‘Lanterns’ Rewrites John Stewart’s Origin Story for a Powerful Reason

HBO’s ‘Lanterns‘ has consistently surprised viewers by shifting between 2016 and the present, gradually revealing how its two distinct Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, found themselves together in rural Nebraska. The dynamic between Kyle Chandler’s seasoned Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre’s novice John Stewart has kept audiences guessing since the pilot, hinting at a deeper narrative that neither character has fully disclosed.

This deeper narrative unfolded in the show’s third episode, which utilized flashbacks to divert from the ongoing alien investigation and delve into how Stewart pursued a ring he had desired throughout his life. The episode significantly alters viewers’ understanding of his journey to becoming a Green Lantern.

In a surprising twist, the episode reveals that Stewart was not the Guardians’ initial choice. His father, Marine Sergeant John Stewart Sr., was approached by the Guardians before Hal Jordan, pulled from his bed in the middle of the night and asked a pivotal question: whether he was afraid. His honest admission of fear led to his disqualification, with Hal being selected after responding differently.

This setback plunged John Sr. into a prolonged downward spiral, worsened by Hal’s rise as the first visible superhero. When a Guardian later revisits the family to offer a diamond as an apology for the trauma caused by the test, Stewart’s mother, Bernadette, challenges the Guardian, arguing that asking a Black man in America if he’s afraid sets him up for failure from the start.

Impressed by her response, the Guardian offers the family a second chance, this time through their infant son. From that moment, Bernadette and John Sr. begin to prepare their son for his future as a Green Lantern candidate, instilling in him the fearlessness required by the ring.

This upbringing shapes Stewart’s childhood, as he undergoes rigorous training, including target practice with an apple on his head, isolation from his siblings, and exposure to increasingly distressing situations designed to eliminate fear before it can take hold. This intense preparation eventually leads him to join the Marines, where he becomes one of their top recruits.

Series writer Tom King explained that this change was intentional, aiming to give Stewart a more compelling backstory. “We tweaked his origin story to give him that thing that Batman has, that thing that Spider-Man has, a hook,” King told Inverse, likening Stewart’s upbringing to the relentless training seen in elite athlete families.

King also credited episode writer Vanessa Baden-Kelly for shaping the emotional core of this narrative, emphasizing a family’s insistence that their child must fight for an opportunity that was handed to someone else. This detail reframes Stewart’s relationship with Hal, transforming their partnership into one built on inherited stakes rather than mere chance.

The series has been careful to ensure that this new foundation doesn’t erase Stewart’s comic book history. Instead, it integrates various versions of his backstory, merging his original architect origin with his military background into a cohesive narrative. For a character who has undergone multiple reboots since his debut in 1971, establishing a clear throughline seems to be the goal.

With Stewart’s journey to the ring now fully revealed, ‘Lanterns’ has elevated the stakes for how he and Hal Jordan will navigate their complicated partnership. Whether all this inherited pressure proves worthwhile remains a question the show has ample episodes left to explore.

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