's first DC rodeo.

Almost a decade ago, a baby-faced Pierre formed part of the cast of Krypton, a SyFy series that charted the domestic court of Krypton and the lives of Superman's ancestors, including his grandfather, Seg-El.

There, Pierre played Dev-Em, a part worlds away from a far more iconic DC role – as John Stewart in Lanterns. But that doesn't mean it wasn't able to influence his step-up in comic book roles when the time came.

"I think they're two unique and individual experiences," Pierre tells GamesRadar+ during a Lanterns press event in London.

"One thing that I did take from my experience on Krypton to the set of Lanterns is – I'm still young now, but I was even younger on Krypton – I took the experience of being on a set of that enormity and that magnitude. And how do you honor your character, service the character, and do the same thing for the story in such a grand environment and in such a grand set?"

Pierre concludes, "That's that's the sort of education that I brought with me to this, and I had a blast doing it."

Pierre went from Krypton, via Pride Rock in Mufasa, to Rushville, Nebraska as part of the Lanterns cast. Next, he's going to reprise his role as John Stewart in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, while also blasting off to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Starfighter.

Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule and our guide to DCU Chapter One.

We're only 1 episode into new DCU Chapter One show Lanterns, but the theories are already starting to roll in. The latest being that fans think that Kelly MacDonald's character Kerry is a Gothamite in disguise.

Despite Lanterns being set in Nebraska, DC fans are positive that the local sheriff is actually from Gotham City. That's right, the same place where Batman himself resides. In episode 1, Kerry is seen talking on the phone to a police Commissioner when she says, "Tell Barb I said hey." Could Kerry be talking to Gotham's Commissioner Gordon? In DC comics, Gordon's wife is named Barbara, but in some stories his daughter is named Barbara Gordon, otherwise known as Batgirl.

This could just be a little DC Easter egg, or maybe it is James Gunn''s way of slipping in context for the DCU's upcoming Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold. But there's more, as Portuguese DC fan page Caverna do Morcego points out on Twitter. "Her full name is Kerry Kane. The Kane family is one of the most influential in Gotham. Bruce Wayne's mother was a Kane," reads the post.

It is true that in traditional DC comics, Batman's mother's maiden name is Martha Kane. However, a few other characters share that last name too, including Bruce Wayne's cousin, Kate (Katherine) Kane, who later became Batwoman. At this point, we don't know what 'Kerry' is short for, meaning there is the possibility that Kerry is Katherine. But that may be a bit of a reach this early on in the series.

This isn't the first time that fans have drawn a connection from Lanterns to the Batman comics. Towards the end of episode 1, Aaron Pierre's Jon Stewart walks past a poster for Janus Cosmetics, which shows a woman's face half covered in black feathers. However, in DC comics, Janus is owned by Roman Sionis, aka Batman Villain Black Mask. Following the downfall, the baddie businessman goes after Bruce Wayne after Wayne Enterprises publicly bails him out. Boy, these Gothamites really are everywhere.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, check out our Lanterns review, and find out where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline.

Lanterns writer Damon Lindelof is no stranger to bringing out our emotions as part of Lost, The Leftovers, and Watchmen – but even we didn't see the first episode's narrative gambit coming.

Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan is dead and, as Lindelof told Collider, it's a story beat he initially wasn't on board with.

"We can't do that, everyone is gonna hate us and it feels gimmicky," Lindelof said. "But [showrunner Chris Mundy] was like, 'I don't feel that it's gimmicky. I think that it will actually infuse the entire story with a lot of emotionality, especially if the audience understands that John and Hal were not in a good place at the time that Hal died.'"

Lindelof revealed they "gradually" started coming round to the idea, but acknowledged that "a lot of people are going to be angry."

"'I waited this long for another live-action version of Hal, having not gotten him since the Ryan Reynolds film, and then basically 50 minutes after getting me to fall in love with Kyle Chandler, you're killing him off? Fuck you.'" Lindelof said.

"I guess our feeling is, let's see how you feel at the end of Episode 8, and if you still feel like it was exploitative or unnecessary, or that it wasn't exactly what had to happen in order for this story to get told, then we deserve it. But I think we're willing to absorb the boos from the audience in the first inning, as long as we still have a shot at winning the game."

In-universe, Hal Jordan is surviving – but not quite thriving – as 'hail' comes to Rushville, Nebraska as of 2016. There's even a decade-old 'Halogram' as part of his Lantern ring that muddies the waters slightly.

But in 2026, he appears definitively dead, his frozen body slumped out on the rafters – a fitting end to a character played by a Friday Night Lights lead, perhaps, but a sad one nonetheless.

We spoke to Kyle Chandler about the reveal, and he teased that the story won't be a "slow burn" from hereon out.

Adding to the mystery, it's been confirmed that Guy Gardner has Hal Jordan's ring. There's every reason, then, why our list of prime murder suspects is so long. But we'll have to seemingly wait until the finale to find out whodunnit.

For more, check our where Lanterns takes place on the DCU timeline, as well as our interview with Aaron Pierre as he talks Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

The first episode of Lanterns ended, fittingly, in blackest night with a dead body.

Despite the premiere shocker – as part of a 2026 flash-forward – reframing the whole show already, Hal Jordan actor Kyle Chandler promises what follows isn't going to be a "slow burn" before we get to the grand reveal.

Be warned, major spoilers for Lanterns episode 1 within.

So, Hal Jordan is dead. How he got there, who killed him, and whether we're actually looking at Hal slumped in the snowy rafters in Rushville remain a mystery

But what Chandler is transparent about when we spoke to him about that moment is that it's going to be pedal to the (green) metal all the way through – but he warned that "everyone is going to have to watch and find out to make their own decision" on the first episode's rug-pull.

"I think it turns out great," Chandler says. "I think there's a lot of different moves in the whole deal. It's an exciting poker game."

Chandler adds, "We didn't have all the scripts starting out. They started coming in… it's not a slow burn. It goes from one world into another, and grows into that."

We already have one answer courtesy of the show's creatives. It's confirmed that Guy Gardner has Hal Jordan's ring as of the events of Superman. Good luck trying to get anything else out of them – it's among Sector 2814's biggest current secrets in the DCU.

Lanterns is available on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, we have a list of the main suspects who could have killed Hal Jordan.

Then, we shine a light on DC's bright future with our guide to DCU Chapter One.

John Stewart actor Aaron Pierre says filming Lanterns for over 100 days prepared him for taking the next step in the DCU in 2027's Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow .

"For me, what was an enormous gift was having those eight hours of HBO [television] to live with before going onto Man of Tomorrow," Pierre tells GamesRadar+ of his DCU bow as rookie Lantern-in-training John Stewart.

It wasn't just the canvas of eight hours of television on which Pierre could paint. He embodied John Stewart across almost all of production, an opportunity he cherished – and offered a chance to build out the character.

"I was on the phone to [showrunner] Chris Mundy the other day. He was like, 'Congratulations, man. You filmed for 106 days out of 112.' Just on that note, to have 106 days with a character before going on in the DC cinematic universe is a gift. That is not a given. I am very grateful I had that," Pierre said.

On how his time on Lanterns shaped his Man of Tomorrow performance, Pierre added, "That's just the way it worked out. I don't know how intentional it was or wasn't, but I'm forever grateful for that. It allowed me to step onto the Man of Tomorrow set with a deep understanding of who my man John is."

Pierre is joining a Man of Tomorrow cast which is a mega-DCU crossover in all but name. The Superman follow-up stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult from the core cast; Mr. Terrific actor Edi Gathegi, Guy Gardner's Nathan Fillion, Hawkgirl's Isabela Merced, as well as Supergirl's Milly Alcock, Lars Eidinger's Brainiac, and Blue Beetle actor Xolo Maridueña.

Despite John Stewart bridging the gap between Lanterns and Man of Tomorrow, showrunner Chris Mundy told SFX that he wasn't given a mandate on where to leave off with the character by the show's season finale.

"We weren't tasked with having any specific landing point, which was great for us because it gave us freedom to land the story where we wanted to land the story," Mundy said. "But John will be part of the greater DC Universe. That was good for us to know. And where we land him is somewhere that they're happy with us landing him and somewhere they can take him, if they want."

Lanterns is available exclusively on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, check out the Lanterns release schedule and everything else coming your way as part of DCU Chapter One.

Lanterns may have only just begun on HBO Max, but the new DC story has already started planting major Easter eggs. In the opening episode, one viewer spotted a tease for an iconic Batman villain lurking in plain sight.

Towards the end of the first episode, a poster for Janus Cosmetics can be seen behind John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Alongside the logo is a picture of a woman's face covered partially by black feathers. Those who know their Batman villains well will recognise the name of Janus Cosmetics as the brand that's owned by Roman Sionis, whose alter ego is the Black Mask. Check out the moment below.

First introduced in the DC comics back in the '80s, the Black Mask is a Gotham City crime lord and founder of the False Face Society. After his company fell into ruin and he had to accept a bailout from Wayne Enterprises, Sionis was driven mad by revenge, targeting Bruce Wayne in a series of attacks.

If this Easter egg is teasing the character's introduction, this wouldn't be the first time we've seen them on screen. He's appeared in the animated series The Batman as well as in Birds of Prey, where he is played by Ewan McGregor.

We haven't yet met James Gunn's version of Batman, but we do know that the character is still set to be introduced in the next few years. Lanterns features the biggest tease yet for the iconic character and we wouldn't be surprised if a few more Easter eggs may be hiding in the remaining episodes of the show.

Lanterns airs weekly on HBO Max and NOW. Check out our Lanterns release schedule to make sure you don't miss a moment as well as our Lanterns review for what we think of the show.

DCU overseer James Gunn has defended the cinematic universe from complaints about tonal whiplash, especially in the wake of Lanterns' gritty murder mystery premiere.

A fan on Threads raised a common concern for those who have been on the ground floor since DCU: Chapter One launched with Creature Commandos.

They wrote, "As an 'Elseworlds' story, this first episode of Lanterns is way better than the conceit of 'True Detective meets DCU'. That said—and along with Supergirl, Creature Commandos, and the upcoming Clayface movie—I can’t comprehend this slate toward building a shared narrative universe."

Gunn, not one to keep his social media six-shooter in its holster, disagreed. He replied: "In the same way DC comics have. Certainly the DC works of Alan Moore, Darwyn Cooke, Grant Morrison, Jack Kirby, Paul Dini & Tom King can't be considered "of one tone". For me & others raised on DC comics, a huge part of the fun was enjoying a variety of stories in various genres & seeing inventive ways these tones interacted & interwove. For some of the authors - notably Moore & Morrison (& Tom King in Strange Adventures and more) that tonal interweaving became a part of the stories themselves."

While it certainly hasn't mirrored the MCU in terms of building out a universe using a tried-and-tested formula of superhero movies, there can be no doubt that the DCU has been ambitious – and attempting to appeal to a large cross-section of genre fans.

We've already had weird and wonderful animation (Creature Commandos), an anarchic season of television filled with parallel dimensions (Peacemaker season 2), a big-budget blockbuster (Superman), a flawed hero navigating the cosmos (Supergirl) and, now, Lanterns, a more intimate, grounded crime drama featuring characters who normally go big and bold with their superpowers. Body horror is also on the menu, too, with Clayface later this year.

Whatever your take, it appears that Lanterns is a hit with fans. It's currently sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Our own Lanterns review was effusive in its praise, stating, "The DCU is back on track. Lanterns is a captivating murder mystery that prides itself on relentless pacing and masterful character work from Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart to ensure DC's superhero rivals will turn green with envy."

Lanterns, starring Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler, sees rookie John Stewart team with Green Lantern veteran Hal Jordan to investigate a murder with possibly extraterrestrial culprits. The first episode also includes a shock cliffhanger and a fresh whodunnit. We have a list of suspects here but, be warned, spoilers are within.

For more, here's how to watch the DC movies in order. If you're still not on board with the Green Lantern series, here's what to watch before Lanterns.

Lanterns has just debuted on HBO, and the DCU show is off to a spectacular start. But a crucial tidbit revealed by Lanterns co-creator Tom King on the official Lanterns podcast has me wondering how Lanterns fits into the DCU timeline.

Warning: Spoilers for Lanterns episode 1 follow.

At the end of Lanterns' first episode, it's revealed that Earth's Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, is murdered in 2026. Not only that, but his Power Ring is nowhere to be found. Without getting into the decision to kill Hal (we have plenty of thoughts on that here) or who precisely could have killed him (we have thoughts on the prime suspects as well!), my theory brain has been in overdrive ever since listening to the official podcast, where a comment from Tom King piqued my interest.

"At the end of this episode, Hal is dead," King says. "But also, you see John [Stewart]'s hand; he's not wearing that ring. Guy [Gardner] has the ring. So why does Guy end up with the ring, and where do we go after this, cause this moves us forward."

Now, this is interesting. If you'll recall, Green Lantern Guy Gardner is well-established as a Green Lantern on Earth in Superman; he's even part of a super-team in the Justice Gang, and has history with Supes before the movie starts. Superman is set in 2025, however, and Hal is murdered in 2026, which means Hal must lose his ring long before his death; years before, potentially. The Lanterns timeline just got a lot more confusing.

Of course, it's entirely possible – probable, in fact – that Lanterns will address this question in future episodes as Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner is set to appear in the show, bowl cut and all. But with the line of succession for Hal Jordan's ring made clear as day by the show, precisely how and why Guy is chosen by the ring instead of John is a fascinating question.

Lanterns is the DCU's gritty take on the traditionally cosmic superhero series, and tells a ground-level murder mystery set over multiple timelines. Showrunner Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country) told us realism was "totally the goal" because they're "trying to tell a real story." Co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tom King, meanwhile, bring comic-book legitimacy to the HBO show, noting in a conversation with GamesRadar+ that the idea was to "bring out the visions" of Green Lantern comic book writers.

Lanterns episode 1 is streaming now on HBO Max in the US and UK, and on NOW in the UK. For more, check out our Lanterns review, and be sure to bookmark our Lanterns release schedule so you never miss an episode.

Unlike other heroes who fight using tech or magic, the Green Lanterns are powered solely by their imagination. Yet HBO's new show Lanterns is so imaginative that many fans have pushed back against it, outraged by the shocking changes it's made to the Green Lantern mythos. And that was before the premiere ended with an even more surprising twist that's sure to rile people up further.

The controversy started early on when it was revealed that Lanterns would be more grounded in its approach. Eschewing most of the space-led antics, this version of the story was sold as a True Detective-style buddy cop show where Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) teaches John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) what it means to be a Green Lantern.

Much of the first episode unfolds exactly like that. There's very little action to speak of, especially of the superhero variety. When the ring is used, it's only to make a bottle opener or a protective bubble. Even when Jordan flies, there's no signature green aura that fans are familiar with from the comics.

None of that is necessarily a bad thing, however. 2011's atrocious Green Lantern film served as a strong warning against anyone who might lean too far into the cosmic elements of this franchise without considering the humanity that underpins it. Lanterns simply swings super far the other way, putting a new spin on this decades-old story.

Such an approach worked extremely well for HBO's adaptation of Watchmen, which Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof also worked on. And just like that acclaimed series, the first episode of this new DC show also makes some significant changes, especially when it comes to the fate of its central character.

Note: major spoilers for Lanterns episode 1 follow.

Hal on Earth

After Jordan and Stewart spend most of the premiere hunting for aliens in Rushville, Nebraska, the final scenes jump from 2016 to 2026, where we meet an older version of John as he returns to the town 10 years later. Or, what's left of the town.

Driving past wreckage in the dead of night, Stewart reunites with Kerry (Kelly Macdonald), who still appears to be working as the Sheriff of Rushville. The pair briefly exchange small talk, and then John asks Kerry if anyone else knows… That's when we see Hal frozen outside, and it's clear that he's actually dead.

Yep, Hal Jordan, Earth's first Green Lantern (in the DCU), is already killed off by the end of episode one.

As shocking as this might be, it won't have come as a surprise to everyone.

Prior to the release of Lanterns, some major leaks predicted this exactly, even citing the two timelines and Hal's different involvement in them. It didn't help that HBO's legal team asked various people reporting on the leak to stop sharing it and take the information down, which seemed to confirm that the leak was indeed true.

The news enraged a lot of fans at the time, and it will undoubtedly enrage them further now that Jordan's death in the show has played out for real. And honestly, it's easy to see why.

Hal Jordan hasn't exactly fared well on screen up until this point. Unlike other DC stalwarts, Green Lantern was skipped over by Zack Snyder's Justice League, presumably because of budgetary concerns and just how poorly Jordan's live-action debut in 2011 fared.

Finally giving Hal a chance to shine on screen, only to kill him off so quickly doesn't feel fair for fans who have loved this character over the decades. In many ways, Jordan is the definitive Green Lantern, which makes his sudden death even more surprising.

Green Light

However, there is something to be said for just how ballsy this twist is. If it weren't for that leak, no one would have expected this in a million years. And when it comes to source material this long-lived, isn't this exactly what we want from new adaptations? A fresh new perspective to shake things up?

By reframing a galactic superhero story into a murder mystery of sorts, Lanterns refuses to play it safe, tackling a notoriously tricky franchise with a daring new spin. It's also gratifying to see John Stewart take the spotlight he's long deserved. The character, one of the most prominent Black superheroes ever created, was first introduced all the way back in 1971, yet aside from his role in the noughties Justice League cartoon, he's often still sidelined when it comes to adaptations onscreen.

And crucially, it's not like we've been robbed of Jordan completely. With so much of this first season taking place in the past, Hal will still be extremely prominent throughout the main noughties arc, not to mention the "Halogram" who channels his essence still (presumably beyond death).

It's also worth noting that superheroes rarely stay dead for long. Hal himself was actually killed off in the comics after he became the villain Parallax and ended up sacrificing himself to save the galaxy. It took a few years for him to eventually return and resume the mantle of Green Lantern in the comics.

That's not to say Chandler's live-action Hal will have necessarily died so heroically. The point is we still don't know what's actually happened to him just yet. And therein lies the real mystery of the show. Stewart isn't just investigating an extraterrestrial case alongside Jordan. He's also investigating what happened to Jordan to cause his death, ten years on.

It's an unusual setup for a Green Lantern show, and an extremely imaginative one at that. What remains to be seen is whether Lanterns can stick the landing and justify such a cataclysmic twist, not just to the fans who instantly balk at such a choice, but for those of us who are actually open to seeing where this adventurous spin on the show might take us.

Lanterns episode 1 is streaming now on HBO Max in the US and UK, and also on NOW in the UK. For more, check out our Lanterns review, and never miss an episode with our Lanterns release schedule.

Lanterns co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tom King say they made sure to depict Hal Jordan and John Stewart's comic book origins in a way that honors various Green Lantern comic book writers, rather than one that relies on fan service.

"It transcends the idea of doing fan service to say that there's certain aspects of the canon that are essential," Lindelof tells GamesRadar+, when it comes to deciding how to work Hal Jordan and John Stewart's various comic book origin stories into the new show. "And you have to kinda throw them in the blender when you're making your smoothie. But at the same time, when you drink the smoothie, you can add one flavor too many, and it becomes overwhelming, or two flavors aren't necessarily combining in a good way."

"So I think that you put everything out on the table and you say these are the things that make John Stewart a legacy character. These are the things that make Hal Jordan a legacy character," adds Lindelof. "These are different stories about how they got the ring. These are different stories about adventures that they went on as Green Lanterns. And, and then you educate yourself, and then you know it all. And then you kind of, like, have to put all of that stuff away and start over and say, 'What's the story that we wanna tell?'"

Lanterns is a True Detective-esque take on Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), who find themselves embroiled in a mystery set in rural Rushville, Nebraska. In the show, Hal is Earth's first Green Lantern (though technically Alan Scott was the first human to wear the Green Lantern moniker in the comics), though he wasn't chosen first (and we'll let you watch the show to learn more about that lest we spoil it). John Stewart is his trainee, and the two have a mutual respect but otherwise resentment toward one another. John's backstory has been retconned a few times throughout DC comic history, though the show honors his later origin story as a US Marine.

The series also works backwards, giving us Hal and Jordan's present-day dilemmas before going into how their partnership came to be, and effectively adapting the Green Lantern comic Beware My Power which introduced John to the world back in 1972.

"From a comic book nerd, which I say proudly, point of view, you know...two different characters have very different sort of comic book histories," King says. "Hal has been very consistent in his origin stories over, over the years since, like, the early '60s when he was born. Um, John has not been consistent, and sort of rewritten and redone and not just in this medium. You know, a lot of John's origin story comes from what Dwayne McDuffie did in the Justice League, in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon."

Continues King: "But if you look at it, look at it closely and go back to those origins, you see, like, John's first appearance with Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil, there is that idea that he is chosen, and He will not accept the Lantern world that's given to him, and Hal is a little resentful of that and is rebellious against that. That's all in his first issue. And then if you look at what Dwayne did in the cartoon, that idea of sort of a military guy who's been under such pressure his whole life and has so much emotion that he has to sort of suppress, that's all in there. So it was bringing out the visions of those creators and bringing them into this world."

Lanterns is streaming now on HBO Max. For more, check out our Lanterns review, or stay up to date with our Lanterns release schedule. For more, check out our list of upcoming DC movies and shows.

Lanterns showrunner and co-creator Chris Mundy says the new DC show is meant to suspend disbelief and put you in the middle of a thrilling murder-mystery.

"That was totally the goal," Mundy tells GamesRadar+, when asked whether the goal was to get the viewer completely locked in to the point where they forget they're watching a superhero show. "When I first talked to James Hawes about directing, he was in London, so it was on Zoom, and it seemed like we all kind of matched up in the way we would wanna do it. One of the first things he said was, like, 'We have to talk about flying.' He's like, 'I don't know if I'm gonna direct this, depending on what the flying is,' you know? And, and we wanted everything to feel like it was of the world. So okay, if this really happens, how does it work? What's the relationship to the ground around him and the people around him?"

The new series is a True Detective-esque mystery thriller that sees Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) end up in rural Rushville, Nebraska, where an otherworldly mystery is brewing. It's tonally different than anything we've seen in the DCU just yet, and isn't afraid to bring darker themes and senseless violence to the forefront.

One of my favorite things about the show is how normal the usually over-the-top superhero elements feel, which include the aforementioned flying and even the fact that the Green Lantern ring itself needs to be charged like an iPhone. Unlike the super fans we see crowding around in masks and other homemade merch in the Marvel world, the citizens in Lanterns are mostly unfazed by Hal Jordan being the "guardian" of Earth, and don't see why a local cop couldn't do just as good of a job when it comes to solving a mystery.

Continues Mundy: "If you're gonna do something that has a fantastical element, but you're trying to tell a real story, it's like, what would that actually be like if it existed? Instead of it being hyperreal, you know? So, everything was very intentional. I mean, we had more meetings than you could ever imagine about every tiny detail in terms of the world, and the look, and the feel, and the texture of things, you know?

Lanterns is streaming now on HBO Max. For more, check out our Lanterns review, or stay up to date with our Lanterns release schedule.

Dead bodies. Danger. A small-town conspiracy. A grizzled vet and a plucky upstart trying to crack the case.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

At first glance, Lanterns treads old, murderous ground in the 'backwater' of Rushville, Nebraska after a mass shooting at a high school football game. The grimy tendrils of True Detective, Top of the Lake, and even Fargo stretch out in familiar fashion across the grounded superhero detective show's first seven episodes.

But then, a flash of green light and we're suddenly stepping into the territory of two sets of three letters: HBO and – perhaps more intriguingly for comic book fans and crime aficionados alike – the DCU.

Those hungry for a prestige procedural, as fans of the channel that brought us The Wire and Mare of Easttown can rest easy, even if they may be quick to raise an eyebrow over its DC trappings.

The origins of the incumbent Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler, in superbly irascible form throughout) – essentially a space cop, with jurisdiction over Earth in 'Sector 2814' – are wisely breezed over in favor of Lanterns' magnetic not-so-buddy-buddy cop dynamic.

Hal, world-weary and just as quick with a vicious barb as he is at manifesting green-hued matter through his Lantern ring, has been in the job for decades by the time we meet him in 2016. There, he descends on a town filled with upstanding law enforcement, suspicious benefactors, and a John Dutton-esque patriarch in the shape of Garrett Dillahunt's fearsome cowboy William Macon.

In Hal's rear-view mirror is his trainee: hungry young lion John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), all restless charisma and eager to prove he's more than a "backup quarterback."

In brightest day...

A promising premise if ever there was one, only bolstered by an all-star creative team (Ozark's Chris Mundy, Watchmen and The Leftovers' Damon Lindelof, and comic book legend Tom King) injecting the sort of narrative momentum that puts most glacially-paced miniseries to shame.

In Lanterns, cliffhangers are sudden and meaningful. Each episode ends on a beat that will make the week-long gap between new entries excruciating and exciting in equal measure.

The plot, too, moves with such immediacy that you'll scarcely have time to take in the vivid and sharply-drawn wider cast, including Kelly Macdonald as the perma-conflicted Sheriff Kane and Laura Linney as a matter-of-fact Guardian of the Universe pulling strings in the background (not to be confused with James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, it should be said).

One mid-season episode could even be mistaken for a finale; such is the speed the investigation – which soon introduces an alien race familiar to DC fans – unspools and later resolves itself.

Thrillingly, the writers appear to have thrown plot armor to the wayside, too. Rushville is a nasty, odd, and lethal place to live – and Lanterns makes that known at every turn.

It's a brave and bold approach which, from the jump, turns this DC adventure from a twist on standard comic book fare into HBO's most dangerous show since Boardwalk Empire or classic Game of Thrones. At any given juncture, no one is safe, and Big Moments can happen at any time.

But this isn't just about the crime; it's mostly about the characters. In Hal Jordan and John Stewart, Lanterns couldn't have chosen a better pairing. It also ensures any danger of the HBO series falling into comfortable, uninspired genre rhythms is soon swept away in favor of exploring the fiery side to the duo's relationship – and a shared history that, admittedly, dilutes the uniqueness of how Green Lanterns are chosen. More on that in a moment.

Not only does the pair being at constant loggerheads scratch the Rust Cohle and Marty Hart itch we've been clamoring for ever since True Detective's first season, it skilfully turns expectations on what a hero truly is in this fledgling universe on its head.

This isn't Superman's good-natured intentions, nor is it a flawed Supergirl or Guy Gardner's cocky bluster. Lanterns teases something far richer, the sort of emotional complexities that can only be drawn out by spending eight hours with our protagonists. There are even shades of Damon Lindelof's Watchmen in how Lanterns subtly confronts deep-rooted race issues in America alongside Hal's rapidly decaying sense of self-worth.

...in darkest night

Yet, it's not all perfect. There are times, particularly in an oddly-placed third episode that over-explains John Stewart's backstory, where Lanterns loses faith in itself and attempts to outwit an imaginary comic book audience.

In a series of events that will likely rankle with a dyed-in-the-wool DC pack, Green Lanterns lore is twisted, reframing John's lay-up of a hero's journey as a faintly unpalatable 'destiny' that robs him of most agency and comes dangerously close to a dual act of character assassination for both John and Hal, who also has an indirect part to play in John's childhood.

Those misdemeanors, though, are mild and don't derail the show – even if the lack of faith partially betrays Lanterns' primary mission of frontloading narrative shocks amid a surprisingly restrained use of CGI and color.

Yes, let's talk about the green elephant in the room. No, Lanterns is not a wide-eyed spectacle that looks like it's leapt off the pages of Geoff Johns' classic Green Lantern run. Its palette is frequently brown, muddy, and muted. Nor does it come close to approaching cosmic territory, save for a sprinkling of Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) that feels almost unfair in both how good it is and how infrequently the DC supervillain is deployed.

But does it matter? Absolutely not. This is, in many ways, a deliberate departure from 2011's Green Lantern movie. Not that you'll be thinking about the Ryan Reynolds bomb here. You'll be too busy getting lost in a captivating mystery, drenched in subtle character work and wrapped around a masterful Hal/John dynamic that almost begs to be wrung dry across multiple seasons.

Dead bodies. Danger. A small-town conspiracy. You know the rest. Yes, we've been here before. Lanterns, though, is a fascinating blend of comic book caper and murder mystery. Its core pairing of Hal Jordan and John Stewart – despite some controversial deviations from their traditional origins – crackles with tension and genuine physical threat in a manner that feels novel to both the superhero genre and the many detective shows it successfully emulates.

Better yet, it's a confident story being told at a time when the foundations of the DCU are at their shakiest. After all, Supergirl faltered big time at the box office, and James Gunn's post-Man of Tomorrow plans have not yet materialized. The DCU needed this win.

Whether it's in brightest day or blackest night for the DCU, Lanterns is guaranteed to be a shining beacon of light among its superhero TV contemporaries – and close to essential viewing, whether you're a DC fan or otherwise.

Lanterns airs on HBO and HBO Max Sunday, August 16 in the US and on HBO Max in the UK on August 17.

For more on what that means for you, check out our Lanterns release schedule.

One thing has really stood out in all of the trailers for upcoming DC show Lanterns so far, and that's Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan suited up. We've had a brief look at him in the Green Lantern suit in the early clips, and it looks pretty incredible.

However, it turns out that this was a pretty late addition to the series. Speaking on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Chandler revealed: "So they weren't sure whether there was going to be a suit as I understand it. Then towards the end they decide let's have a suit. Then they had to design a suit, they came up with three different designs."

The actor went on to describe how the costume designers created the final piece, which he described as having "battle scars on it." He added: "It's an incredible suit, they built something that was just incredible. It took a while, it was in pieces. It took about 45 minutes to get it on."

The choice was clearly made to make sure the Green Lantern suit looked authentic too, given the backlash to Ryan Reynolds' CGI version in the panned 2011 movie. Lanterns takes place in a much more grounded reality as it combines the superhero genre with crime noir.

It follows Jordan as he teams up with a new recruit, Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, to solve a mysterious case in small-town America, which they believe has cosmic implications.

Lanterns begins on August 16 on HBO Max in the US and August 17 on NOW in the UK. For more, check out our Lanterns release schedule and our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows.

The first season of new DCU show Lanterns hasn't even hit HBO yet, but there is already talk of a second season.

At the Lanterns premiere, ScreenRant asked co-creator Damon Lindelof if he has plans for Lanterns season 2. "If it's successful and people love it, there's a lot of runway to launch into future seasons," said Lindelof. "But I think Chris Mundy has already started a new writers' room, figuring out what new stories could be for Lanterns."

Although he didn't reveal what season 2 might entail, Lindelof did list several actors he would want to see in the next installment, including Watchmen star Regina King, The Leftovers actors Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon, and Wonder Man himself. "I worked with a great actor, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, who would be great," said Lindelof. "He was already in the old version of the DCU. He played the bad guy in the Aquaman movies."

There have been rumblings of Lanterns season 2 this week, after the series landed a new co-showrunner ahead of a possible second outing. According to The Ankler, comic writer and producer Christopher Cantwell has joined as co-showrunner alongside Chris Mundy. However, Lanterns has yet to receive an official renewal from HBO or DC Studios.

It seems that anything is possible in the DCU right now, as DCU: Chapter One has undergone a massive shake-up. On August 12, it was reported that upcoming DC shows Waller and Wonder Woman series Paradise Lost had been scrapped. But Booster Gold, which has been hit with cancellation rumors, remains in development.

However, Lindelof admits that when he approached Lanterns, he only had the first season on his mind. "We came into this with the sort of attitude that this was a mystery with a beginning, middle, and end," said the long-time DC collaborator. "We had a story to tell about characters that we really cared about, and we would want the audience to kind of get to know them over the course of the first season and really invest in them, and then that story ended."

Lanterns follows Green Lantern and intergalactic cop Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a mysterious murder. The season is set across two timelines in 2016 and 2026, and also stars Kelly Macdonald as a local sheriff, Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner.

Lanterns hits HBO Max on August 16. See our Lanterns release schedule for exact timings. For more, keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.

With the DCU being in its infancy, it's absolutely true that there isn't a lot to watch before Lanterns. This isn't the MCU, with its hours of streaming 'homework' and other essential movies to catch up on before diving headlong into its newest release.

But if you're new to the DCU or to Green Lantern as a character, there are still multiple movies and shows we'd regard as either essential or recommend viewing. Not only will it ground you on who exactly Hal Jordan and John Stewart are before they make their in-universe bows, but our lists will also offer some much-needed context on the weirder and more cosmic side of the cinematic universe.

So, join us as we run through everything to watch before Lanterns. Then, take a look ahead to everything James Gunn and Peter Safran are cooking up as part of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

The DCU essentials

Let's start with the DCU. While none of the current projects directly set up Lanterns, we would absolutely suggest starting with Superman if you haven't done so already.

Not only does it introduce another Green Lantern in Guy Gardner (so you can get to grips with his ego and skillset), but it also operates as an introduction to the DCU-at-large – and all the heroes that inhabit the world.

Even better, Superman's 2027 sequel, Man of Tomorrow, is confirmed to include Aaron Pierre's John Stewart. So becoming familiar with that side of the DCU is imperative before jumping onboard with Lanterns and, then, the next step in Stewart's story.

Elsewhere, Creature Commandos and Supergirl are perfect primers for fans who aren't aware of DC's zanier, more cosmic side. This isn't all Batman battering goons, you know. Creature Commandos has an eclectic cast of characters that fall right in line with the wider roster of Green Lanterns, including a living planet and a squirrel (yes, really).

While Lanterns appears to be a grounded detective drama, it may yet shoot for the stars. This year's Supergirl was another adventure among the cosmos, so is well worth seeking out too.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series

The DCU isn't the only time Hal Jordan has been on the screen. 2010s show Green Lantern: The Animated Series follows Jordan in a starbound adventure, which should give you a taste of exactly who Hal is and how he works both solo and as part of the Green Lantern Corps.

Justice League Unlimited

John Stewart has been around in the comics for decades, but Justice League and its follow-up DCAU (DC Animated Universe) series Justice League Unlimited put Stewart on the map in a big way.

The nature of the series (and the superhero group) means it's more of an ensemble piece, but there are plenty of Green Lantern-adjacent and John Stewart-centric episodes to watch. We would recommend season 1 episode 'Hunter's Moon' and season 3's 'Far From Home'.

HBO Max in the US also has other animated projects, including Green Lantern: Beware My Power and Emerald Knights.

For more, check out how to watch the DC movies in order.

The DCU is making some changes to its previously announced roster, and this reportedly includes scrapping Waller and Paradise Lost.

According to The Ankler, Waller and Paradise Lost are "both dead at DC, which also heard pitches for series built around Poison Ivy and Catwoman, though DC/HBO passed on both projects." Though Booster Gold was hit with cancellation rumors, the show "remains in development, and a search for a new writer is underway."

Waller was first announced as part of DCU's 'Chapter One,' when James Gunn and Peter Safran took control of DC Studios in 2023. The series, starring Viola Davis's Amanda Waller, was set to pick up after the events of Peacemaker season 2. Back in February 2025, Safran said that scripts "still haven't been able to land," which didn't bode well for future announcements.

Paradise Lost was also announced as part of the initial slate, and was described by Safran as a "Game of Thrones-ish story about Themyscira," the home of the Amazons and birthplace of Wonder Woman. The two projects join The Authority, which was also scrapped back in April.

In some positive news, a co-showrunner has reportedly already been hired for Lanterns season 2... which hits HBO Max on August 16.

For more, check out our list of upcoming DC movies and shows.

While John Stewart is set to make his DCU debut in the upcoming Lanterns, played by Aaron Pierre, the Green Lantern will soon be reappearing in next year's quasi-Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

But, by the sounds of things, showrunner Chris Mundy had the leeway to take Lanterns wherever he wanted to go, despite the wider universe being at play.

"We weren't tasked with having any specific landing point, which was great for us because it gave us freedom to land the story where we wanted to land the story," Mundy told SFX magazine. "But John will be part of the greater DC Universe. That was good for us to know. And where we land him is somewhere that they're happy with us landing him and somewhere they can take him, if they want."

So far, Lanterns looks more like a gritty detective drama than a superhero show, with the buddy cop dynamic between Stewart and Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan at its heart. But elsewhere in the SFX piece, Mundy hints that the grounded DC show might go cosmic: "We'd be stupid not to use everything that you can do inside the Green Lantern universe."

Man of Tomorrow, meanwhile, will see Superman forced to team up with Lex Luthor to take on Brainiac.

Along with Pierre and Chandler, the Lanterns cast also features Laura Linney, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro.

"Our show is in a lot of ways about replacement – when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins?" Mundy said back in 2025. "That push and pull between those two characters is really important. So much of the power that John has is by not taking the bait, understanding that you lose your power if you’re yelling and screaming."

Lanterns arrives on August 16. In the meantime, keep up to date with everything else the DCU has in store with our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows.

Upcoming DC show Lanterns may revolve around a pair of Green Lanterns, but from what we've seen so far, it's going to remain a far more grounded murder mystery than expected.

For showrunner Chris Mundy, that decision to step away from the more cosmic reaches of Green Lantern lore in favor of a more True Detective-style investigation in dusty Nebraska was made from the jump.

"We just committed pretty early,” Mundy told SFX. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, should we do it this way?’ [We said] ‘We’re going to do it this way.’ So we just started building it. In that way we were all in from the beginning."

Mundy continued, "We wanted to make sure that we were firmly walking the Earth first, and then hopefully you can build those relationships, and that trust inside the show, and you can keep doing more and more."

That 'more and more' has already been hinted at in the second Lanterns trailer released during SDCC weekend. That fresh glimpse won over jaded fans with its imaginative use of the Lantern ring, tease of Sinestro, and what appeared to be a sprinkling of interstellar-set scenes. For Mundy, the sky isn't the limit. It goes far beyond that.

"We’d be stupid not to use everything that you can do inside the Green Lantern universe," Mundy said. "They have these abilities. They have the ring. Their world is just bigger, and the way we use our storytelling can be bigger too. We sometimes had to remind ourselves that there’s as much or as little sci-fi in it as we want there to be.”

Lanterns revolves around Lantern-in-training John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) being mentored by Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as they uncover clues in a series of killings. The DCU series hits HBO on August 16.

For more, check out what we know about DCU Chapter One.

Although DC Studios is choosing not to promote its stack of upcoming movies at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the Lanterns panel has given us another look at what's to come from DCU Chapter One on the small screen with a brand new trailer.

The new clip opens with Hal Jordan rudely waking his trainee, Jon Stewart, giving us a taste of the duo's Training Day-style relationship. As the pair uncover a string of crimes, Hal becomes convinced that aliens are to blame. Well, ol' Hal is correct, as later in the trailer we find out that extraterrestrial antagonists known as Manhunters, which "can take the shape of any species," are at large on Earth.

Elsewhere in the trailer, it seems as though there is quite a bit of friction between Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart, as Jon seemingly wants rid of his mentor. "The Ring has always been mind. Jordan is just keeping it warm," he says. We also get a glimpse at Nathan Fillion's Superman character Guy Gardner, and what looks to be Green Lantern's nemesis Sinestro, who you can see below.

Starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as intergalactic cops and members of the Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan and new recruit Jon Stewart, Lanterns follows the duo as they investigate a murder in the American heartland, but in the process are drawn into a dark mystery.

Unlike the most recent DCU project to hit the screen, Supergirl, Lanterns is set on Earth. The show is set across two timelines, both in 2016 and in 2026, sometime after the events of Superman. But just like Supergirl, it looks like Lanterns will feed into Superman sequel Superman: Man of Tomorrow, as it has cast Jon Stewart actor Aaron Pierre.

Lanterns, which has been described as a buddy cop show meets True Detective, is the third TV show to come from Gunn's DCU, following on from Creature Commandos and Peacemaker season 2, and is the fifth project overall. However, the HBO show has a bit of pressure on it not only for being the only DC series released this year, but after Supergirl flopped at the box office, DC Studios needs Lanterns to be a hit.

Lanterns is co-created and co-written by Lost's Damon Lindelof, Criminal Minds' Chris Mundy, and comic book writer Tom King. DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are on board as producers. The show also stars Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, and Ulrich Thomsen.

Lanterns arrives this August 16. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows for everything else the DCU has in store.

The DCU's weirdest project might have cast its lead, and, to be honest, I still can't believe this is happening.

The TV show will focus on Jimmy Olsen, Superman's pal played by Skyler Gisondo, and also, for some reason, supervillain Gorilla Grodd.

According to Deadline, Scream 7's Jimmy Tatro is in talks to play the ape, whom DC describes as "a hyper-intelligent telepathic ape who has sought to rule both the simian and human worlds, though the Flash has frequently thwarted his plans."

If you're wondering just what that has to do with Jimmy, it's because the show, apparently called DC Crime (though James Gunn has denied that's the title) is going to be like a true crime docu-series hosted by Jimmy. So, the first season is set to focus on Gorilla Grodd.

The news comes after Supergirl cratered at the box office, earning less money than notorious flop Morbius in its opening weekend. The film also debuted to the DCU's first rotten Rotten Tomatoes score, a feat that took the MCU 13 years and 26 movies.

"While Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations, it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in," said DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.

Next up for the DCU is Lanterns, a buddy cop show focusing on Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart of the Green Lantern Corps. That arrives this August 16.

In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has in store.

It feels a little ridiculous to talk about the new movie Supergirl and not discuss the titular character. But with the latest DCU flick now in theaters, all eyes won’t just be on the Maid of Might – they'll be on the Main Man, Lobo, played by Jason Momoa. And thankfully, the actor's long audition as Aquaman in the DCEU properly prepared him for the role Momoa was born to play.

Is that unfair to say about a role Momoa played multiple times, in multiple movies (and TV shows)? Perhaps. Except, ever since the actor was announced as playing Arthur Curry way back in 2014, it seemed like an odd fit. Sure, he had played a ruler before on Game of Thrones, but the monosyllabic Khal Drogo was a far cry from any iteration of Aquaman we had seen before in the comic book source material, let alone his appearances in animated TV shows and live-action on Smallville.

Yet Momoa proceeded to make the role his own from a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, all the way through the cockroach-crunching end of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. But the problem was that Momoa bent Aquaman his way into a brash, joke-slinging bad-ass who shouts "my man," gets into bar fights, and is more Momoa than Curry.

That may not entirely be an issue, because Momoa was one of the highlights of the controversial DCEU/Zack Snyder era, despite his every move seeming to be designed to specifically push back at anyone who made fun of Aquaman for talking to fish. This Aquaman was cool. He was a muscle-bound beefcake. He drinks and fights, and if you say he's anything less than rad, he will beat you up. But it also, curiously, seemed antithetical to what Aquaman is supposed to be.

Ride or die

Which is why this all makes a lot more sense once you realize Momoa was merely paving the way for Lobo. Unlike his Fast & Furious franchise cohort Dwayne Johnson – who attempted his own hostile takeover of the DC cinematic franchise and took Henry "I would just love to play Warhammer 40k if you don't mind" Cavill down with him – Momoa managed to pivot one of the more successful turns in the DCEU into his dream role in the DCU. Reportedly, the very morning James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the new heads of DC Studios, Momoa texted Gunn two words: "Fucking Lobo." And Gunn somehow interpreted that mysterious text correctly and agreed, stating that he thought Momoa should have been Lobo for years.

It's clear that through the auditions for Batman and casting as Aquaman, what Momoa really wanted was Lobo. And it's such a better fit, as Momoa basically is Lobo, without the immortality and bloodthirstiness. The Czarnian bounty hunter, created in 1983 by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen, is what it says on the tin, but it wasn't until the ‘90s that the character found his niche as a commentary on the over-the-top dark and gritty superhero trend kicked off in part by characters like Wolverine at Marvel and Batman at DC. Momoa himself is like a walking, talking human parody, with his scraggly beard, wild hair, and 6'4 height. He's a wild man who looks like he'd accept an invitation to party any day, any time.

That's Lobo, and that's exactly what Momoa captures on screen with Supergirl. Yes, he physically looks like the character walked off the comic book page, thanks only in small part to black and white makeup, red eyes, and sharp teeth. But honestly, Momoa's inherent physicality does the majority of the work. And his delivery, delighted to see ultra-violence, taking no guff, and coaching a young girl to kill people, feels so much more natural coming out of Lobo than any of Momoa's dialogue did with Aquaman.

The main event

Lobo's the perfect loose cannon running through the new DCU movie, and given his relatively scant screen time, the next question is: when will we see Lobo again? A lot of that potentially depends on how Supergirl does at the box office this weekend – all signs point to "not great" – but Momoa has taken the Lobo ball this far, it's hard to believe his dreams of being the Main Man will stop here, particularly as the actor has the strength of will that would make a Green Lantern jealous.

It's entirely possible Lobo could stop by in the already filming Man of Tomorrow, whether in a cameo or another expanded supporting role, a la Supergirl. But it's tricky to say beyond that because, given James Gunn's laudable unwillingness to greenlight projects before scripts are ready, there are… Not a lot of projects greenlit.

One option? The in-development Wonder Woman reboot, which boasts Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira as screenwriter. While it would be a little weird to see Lobo only pop up as a supporting character in movies with a main, female character, given Nogueira already figured out a way to fuse Lobo into the story from comic book creators Tom King and Bilquis Evely, who is to say she couldn't do the same for Diana?

Lobo would also fit well in the already filmed Lanterns on HBO, given Lobo often tangles with the GLs in the comics. Or he could show up in whatever is following up on the prison planet plotline of Sanctuary from Season 2 of Peacemaker… We've already seen Lobo in jail once, and John Cena is yet another ex-pat from the Fast & Furious franchise Momoa could tangle with. Heck, they were supposed to be in a movie called Killer Vacation together, which we haven't heard a peep about since 2022. So this might be a way of finally getting the duo to team up.

Look, wherever Momoa goes as Lobo next, this is already a much more natural fit than Aquaman, and it's likely audiences will respond positively (regardless of the Supergirl movie's box office fate). So let’s make sure it isn't another decade before we get to see mo' Momoa in the role he was meant to play. Ya bastiches.

Supergirl is in theaters now. For more, dive into our spoiler-free Supergirl review, or catch up on the DCU to date with our guide on how to watch DC movies in order.

An animated series based on the best-selling comic Absolute Batman is in the works at Warner Bros and DC Studios – and the era of 'reimagined' Bruce Waynes is truly upon us.

Absolute Batman, created by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, is a monthly superhero comic that stars a 24-year-old, blue-collar Bruce Wayne who works by day as a civil engineer and still has one living parent. The comic has been widely celebrated as a reimagining of the Batman mythos. You can check out the official series logo below.

The series was announced at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Festival, alongside a Joker anime and another animated series based on Krypto the Super Dog. This means there are a total of eight animated DC Studios shows, including My Adventure With Green Lantern, Starfire! Super Powers, Miata Miracle, and the already-airing Creature Commandos. Of the eight projects, it appears that Creature Commandos is still the only one canon to the DCU.

In this particular reimagining, Alfred Pennyworth, who narrates the series, is an M16 agent, the Joker is a billionaire, and villains like Catwoman, Riddler, and Killer Croc are some of Bruce's childhood friends. The latter of which is due to the fact that he grew up poor in Crime Alley (the street where Bruce's parents were killed in the original comic), rather than living in a mansion and mingling with other affluent families.

"Can’t even begin to tell you guys how excited Nick and I are to be working on this," Snyder wrote on Twitter. "So grateful to Warner Brothers animation and DC Studios!"

Absolute Batman does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows.

Back in 2003, FOX aired the first season of Arrested Development, featuring Will Arnett as Gob Bluth, a member of The Alliance of Magicians. While Gob was relatively normal (looking, at least), the rest were dressed like absolute freaks, which contrasted wildly with their slogan: "We Demand To Be Taken Seriously." It's a motto that, without irony, often spills out into superhero fandom, and has played out with fans of DC's Snyder-verse, which took a dead serious, mythological approach to the comic book heroes.

Shockingly, while many likely expected James Gunn's rebooted DCU to go in the other direction, with rare exceptions it's been more extreme, more violent, and far more sexual than the previous iteration, catering to an aging fanbase that craves what they perceive to be the trappings of adulthood while grasping desperately at the last vestiges of their childhood. The antidote to this disparity between source material and fan desires? My Adventures With Superman, which returns for its third season on Adult Swim and HBO Max, and shows exactly what all of James Gunn's DCU should be; yet decidedly is not.

First airing in 2023, My Adventures With Superman stars Jack Quaid as Clark Kent/Superman, initially introduced as an intern at the Daily Planet. Along with fellow interns Lois Lane (Alice Lee) and Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid), the Shonen anime-inspired series rebuilds the Superman mythos from the ground up (where else can you find Chris Parnell as a dangerously sexy Deathstroke?), expertly mixing heart and humor with big action sequences, reinvented villains and origins, and even new powers for Superman that draw heavily from Eastern comics and animation instead of Western. The result is something that feels fresh, new, and decidedly modern, while not ignoring the core of what has made Superman one of the most popular and recognizable characters in the world since 1938.

It's on, like Krypton

To loop this back to the Alliance of Magicians, there's a reason this show airs at Midnight during Adult Swim's Toonami block… It doesn't take itself seriously, featuring wall-to-wall jokes ranging from recurring audio cues (every time Jimmy says the name of his startup news app Flamebird, a bird cry is heard in the distance) alongside deeply felt twists and epic action beats as Clark discovers his darker-than-in-the-comics origins. My Adventures With Superman knows how to be both silly and earnest, often in the same scene; and the whiplash of tones works because of how well modulated the scripts are, and how razor-focused they are on the main trio of characters – now a quartet in season 3, thanks to the addition of Kara Zor-El (Kiana Madeira).

Contrast that with Superman on the big screen from James Gunn, a hyperkinetic ode to Silver Age comics that has its charms, but also features oddly modulated commentary on the modern world alongside superheroes gleefully murdering people. Or to talk about an upcoming release, how about the My Adventures With Superman version of Supergirl, who spent most of her life brainwashed and corrupted by Brainiac (Michael Emerson) and now spends season 4 obsessed with hot dogs and dating, singing and dancing, and still brings a mean punch. Meanwhile, the big screen version of Supergirl played by Milly Alcock is a drunken mess who – spoilers for the book by Tom King and Bilquis Evely – goes on a mission of revenge after Krypto the Superdog gets shot with a poisoned arrow and seems likely to die. Hot dogs or dead dogs… Which would you rather watch?

In fact, to dig deeper into Gunn's DCU, most of it is for the "We Demand To Be Taken Seriously" fans to the exclusion of nearly anyone else. The Suicide Squad featured sex scenes, profanity, and massive amounts of violence. Creature Commandos highlighted nude, animated monster sex. This fall brings Clayface, a likely R-rated body horror movie. Lanterns is on HBO, and while we don't know the exact content yet, it is intended to be True Detective with superheroes; i.e. dark, twisted, and potentially also full of nudity and sex. And Peacemaker? Full frontal nudity and orgies, alongside wall-to-wall profanity and graphic violence.

Blue world order

None of this is an aspersion on the quality of Gunn's productions – and for a point of clarity, My Adventures With Superman is also produced by Gunn's DC Studios, so it's not like he's in a battle for control of the future of DC superheroes with a rogue animated series or anything. But the carefully curated nature of the DCU that has Gunn not producing any scripts before they're 100% done, while laudable, has front-loaded the rebooted franchise with fare almost exclusively appropriate for adults that does not open the door for new fans, or those who are superhero-curious. Superman came the closest, but any DCU follow-ups – with Supergirl potentially included – aren't appealing to the same crowd.

My Adventures With Superman, technically classified as an "Elseworlds," so not connected in any way to the live-action shows and films (or Creature Commandos and the upcoming, also likely extremely adult, based on the source material Mister Miracle), lays out the welcome mat that the DCU eschews. It feels exceedingly dumb to say, "hey did you know anime is popular," but it is, and taking the characters of Superman and his amazing pals to where the non-aging audience lives means these stories can continue for another generation, and perhaps more.

Add in the upcoming My Adventures With Green Lantern spinoff – another direct contrast with the blunt instrument of Nathan Fillion's bowl-cut Guy Gardner, and the adult shenanigans of Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) on Lanterns – and you have a path forward that Gunn should have taken, but instead he walked backwards.

It's not too late, though, for Gunn to look at the approach My Adventures With Superman has pioneered and adapt that for the big and small screen of the DCU. And all it would take is for Gunn to embrace another Gob Bluth catchphrase: "I've made a huge mistake."

My Adventures with Superman season 3 is streaming now on HBO Max. For more, here's everything still to come in DCU: Chapter One, or here's our rundown of the best anime to watch in 2026.

Lanterns will have two timelines, one of which is set 10 years in the past – which means the TV show will be the first story on the new DCU timeline.

The 2016 timeline looks to be the main story. It involves a shooting in Nebraska, which Hal Jordan is investigating with new recruit John Stewart. This is the plot line teased in the show's trailers and promotional material, but it looks like the action will also cut to 10 years later "to something else" happening in 2026.

"That becomes a second mystery that we know is down the road for us," showrunner Chris Mundy cryptically told Entertainment Weekly. "So eventually two different mysteries get worked out over the course of the show."

When the show's first trailer hit the internet earlier this year, fans weren't happy with its beige tone and lack of superpowers on display, but Mundy has doubled down on his desire to keep the show grounded.

"We wanted to tell an on-the-ground story, and that has a couple of different mysteries inside of it," he added. "What we have going for us is that it's a Green Lantern story. They can conjure anything from the ring. They do go off the planet. There's all these other powers that they have. We wanna use everything that's great about the mythology of the Green Lanterns, but at the same time, we wanted it to feel like an upscale mystery, a very emotionally tangible story about these people that are in it.”

Lanterns arrives on HBO on August 16. In the meantime, get up to speed with the rest of the DCU Chapter One with our guide to all the other upcoming DC movies and shows.

What once felt like an outside shot now seems more likely than ever as The Penguin season 2 has received a pre-production milestone.

The Writers Guild of America site now has details for the names attached to The Penguin season 2. Showrunner and executive producer Lauren LeFranc is listed as returning for the project, while Semi Chellas (perhaps best known for writing several episodes in the latter half of Mad Men) is onboard as consulting producer.

Originally envisioned as a limited series that bridged the gap between The Batman and The Batman 2 as Colin Farrell's Oz Cobb wormed his way up the Gotham criminal food chain, The Batman director Matt Reeves revealed last year that they were "in discussions" to continue the story.

"Lauren [LeFranc] is thinking hard and we're talking, so we'll see. We love the show, and we think our cast is so incredible," Reeves told Variety. "The work that Lauren and the writers did was incredible. Our passion was in it, but never in our wildest dreams could we imagine it would have been received in the way that it was."

The Batman fans are certainly feasting today. While The Penguin season 2 isn't a surefire certainty, the WGA listing is a crucial step on the way to get the wheels turning on a follow-up to the HBO series.

Speaking of turning wheels, Matt Reeves has posted snow tires from a screen test of The Batman 2, confirming that the sequel will be set in a snowy Gotham. No sign of Mr. Freeze just yet.

Oz Cobb returns in The Batman 2, with Colin Farrell revealing it takes place just "a few weeks" after the original – despite a five-year gap between the two movies.

The Batman 2 hits cinemas on October 1, 2027.

The Batman 2 is an Elseworlds project, but for more on James Gunn and Peter Safran's own universe as part of DC Studios, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One.