Lanterns concept art unveiled the most detailed look at John Stewart's new lantern forged by Sinestro (and it has a completely intriguing name). The much-talked-about finale of Lanterns finally delivered the clearest path to the Green Lantern future of Aaron Pierre's John Stewart. The final episode confirmed that Sinestro forged a power battery in Antaan's homeworld under pressure from Noah Macon (the last remaining Manhunter on Earth). This power battery was meant to recharge Hal Jordan's ring, and it was not a standard-issued Corps lantern. The planet's influence left yellow fear energy threaded throughout the green willpower inside it, and its design has visible cracks rather than being polished.
Lanterns Episode 8's ending showed John claiming the Sinestro-forged lantern to charge Hal's ring, thereby turning him into an unsanctioned Green Lantern of Earth while Guy Gardner guards the cosmic section of Sector 2814.
Ed Natividad, a DC Studios concept artist from DC Studios' Lanterns, confirmed in an Instagram post that John Stewart's new lantern is called "Dark Lantern," while also unveiling a detailed look at the Sinestro-forged power battery that shows why it's unique from the others.
The hourglass-shaped lantern battery has a brass carrying handle, a central ring port with bronze aesthetics, and green energy visible through a cracked, dark casing shot through with seemingly yellow veins. The fact that the lantern is named "Dark Lantern" carries weight, further cementing its sinister framing already established in the finale.
The cracked green core and the yellow aesthetic sprinkled throughout its design are a tell that this is not a clean Green Lantern Corps battery. While it is still infused with predominantly green willpower, the fractures and gold veins suggest that fear is slowly cracking through, and this impurity could pose a problem in future stories John Stewart has to handle.
It's possible that John Stewart's new oath, centered on embracing fear, could somehow repair this Sinestro-forged battery or at least prevent the yellow fear from leaking and retain its sense of purity. Charging the ring the old way would only stress the cracks, but by naming fear and still choosing the fight, John may be doing the battery a favor by not burning it out (and preventing him from turning into a flawed Yellow Lantern in the process).
It's worth noting that the classic oath promises that will alone are not enough. John Stewart's new oath completely changes that by showing everyone (the Guardians and the Green Lantern Corps) that his unsanctioned status will and can survive contact with fear and still serve the light.
The Dark Lantern's True Meaning Can Help John Stewart's Unsanctioned Status
DC Studios concept artist Ed Natividad confirmed that Lanterns' new Sinestro-forged battery is called a Dark Lantern, and many would think that this new nickname for a lantern is bad news for John Stewart.
A battery built by Sinestro and shot through with yellow could mean corruption, and this tainted source could be a problem down the line. However, this is an important distinction because it opens the narrative floodgates for Stewart's unimaginable growth, allowing him to stand out from Hal Jordan's own trajectory.
With a newly forged lantern battery, the Guardians of OA cannot return it because they weren't the ones who forged it. There is no more waiting for John Stewart to do what needs to be done, whereas Hal sits in the cost of being the Corps' main man right up to the time he faced a dilemma of following their own directives due to their shady ways.
The Lanterns finale didn't show John creating a construct from a new battery, and the question remains: how much fear can ride inside the light before it fails, and how much of it can be carried without a sliver of Sinestro's forged energy from the cracks.
With him being an unsanctioned Green Lantern, John's next step is not to be defined by the Sinestro-forged Dark Lantern battery and instead allow him to make his own identity by ensuring that he would not go rogue while still embracing his responsibility of protecting Earth, no matter what.
