The DCEU's latest movie had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it connection to Green Lantern.
In Zack Snyder's Justice League, the Green Lantern Yalan Gur appeared during Darkseid's initial attempt to terraform Earth, but the character was killed by the Apokolips leader.
In the movie's original ending, Snyder planned to use Wayne T. Carr's John Stewart to warn Bruce Wayne about a new threat, but the final version used Martian Manhunter instead.
In March 2022, Carr shared a high-definition image of his version of Green Lantern, showing fans the true design of his scrapped DC hero.
DC's New Movie Confirms Green Lantern Connection
During a spoiler-filled Q&A in an early Blue Beetle screening hosted by Collider, director Angel Manuel Soto confirmed that his movie featured a brief appearance from Green Lantern.
Blue Beetle, the second-to-last movie in the DCEU saga, featured an opening sequence that includes a scene where a green light hits the Scarab. Soto revealed that it was actually "a Green Lantern:"
"There's more. At the beginning of the title sequence, for those of you guys that follow the Blue Beetle comics, there's a green light that hits this character, and that's a Green Lantern. If you didn’t catch it, watch it again. Also, on the bug layer, and you see it also at the end, there's a stack of Oreos, and who likes to eat Oreos?"
It is unknown which Green Lantern appeared in the movie. In DC Comics, there are dozens of characters who took the mantle, such as Alan Scott, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Hal Jordan.
Meanwhile, when an audience member mentioned Martian Manhunter, Soto responded by saying, "Maybe he was around."
When asked if he thinks DC realized what Easter eggs he sneaked into the movie, Soto pointed out that "nobody asked," implying that those references are acceptable:
Audience member: "With something like that, do you think that DC realized what you were doing or do you think it snuck through?"
SOTO: "No. [Laughs] 'Yes, that was part of the design.' Nobody asked, right? Let’s go!"
Green Lantern's Future In the New DCEU
In DC Comics, Blue Beetle and Green Lantern have an interesting history.
In Blue Beetle # 1, Jaime Reyes fought against Guy Gardner (Green Lantern) whose ring reacted to the Scarab, sending him into an unexpected rage.
Given that DC Studios head James Gunn already confirmed that Blue Beetle is the DCU's first superhero, there's a good chance that Xolo Maridueña's Jaime Reyes will eventually meet the DC reboot's Guy Gardner, considering that Nathan Fillion was already cast as the character for Superman: Legacy.
It's possible that the two characters will be involved in several adventures in the new DCU.
The fact that Blue Beetle's scarab is alien could hint that a Green Lantern could be the key to finding more about its origin and secrets.
Hopefully, more crossovers for Blue Beetle will be unveiled as DC enters a new era of storytelling.
Blue Beetle is now playing in theaters worldwide.
