As James Gunn continues building the foundation of the rebooted DCU, Lanterns has revealed another key location. The series, which premieres on HBO Max in August, is another major step in Gunn's first DCU chapter and will expand to new places. Just as legendary places like Metropolis and Gotham help define DC mythology, Lanterns will introduce a ninth major location to the DCU, one with little connection but carrying significant importance to the story being told.
The latest teaser for Lanterns revealed that much of the story will unfold in a small town in Sheridan County, Nebraska, unlocking the next major DCU location. The new footage showed small town streets and other locations. While nothing about these should excite DC comic nerds, it does set the stage for this HBO series.
The town falls under the authority of Sheriff Kerry Kane, played by Kelly Macdonald, laser-focused on solving this crime herself to help her community. One moment in the new trailer shows a town hall meeting, with the building filled to the brim. Clearly, the recent heinous crime has drawn the townspeople's attention.
In the teaser, Kane bluntly warns Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan to "stay the f--- out of my way," signaling immediate friction as he and fellow Green Lantern in training John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) are there to solve the local murder.
While some fans have speculated Kane could eventually become a love interest for Jordan, the footage makes it clear she has little patience for the two cosmic peacekeepers interfering in her town's case.
The grounded Nebraska setting, far removed from the cosmic spectacle usually associated with the Green Lantern Corps, reinforces the show's gritty tone, with its muted colors and small-town atmosphere suggesting a more restrained approach that has already sparked mixed reactions among fans.
Despite excitement and intrigue among fans around Lanterns, the teaser has sparked several concerns. Some viewers questioned the lack of glowing green flight effects for Hal and John, along with Jordan's unusually grounded suit that appears to be leather or Kevlar rather than the ring-generated light constructs seen in Green Lantern Corps lore.
Others remain divided over the casting of Chandler as an older Hal Jordan and the series' gritty, Earth-focused tone, which contrasts with the brighter comic-book style seen in projects like Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.
In those projects, and more, Gunn has unleashed a variety of major locations too, some iconic to DC lore, and others simply helping suit the plot.
James Gunn's Other Notable DCU Locations
Metropolis
In the DCU, James Gunn has firmly established Metropolis in Delaware, drawing from 1990s comic book geography to give the city a concrete place on the map.
Gunn utilized extensive on-location filming in Cleveland to create a lived-in, vibrant version of the city filled with Art Deco influences and iconic landmarks like the Daily Planet.
Rather than a sterile sci-fi city or something more New York-esque from the DCEU, this Metropolis is depicted as a bustling City of Tomorrow that reflects Superman's (David Corenswet) own bright outlook on humanity.
Fortress of Solitude
Gunn chose the remote, snowy vistas of Svalbard, Norway, as the Fortress of Solitude, giving it a natural beauty that exclusively digital, CGI environments lack.
By filming in the Arctic, Gunn provides a sense of ancient isolation that makes the Fortress feel like a true sanctuary rather than just a high-tech lab.
This location is vital to DC lore as the bridge between Kal-El's messed-up Kryptonian heritage in the DCU and his Earthly life.
Boravia/Jarhanpur
These fictional nations serve as the epicenter of the international conflict that draws Superman and the Justice Gang into the geopolitical fray.
Gunn utilized these overseas locations to show how global conflict would impact Superman's life, and how the villainous Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) could be influencing the world behind the scenes.
Krypton (Argo City)
While Superman only sees Krypton through pristine holograms, the Supergirl movie reveals a different side of the planet through Argo City.
Director Craig Gillespie depicts Argo City as a fragment of the planet that survived the initial blast, forcing its inhabitants to endure years of radiation and tragedy before its final fall. As Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El says in the trailer, "Krypton didn't die in a day. The gods are not that kind."
Evergreen, Washington
Evergreen serves as a blue-collar anchor of the DCU, a Pacific Northwest town that feels intentionally ordinary compared to the grandeur of Metropolis.
Gunn uses this setting to explore the consequences of superhero activity and Peacemaker's ghosts still haunting him. In Season 2, it was fun for fans to explore Earth-2's version of Evergreen, which seemed too good to be true... and sure enough, it was revealed to be run by Nazis.
Belle Reve
Belle Reve remains the grim federal penitentiary for the worst of the worst, with Gunn putting an early focus on prisons early on in the DCU.
In Creature Commandos, it serves as the high-security birthplace of the monster team, maintaining the aesthetic Gunn established in The Suicide Squad. In Peacemaker, Frang Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. visits Lex Luthor there, which ultimately leads to the discovery of an even better prison: Salvation.
Pokolistan (Poko Castle)
Pokolistan became part of big news in the DCU when the sorceress Circe (Anya Chalotra) and her group, the Sons of Themyscira, attacked it, prompting Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to deploy Task Force M to protect the country's ruler, Maria Bakalova's Ilana Rostovic.
The series later revealed that Ilana was secretly manipulating events in Pokolistan for her own agenda, using her authority over the nation to further villainous schemes despite having no superpowers. Her rule ultimately ended when The Bride (Indira Varma) killed her in the season finale.
Gotham City
Fans got a stylized first glimpse of the DCU's Gotham City in Creature Commandos, which teased its noir-inspired aesthetic and iconic underworld.
However, the upcoming Clayface film will be the first live-action project to properly introduce the city.
While these projects establish the city's haunting presence, it won't be until the film The Brave and the Bold that fans can expect Gotham to be truly explored in all its detective-driven glory. This is notably now the same Gotham seen in Matt Reeves' The Batman film or The Penguin series.
