James Gunn’s DC Universe is being built on a foundation of diverse tones, a cinematic sandbox ranging from mythological drama like Paradise Lost, which has been described as a Game of Thrones-esque epic, and cosmic action like that of Supergirl, one of the most exciting films coming in 2026. But the HBO Max series, Lanterns, stands out as the most explicit promise of a grounded and terrestrial-based story.
Starring Kyle Chandler as veteran Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as rookie John Stewart, Lanterns is being pitched as an Earth-based mystery that follows the two Green Lanterns as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. It’s an incredibly intriguing and focused premise, a True Detective-style procedural set on Earth. However, the revealed villains for the show threaten to quickly pull the story away from this intimate tone and into a cosmic spectacle.
While the casting of Ulrich Thomsen as the iconic archnemesis Sinestro is exciting, his inclusion, along with the strong possibility of another major cosmic threat, sparks a genuine worry: Will the mystery remain a dark, earth-based investigation, or will it inevitably succumb to a galactic war, losing the unique identity that made the pitch so appealing?
The official premise for Lanterns is deceptively simple and entirely focused on the mundane, albeit through the lens of superheroes. Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two intergalactic peace officers, are tasked with solving a murder that occurs within their beat (a territory or area that an officer is assigned to patrol), which James Gunn specified as "precinct Earth." The showrunner, Chris Mundy, reinforced this by describing the series as "as much of a buddy cop show as a superhero show."
This focus on the procedural element is the key ingredient that makes Lanterns feel distinct. It promises to use the limitless power of the Green Lantern ring as a detective tool rather than just a weapon of mass destruction. The show can prioritize character development, exploring the push and pull between the seasoned, cocky Jordan and the disciplined Marine Stewart, while slowly uncovering a mystery that has ties to the larger DCU.
The unique selling point is the contrast: two of the universe's most powerful beings dealing with a case of human violence and darkness. It is an approach meant to ground the concept and make the characters relatable, even as they wield objects that can conjure anything from a bulldozer to a battalion of alien warriors. However, a mystery, no matter how local, demands a compelling antagonist. And the antagonists being introduced are anything but local.
Why Lanterns’ Choice of Villains Is a Bit Concerning
The excitement over the main cast of HBO Max's Lanterns is matched only by the thrill of seeing one of the Green Lantern Corps’ greatest enemies finally given a proper live-action portrayal: Sinestro, to be played by Ulrich Thomsen. Thaal Sinestro is the archetypal tragic villain, a former mentor to Hal Jordan and the greatest Lantern of them all, until he was consumed by his desire for order and harnessed the yellow energy of fear.
The problem is that Sinestro's entire existence is tied to the foundation of the Green Lantern Corps, the politics of the planet Oa, and the creation of his own massive space army, the Sinestro Corps. Introducing a character of this cosmic stature in a terrestrial-based mystery immediately ratchets the stakes up to a galactic level.
This tension is only compounded by the reported casting of Paul Ben-Victor as a mysterious character named Antaan. While the name is new, Antaan is described by Deadline as an "extraterrestrial devoted to exposing the truth and exacting vengeance against those who wronged his people," a description that strongly aligns with the origin story of Atrocitus. Atrocitus is the founder of the Red Lantern Corps, fueled by pure rage and responsible for some of the biggest cosmic conflicts in the Green Lantern canon, including the Blackest Night saga.
The moment Hal and John confront a villain who commands a Corps of fear or rage-wielding aliens, the small-scale, True Detective tone will likely evaporate. A buddy-cop murder mystery could end up being replaced by an obligatory intergalactic war. The two characters are forced to stop investigating a human crime and start saving the universe, losing the one element that gave the series a unique identity within the DCU.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
