DC Studios' Lanterns is setting the stage for James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow, but not exactly how fans expected. This August's HBO series will introduce two key Justice League superheroes, Kyle Chandler's veteran space cop Hal Jordan and his rookie-in-training, Aaron Pierre's John Stewart. The more youthful Green Lantern will officially return to the DCU next July in Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel that pits Earth's heroes against Lars Eidinger's Brainiac.
Entertainment Weekly had the exclusive scoop on DC Studios' Lanterns and offered the surprising confirmation that "the story begins in 2016." But the DCU series isn't quite as simple as that, as Lanterns will balance the investigation of a shooting in 2016 with "something else" happening in 2026.
The report confirmed that Jordan will be investigating a shooting in a small rural Nebraska town, which he suspects is an "alien incident," when he is forced to bring along Stewart, whom he "still reluctantly mentors two months in."
Up until now, Lanterns was believed to take place in the modern-day DCU, aligning with projects like Superman, which are set in or near their respective release years. Assuming Man of Tomorrow is set after Lanterns' 2026 storyline, that means Stewart will have been a Green Lantern for over a decade by then, making him a highly experienced space cop, not the relative newbie that many were expecting.
James Gunn previously clarified the official DCU timeline order that places Lanterns (or its 2026 events at least) between Peacemaker Season 2 and Supergirl, with Man of Tomorrow believed to fall after them all.
It seems something is off about Stewart's recruitment, as, while "the ring always chooses the Lantern," he was uniquely selected by the Guardians of the Universe. The former Marine was chosen as a "backup" Lantern in the event that anything happens to Jordan (who was trained by the DC supervillain Sinestro).
Lanterns' Timeline Placement Changes the DCU's Justice League Dynamic
Interestingly, the DCU established that David Corenswet's Superman was active for three years before his 2025 blockbuster debut, placing his start around 2022. That means John Stewart had been a Green Lantern for roughly six years before Superman entered the heroic fray, making him the far more experienced hero.
Looking ahead to the DCU's future, it seems Superman will have been one of the later additions to this universe, at least as far as the Justice League is concerned. Fans already know that Batman will have a full Bat-Family in The Brave and the Bold, suggesting he has also been active for at least 10 to 15 years.
Hal Jordan stated in Lanterns' teaser trailer that he is the "only human" member of the corps, sparking confusion, as fans already know that isn't the case, since Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner was already a Green Lantern in Superman. However, it now seems likely that Gardner was simply recruited after Stewart, sometime after Lanterns' 2016 storyline, but before the events of Superman.
Stewart and Gardner will officially cross paths in Lanterns, while recent reports have indicated that both Green Lanterns will feature in Man of Tomorrow. Just as Lanterns is ensuring that Jordan and Stewart's powers are distinct, James Gunn will seemingly have the same task next year with the latter and Gardner.
