A Green Lantern series for HBO Max has been in the works since 2019. It was originally meant to focus on many members of the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps. But then it was announced that the series would focus on one character—Green Lantern John Stewart. Now, it appears the final iteration of an HBO Max Green Lantern series has arrived. As part of their master plan for the on-screen DC Universe, James Gunn and Peter Safran announced a new DC television series called Lanterns. This live-action Green Lantern DCU entry will star Hal Jordan and John Stewart. According to the DC duo, this is “a True Detective-type mystery with our two Lanterns. A terrestrial-based mystery… that leads into the overall story… We find this ancient horror on Earth, and these guys are basically supercops on ‘Precinct Earth.'”
Many of you out there might think Green Lantern is just that guy infamously played by Ryan Reynolds once. But we’re here to tell you all about the 50-year legacy of John Stewart. And why he’s one of DC Comics’ most important characters.
John Stewart, contrary to popular belief, was not DC Comics’ first Black superhero. That honor belongs to Mal Duncan, one of the early members of the Teen Titans. A few months before Stewart appeared, Jack Kirby’s Forever People hit newsstands, which included the character Vykin the Black. Regardless, it’s safe to say that John Stewart’s Green Lantern is DC’s most prominent African-American superhero today. He has totally eclipsed the earlier debuting characters.
John Stewart’s Historic DC Comics Debut
The creative power duo of writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams created John Stewart, appearing in 1971’s Green Lantern/Green Arrow #87. This creative team reinvigorated the Green Lantern comics starting in 1970, making it more socially relevant (and allowing DC to compete with Marvel). Despite the existence of the Black superheroes previously mentioned, there was no one headlining a book, even for an issue. John Stewart did that, making his debut historic as Green Lantern.
The story “Beware My Power” introduced John Stewart as a headstrong young man, an architect who had a distaste for authority. So Green Lantern Hal Jordan and John butted heads from the very start. Especially seeing as how Hal was essentially a space cop. But because of John Stewart’s fearlessness, the Guardians of Oa chose him as Hal’s backup Green Lantern. Hal’s backup at the time, Guy Gardner, sustained serious injuries and couldn’t fill the role.
One of John Stewart’s first assignments as Green Lantern was to protect a racist politician. Despite his personal issues with the politician, Stewart completed the mission successfully. And he exposed the same politician for various crimes while doing so. This impressed Hal Jordan, who then realized the Guardians of the Universe made the right choice in selecting Stewart as Green Lantern. Sadly, readers wouldn’t see much of John Stewart after this debut on a regular basis. At least not for some time.
John Stewart Becomes Earth’s Primary Green Lantern in the DC Universe
After that issue, for much of the 1970s, John Stewart only appeared sporadically. DC had created a cool new character but didn’t seem to know what to do with him. Finally, in the early 1980s, Hal Jordan quit the Green Lantern Corps. This meant John Stewart became the Green Lantern for Sector 2814 full-time. John Stewart headlined the Green Lantern series and was the prominent Green Lantern of Earth during Crisis on Infinite Earths. It was during this time that John ditched the mask and secret identity. And he let the entire world know who he really was. He also began a romance with a fellow Lantern, Katma Tui, from the planet Korugar.
After this point, no one would ever sideline John Stewart again at DC Comics. John Stewart headlined the Green Lantern Corps team book, which put him side by side with Hal Jordan and other Lanterns. After his wife Katma was murdered, John lost his way. In his arrogance, he accidentally let a planet die during the DC event series Cosmic Odyssey. The weight of these actions would bear heavily on him for years. He finally headlined his own series in the early ’90s, Green Lantern: Mosaic. There he became the guardian of the patchwork world of Oa. And he achieved nearly godlike powers. Although it only lasted 18 issues, this series was critically acclaimed.
From Green Lantern to Darkstar, and back to Green Lantern Again
In the mid-’90s, John Stewart and all other Green Lanterns became depowered, when Hal Jordan lost control and became the villain Parallax. He destroyed all the power rings but one, which went to a new character, Kyle Rayner. For a few years, Rayner was the only Green Lantern in the universe. But as Green Lantern, he sought mentorship from John Stewart, preserving his presence in the DC Universe. Stewart was now part of another intergalactic peacekeeping force, the Darkstars. But When Rayner decided to create new rings and expand the Corps, one of the first people to get a new ring was Stewart.
Justice League and Mainstream Stardom for Green Lantern John Stewart
John Stewart’s biggest boost in popularity came in 2001. After several years of waiting, the creators of Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series brought the DC heroes together for Justice League. When they were deciding which Green Lantern to use for the team, series creator Bruce Timm chose John Stewart. He reinvented the character, making him a no-nonsense ex-marine. (The comics would later adopt this aspect of John Stewart’s backstory.) The popularity and wider reach of the TV series made it so, for many kids, John Stewart was the Green Lantern. After nearly 30 years since his creation, John Stewart finally broke into the mainstream consciousness,
An Entire Generation’s Green Lantern
The arrival of the Justice League cartoon coincided with a surge in popularity for the Green Lantern brand at DC Comics. Stewart became the lead in a new Green Lantern Corps series and was a central figure in company-wide events like Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night. Using his architectural skills, he even designed the new Hall of Justice for the Justice League. Although he was only mentioned at the end of the only season of Green Lantern: The Animated Series, John Stewart appeared across other media, such as in Young Justice, Teen Titans Go!, and several animated films. Just this year, he starred in his own movie, Green Lantern: Beware My Power. Interestingly, Aldis Hodge, who played another DC hero, Hawkman, in Black Adam, provided his voice.
John Stewart as a Live-Action DC Universe Green Lantern
When John Stewart’s Green Lantern arrives on HBO Max as part of the DC Universe, it could be the biggest spotlight the character has ever had in media. We don’t know too much about who John Stewart will be in Lanterns. But it sounds like he’ll be part of an epic adventure.
A well-deserved reward for a character who was once just thought of as another hero’s “backup guy.” John Stewart long ago outgrew that and is now one of the most prominent heroes of the DC Universe.
Originally published on October 26, 2022.
