A new set of photos may have revealed a secret DC hero already cast in James Gunn's DCU. Lanterns star Garret Dillahunt teased fans on social media with a new Instagram post that some have taken to mean he is playing Green Arrow alongside Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre in the super-powered HBO series.
Dillahunt shared several images dedicated to the here on his Instagram Story (via DCU Updates on X), including a storyboard seemingly featuring the actor dressed like the iconic DC superhero. He then followed this up with what looks to be a straight-up shot of him as Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow), leading many to believe he has secretly been cast as the comic book character.
While some are convinced that Dillahunt is playing the comic book mainstay, others are not. A contingent of DC fans believe the Lanterns star is simply trolling his followers, as the storyboard looks like the same 'production still' he also posted with a filter on it.
Curiously, the actor tagged artist Seth Adams in the second post.
Just eight hours before Dillahunt's first Green Arrow-themed Instagram story, Adams shared an image of a custom elder Green Arrow LEGO Minifigure (themed after the version of the character from The Dark Knight Returns), further supporting the theory that this is all a secret ploy to introduce the character into the DCU.
Garret Dillahunt was first cast in James Gunn's DCU in November 2024, set to play a mystery character, William Macon, in HBO's Lanterns series. In his casting, Macon was described as a charming cowpoke with a conspiratorial-minded alter-ego. Many had assumed the character was set to be the villain of the new series, but this latest update could prove that wrong.
Lanterns comes from longtime TV creative Chris Mundy, telling a gritty crime tale set around two Green Lanterns (played by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre) solving a string of murders in America's heartland. The HBO DC series is in the midst of production and is set to be released sometime in 2026.
Is Garret Dillahunt Secretly Playing Green Arrow?
While not officially confirmed, there is a pretty good case to be made that Garret Dillahunt is secretly playing Green Arrow in James Gunn's DCU.
Fans recently saw the High Potential star fitting for some kind of silicon suit, with him teasing it was for his "latest project." This is likely for a skin-tight Green Arrow super suit, which he would need if he is actually playing the iconic DC hero.
While the actor has been assumed to be the villain in the Lanterns series, who is to say a grizzled, disgruntled Green Arrow could not be the primary antagonist of the DC HBO series?
This would be an excellent way for the character to differentiate itself from Stephen Amell's take on Green Arrow, who starred in the hit Arrow series from 2012 to 2020.
While Amell played the character as a fairly straight, typical hero, this could be James Gunn's way of bringing the beloved DC character into the fold without stepping on the toes of what came before.
Dillahunt's version of the character could be a minor antagonist in the Lanterns show before opening the door to a younger, more traditional take on the hero somewhere later in the franchise.
