After months of hiding it, DC Studios has finally revealed a look at Hal Jordan's Green Lantern suit in Lanterns, and reactions are... mixed. The upcoming HBO Max show is set within James Gunn's new DCU, but the series has a very different tone from Superman and Peacemaker. Lanterns is a gritty buddy-cop crime story that appears as grounded as possible for a superhero show, which has naturally raised questions about how it will handle elements like supersuits and powers.
At least one of those questions has been answered with the first image of a new Green Lantern suit officially appearing in the Lanterns trailer. HBO's decision not to reveal the Green Lanterns in costume breaks a DC television record, but now this suit reveal is prompting many to question whether it was worth the wait.
Only half the suit is revealed in the brief scene, but it shows a faded brown-and-green chestpiece plated with leather and a Kevlar-like material, with the Green Lantern Corps logo at its heart.
As has been the case with the Green Lantern's rings, Lanterns is taking a different approach to the design of the DC hero compared to Superman, which introduced its own Green Lantern via Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner. This approach is far more subtle, downplaying the naturally vibrant designs of the Green Lantern suit from the comics in favor of a more realistic, Earth-bound aesthetic.
While this suits the grounded tone Lanterns is going for, the show is still a DCU project, and the reveal of Hal's muted Green Lantern suit has divided fans.
One user on X (@dutchmaster3005) lamented the lack of color in Jordan's Green Lantern jacket, sharing an edited image of the suit in Green Lantern's natural color and commenting, "It's not too late to color correct." @PPekerson53032 agreed with the color criticisms, saying the suit "looks good," but they "think it should be more green, like how the suits are in the comics."
@SalMarra927 noted that their mind might be changed "when I see Kyle Chandler wearing it and it's in motion," but questioned why the Green Lantern suit wasn't "made of pure energy," and formed from the ring itself:
"I appreciate that it’s a physical suit, but there’s 2 drawbacks.
1) Not crazy about the design, however could change my mind when I see Kyle Chandler wearing it and it’s in motion.
2) I thought most Green Lantern’s suits were made of pure energy and it just forms with the ring"
As in Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern film, the hero's vibrant green suit is typically constructed cosmically using energy from the ring. However, here in Lanterns, it appears the show is going down the route of it being a physical suit, to fit in with the series's more realistic aesthetic. It should be noted that Guy Gardner's Green Lantern also wore a physical suit in Superman, which lacked the traditional green design as it was an outfit from Lord Tech made to fit in with the rest of the Justice Gang.
The reactions to the suit haven't all been negative, however, with @Jinsakuu sharing that they "really like Hal Jordan’s suit tbh," and @NikHellBlaxer reasoning that this suit "works for this version of Hal:"
"I think it works for this version of Hal, he’s a veteran Lantern, been doing this for a long time, ofc it’s gonna be weathered and aged. But it doesn’t mean he won’t get an upgrade."
Lanterns is the next major DC TV show after Peacemaker Season 2, which will release on HBO Max in August. The series stars Chandler alongside Aaron Pierre as the Green Lantern in training, John Stewart, and will feature a guest appearance by Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner.
Can Lanterns' Green Lantern Suit Redeem Itself?
While fans have been quick to share their reactions to the suit in Lanterns, there is still a lot of context missing around this new design.
It's worth noting that Hal isn't actually seen wearing the suit in the trailer, making it unclear whether this is his current suit or if he's since gotten a new one that's more accurate to the comics. Hal is the older mentor Green Lantern in the show's buddy-cop equation, so it makes sense that his suit would be slightly outdated and faded with age. There will likely be a legitimate story reason for his suit to appear so different from what fans are expecting.
From the outset, Lanterns hasn't been promoted as a typical superhero show, despite its place in the DCU. True Detective has been consistently cited as a tonal reference for Lanterns, and it's a show with a famously grounded, gritty tone.
This is an unconventional route for a superhero show to follow, but in Lanterns' case, it may serve as a welcome change and help it to stand out in a crowded landscape of comic book projects. Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy followed a similar formula to great success, though Lanterns faces a much more difficult challenge given the intergalactic sci-fi nature of the Green Lantern source material.
Lanterns has barely shown its hand when it comes to marketing for the show, keeping many cards close to the chest in terms of Hal and John's powers, suits, and rings. This gives it plenty of time to still win fans over in the coming months as marketing ramps up ahead of the show's August release.
