Lanterns Was Always The Next Big Test for DC Studios After Superman

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Posted in: HBO, Max, Movies, TV | Tagged: dc studios, lanterns

Lanterns Was Always The Next Big Test for DC Studios After Superman

Here's why HBO/HBO Max's Lanterns was always the next big test for DC Studios after Superman - not the underappreciated Supergirl.

Published Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:37:11 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

  • Supergirl may have underperformed, but it was never the next big DC Studios test after Superman.
  • Lanterns is the true proving ground, because it introduces the Green Lantern Corps and major new DCU mythology.
  • By using a grounded Earth mystery for Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart, Lanterns can ease viewers into the larger DCU.
  • With Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, Tom King, and James Hawes, Lanterns has the creative team to deliver.

Let me just get something out of the way, just so you know where I stand on the issue. Was DC Studios' Milly Alcock-starring Supergirl perfect? Nope, there were a couple of rough patches and some interesting choices that my brain's still rambling around with. But it was fun, action-packed, a shitload grittier than I was expecting, and a solid chapter to the ongoing story. Alcock gave us a Supergirl going through some shit and portrayed her way of dealing with it in a way I could relate to. And I now understand why Jason Momoa campaigned for so long to play Lobo, because that dude was born for that role, like a second skin. But even if you disagree and find the film a disappointment, going the Chicken Little/"The Sky Is Falling" route is just silly at this point. Did anyone believe Marvel Studios was dead after Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World? Setting aside box-office returns (because comparing pre- and post-pandemic box offices is like comparing apples and Lamborghinis), I think we can all admit they pretty much stunk up the joint. And let's not forget the "woke"-whining dudebro a-holes who felt like their masculinity was challenged by a female lead, so they made it the mission of their sad little lives to try to tank it. Another reason Supergirl underperforming isn't setting off my DC Studios radar is that I never saw it as the next big test for the new DCU after Superman. That "honor" belongs to Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King's Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler-starring series Lanterns.

Images: DC Studios

That's not meant to dismiss Supergirl – far from it. I see the film as part of what DC Studios' co-CEO and writer/director James Gunn is doing with the "Superman" corner of the DCU: Superman, Supergirl, the upcoming Man of Tomorrow, and any other in-canon "Man of Steel" projects. But Lanterns is going to introduce the Green Lantern Corps to the DCU – and there are a whole lot of ramifications to that. If you thought Supergirl showed off other corners of the DCU, just wait until the GLC, Sinestro, the other Lantern Corps, and a messload of big bads, alien allies, and otherworldly adventures come into play. But for now, the Green Lantern series is playing it smart by keeping things grounded, introducing a mystery that brings Hal Jordan (Chandler) and Jon Stewart (Pierre) to Earth to investigate.  Instead of just throwing viewers into a space drama where they have to learn on the fly who's who and what's what, Lanterns is taking a popular trope (the murder mystery) as the vehicle to roll out the greater DCU in smaller, more digestible bites.

I think you can see why Lanterns needs to work for DC Studios – and based on the creative team they assembled for it, DC Studios clearly understood the assignment. Along with Mundy, King, and Lindelof, James Hawes is directing the first two episodes. If you're going for a "True Detective" tone and vibe, as Gunn and DC Studios' co-CEO Peter Safran noted when Lanterns was first announced, you can't go wrong having Mundy, who produced True Detective: Night Country (as well as Netflix's Ozark), and Hawes, who directed episodes of prestige series such as Apple TV's Slow Horses and Netflix's Black Mirror). And let's not forget that not a whole lot of folks had faith in Lindelof when he announced he was jumping into the Watchmen universe, only for a crapload of Emmy Awards to prove the naysers wrong. If Lanterns ends up on Sunday nights at 9 pm, then you know just how serious DC Studios is about making sure this works. Let's just hope that the "woke"-whining dudebro a-holes who feel like their masculinity is challenged every time there's a female hero, so they make it the mission of their sad little lives to do whatever it takes to try to tank it.

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