DC Studios Chooses 2nd Color For the DCU Lanterns (Report)

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DC’s upcoming series, Lanterns, has faced criticism, but one major concern might be addressed soon. The HBO Max show, starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, received a lot of negative feedback after its first trailer was released. Many fans were disappointed by the lack of the bright green color traditionally associated with the Green Lanterns. The trailer showed a muted, non-glowing suit and a generally darker visual style, leading viewers to feel it resembled a serious crime drama rather than the colorful world of the Green Lantern Corps from the comics.

Ethan Van Sciver, a comic book artist formerly with DC Comics (he left in 2018), is sharing some insight about the new show titled Lanterns. He posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the title is hinting at more than just the traditional green Lanterns. According to Van Sciver, the show will introduce other colors of Lanterns, starting with yellow.

The show wasn’t originally planned to focus solely on green lanterns. The Green Lantern universe in DC Comics is much larger than just one group. The idea of the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum – where different feelings can be turned into energy powering the rings – first appeared in Green Lantern: Rebirth and was later developed in the Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night stories. This spectrum connects each major emotion to a color, with green symbolizing willpower and being the most balanced energy source.

The further a color is from the central point of the emotional spectrum, the more difficult it is to control. Well-known examples include red, which fuels the Red Lantern Corps with rage, and yellow, which powers the Sinestro Corps (also known as the Yellow Lantern Corps) through fear. The character Sinestro appears in the Lanterns series, played by Ulrich Thomsen. Other colors in the spectrum are blue, indigo, violet, and orange. Notably, artist Ethan Van Sciver helped create the Sinestro Corps alongside Geoff Johns, giving him a deep understanding of its lore and a vested interest in how Lanterns portrays it.

Why Fans Fear Lanterns Will Lack Colour

It’s no surprise that comic book fans feel strongly about how their favorite stories are adapted. So, when the trailer for Lanterns was released, many were surprised and concerned to see Hal Jordan’s suit looking brown and muted instead of the character’s signature bright green.

Okay, so the Green Lantern ring in the movie? It wasn’t the shimmering energy construct we comic book readers expect. Instead, it looked… solid. Like it was made of leather and some kind of super-tough material, almost like Kevlar. And when Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, took flight, there was no signature green glow. Honestly, the hardcore fans weren’t thrilled with either of those choices, and I can see why – it definitely strayed from the source material.

Those worries have a valid point. “Lanterns” is the first live-action Green Lantern series in fifteen years – the previous attempt was the 2011 movie starring Ryan Reynolds – and it intentionally brings two of DC’s most famous space-faring heroes down to Earth. Instead of a cosmic adventure, the show focuses on a detective story, which some fans are finding disappointing.

The negative reactions might be a bit premature, considering the trailer only shows a small snippet of the whole show. There’s still hope the series will be visually interesting, and perhaps Hal’s suit in the trailer is an older version – we could see him wearing a brighter, updated uniform later on.

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2026-04-05 16:34