Why Guy Gardner Is the DCU’s Green Lantern Finally Makes Sense After LANTERNS

Guy Gardner has a solid place in the DCU, ridiculous haircut and all, but Lanterns reveals something pretty funny about how he actually got the job. As it turns out, Guy wasn't exactly the Guardians' first pick to protect Sector 2814.

He got the ring because Jon Stewart didn't want it. Guy was introduced in James Gunn's 2025 Superman, and is fantastically played by Nathan Fillion. He is a member of the Justice Gang alongside Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific, and he spent plenty of time worrying about appearances and following the Guardians' rules.

Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific weren't particularly impressed with that excuse, especially when Guy used the Guardians as justification for sitting on the sidelines.

Lanterns now gives that part of Guy's personality some additional context while explaining why he's the Lantern assigned to Sector 2814 in the first place.

The series centers on Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierreas Jon Stewart, which raised an obvious question: If Hal and Jon are both running around in the DCU, why is Guy the active Green Lantern we met in Superman?

Hal's situation becomes clear early when the series flashes forward to his death in 2026. Jon's story is more complicated.

In this version of the DCU, Jon was essentially raised with the expectation that he would become Green Lantern. His parents were obsessed with Green Lantern to the point that it damaged their relationship with their son. That history turns Jon's relationship with the ring, the Guardians, and Hal into something much more personal.

The Guardians see Jon as an ideal candidate because of his military background and willingness to follow orders. Hal, meanwhile, isn't interested in surrendering his ring, meaning Jon will have to take it from him.

Jon eventually realizes he doesn't want to become another Hal, consumed by his connection to the ring. Instead of accepting the position, he walks away from being Green Lantern for ten years, reunites with his brothers, and starts an architecture firm with them.

That leaves the Guardians without their preferred Lantern for Sector 2814. Enter Guy Gardner.

Lanterns retains an important piece of Guy's comic book history by making him a gym teacher, but it changes the circumstances surrounding his selection. Rather than being the backup choice to Hal Jordan, Guy is the backup to Jon Stewart.

Of course, Jon isn't about to let Guy forget it. Jon even uses that fact to get under Guy's skin and convince him to retrieve Hal's ring. That eventually gives Jon a way to operate outside the Guardians' authority.

Using Hal's ring and a power battery created by Sinestro, Jon essentially becomes his own version of Green Lantern without answering directly to the Guardians.

The finale establishes a pretty cool distinction between the two Lanterns. Guy can remain the official Green Lantern of Sector 2814, carrying out assignments for the Guardians and serving as their representative. Jon, however, declares himself Earth's Green Lantern.

It's a smart way to have both characters operating simultaneously without making either one redundant. Jon can remain focused on Earth, which fits the more grounded direction of Lanterns, while Guy can head into space whenever the DCU wants to explore the larger cosmic side of the Green Lantern Corps.

I also really like the way Guy Gardner is being handled in the DCU. He's such a fun character because he's more complicated than the obnoxious loudmouth he initially appears to be.

He's arrogant, competitive, frustrating, funny, and still capable of stepping up when it counts. Throwing him into scenes with characters who have absolutely no patience for him makes him even more entertaining.

Making him Jon Stewart's second choice adds another entertaining ingredient to that personality. Guy already has an ego, so knowing Jon was offered the position first is exactly the kind of thing that could drive him crazy. It also gives the DCU plenty to play with as their relationship develops.

We'll get to see more of that dynamic when Pierre and Fillion return as Jon Stewart and Guy Gardner in Man of Tomorrow.

The big question now is what Guy does with his position. Will he continue following the Guardians' orders to the letter, or will his rivalry with Jon push him to bend the rules just to prove he deserves the ring?

Either way, putting these two together should be a lot of fun. Guy Gardner desperately wants to prove he's nobody's second choice, and Jon Stewart knows exactly which button to push.