New 'Lanterns' Poster Officially Brings Back Major Superman Hero

DC Studios' latest HBO Max sci-fi superhero thriller, Lanterns, just brought back a major Superman hero for its newest character poster. The series, which airs every Sunday on the streamer, introduced a bunch of fresh faces to the DCU, including Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, along with numerous supporting players. Adding a familiar character from the broader DC Universe was long overdue, and the show's latest poster features one who has made more DCU appearances than most.

The new Lanterns artwork spotlights Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, the obnoxious and brash Green Lantern first introduced in James Gunn's Superman in 2025. It marks the character's second-ever DCU poster despite appearing in three different projects. After Superman, he showed up in the second season of the John Cena-led Peacemaker, and he makes his Lanterns debut in the sixth episode, airing September 20, before jumping back to the big screen in Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel arriving in theaters on July 9, 2027.

The Lanterns poster is similar to previous character artwork released for the series. It places the Green Lantern, who still sports his trademark bowl cut (which is set to change in Man of Tomorrow), against a dark green backdrop, exuding confidence in his Justice Gang suit. 

It's a lot moodier than his first DCU one-sheet for Superman, which surrounded him with the bright blues and reds of that film's palette. That earlier poster also functioned as the DCU's first-ever Green Lantern poster. 

The contrast between the two shows how tonally distinct DCU projects have been so far. Lanterns is a dark show set in Nebraska, telling a grounded story about two space cops, while Superman follows a powerful metahuman who exudes hope and functions as a symbol for the people of Metropolis.

Guy Gardner is expected to play a bigger role here than in his last TV outing, Peacemaker Season 2, where he appeared briefly alongside Maxwell Lord, interviewing none other than Peacemaker himself for a spot on the Justice Gang.

 He'll likely factor into the show's central mystery, which could explain how he ended up wielding a ring when Hal Jordan was Earth's Green Lantern. 

The preview footage for Episode 6 showed Guy visiting John in a prison cell, indicating how central he is to the show's 2026 timeline. 

That episode is expected to dig into the series' biggest mystery: who killed Hal Jordan, and where is his ring?

Will Lanterns Feature More Characters From the Broader DCU?

Guy Gardner showing up paves the way for other characters to feature in the show. James Gunn already confirmed that Lanterns ties into the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, which introduced Salvation, the planet Rick Flag Sr. decided to use as a prison for uncontainable metahumans, and where he left Peacemaker stranded. Gunn noted that "Lanterns is very connected to all of that. It may not seem like it, but it is all very connected." That connection leaves room for another familiar face in the grounded mystery thriller.

One of Guy's Justice Gang teammates could cross over, just like they did in Peacemaker Season 2, where they appeared as a silhouette in Episode 1. The show's dual timeline also creates an opening for a Superman tie-in. The events of that film fall between the 2016 and 2026 storylines, so a scene set in the present day could draw on the movie's fallout.

Lanterns also snuck a nod to a notable Batman character, Black Mask, into its third episode, showing a clear appetite for deep cuts from the wider DC library. Even if nobody else from the broader DCU appears, there's a chance the show name-drops more familiar heroes and villains, further tying it to the larger universe. John Stewart is also confirmed to appear in Man of Tomorrow. Before the season wraps, there's likely to be a development that links him to the Superman sequel, explaining why he shows up in that movie.