HBO Officially Retcons One DC Superhero’s Backstory for the Better

Episode 2 of HBO’s Lanterns ended with a cliffhanger: the traitorous former Green Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) warns his former protégé Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) that the greatest threat he’s facing is his new trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). That’s a dramatic assessment, given Hal visited Sinestro hoping to learn more information about Manhunters, the shapeshifting synthetic beings who can wipe out entire species.

But episode 3 of Lanterns proves Sinestro might just be right. “OutKast” focuses on how John became Hal’s backup, and what the chance to wear a power ring means to him. The story is a wild departure from the character’s origins in DC Comics, but one that fits strongly with the themes the series creators are playing with. Let’s break down what the changes mean.

How did John Stewart become Green Lantern in the comics?

John Stewart was created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams for the 1972 Green Lantern issue #87. At that time, Guy Gardner served as Earth’s second Green Lantern. When Guy is injured in an earthquake, Hal worries about Earth being left undefended if something happened to him while Guy was out of commission. The Guardians of the Universe choose John to be Hal’s backup.

Robert Venditti, Rafa Sandoval/DC Comics

Adams designed Stewart to be a symbol of Black Power, coloring him with a dark skin tone and introducing him with a scene in which he argues with white police officers hassling other Black men. While Hal sports the same domino mask he’s wearing in the early flashback in Lanterns episode 3, John refuses to hide his identity. Hal is uncertain if John is the right fit for the job, but the Guardians insist he put aside his prejudices. They work together to expose a racist politician who staged an assassination attempt. Jordan was phased out as the primary Green Lantern in the ‘80s, and Stewart stepped into the role full-time.

Adams was a fierce advocate for comic creators’ rights and pushed Green Lantern to deal with relevant social issues, teaming up with O’Neil for a crossover comic that turned Green Arrow’s sidekick Speedy into a heroin addict. Lanterns co-creator Tom King said during a virtual press conference that Adams was one of the core inspirations for his work on the show.

“Neal was a true rebel, the guy who’s like, ‘We need healthcare! We need to get paid!’” King said. “He turned the tables over and said, ‘We’re looking at this industry all wrong, let’s do it differently.’ John just won’t take the world the way it’s given to him the same way Neal wouldn’t take the world the way it’s given to him. He’s throwing over tables saying, ‘I’m not wearing a mask. I know who I am. I’m something different than you, and I might be something better than you.’”

Why did Lanterns change John Stewart’s backstory?

Photo: John Johnson/HBO Max

While John is chosen by the Guardians as an adult in the comics, in Lanterns, his path begins when he’s just a baby. Hal explains, “The night I received this ring, I was asked only one question: If I was afraid.” John’s father faced the same test and failed, so the ring moved on and found Hal. The experience traumatized John’s dad and one of the Guardians (Laura Linney) apologizes for the unintended effects by giving John’s mother Bernadette (Jasmine Cephas Jones) a diamond as compensation and telling her that if she raises John to be fearless, he might someday replace Hal.

Vanessa Baden Kelly wrote “OutKast,” which focuses on an upwardly mobile Black family trying to make their son a superhero who countless little boys can look up to. That means going to extreme measures to stand out in a system that overlooks and oppresses them. “Do you know how unfair it is to ask a Black man in America if he’s afraid?” Bernadette asks the Guardian. John’s parents are willing to sacrifice their son’s happiness and even risk their own lives to make him the perfect Green Lantern.

The comics don’t dive into John’s childhood, but Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof said in the press conference that he was drawing inspiration from other iconic superheroes.

“We process these sort of mythic stories through fathers and sons,” he said. “Superman’s parents died on Krypton and Batman’s parents were murdered when he was a little boy. We talked a lot about father and son stories because John and Hal are not quite father and son. They’re more akin to brothers, but they’re both processing this very complicated relationship with their own dads in partnership with one another.”

That relationship is especially complicated given that the Guardian says Hal views Sinestro as a father figure and still holds deep affection for him. John explains humans love the people who raise them, “even if they’re crazy.” That applies to his disturbing upbringing and Hal’s villainous mentor, proving that while John and Hal may be rivals when it comes to who gets to wear the ring, they have more in common than either would like to admit.