How ‘Lanterns’ Finally Explains Why Guy Gardner Became The DCU’s Green Lantern

For years, fans of James Gunn’s DC Universe had a simple but nagging question. If Hal Jordan and John Stewart both exist in this new continuity, why is Guy Gardner the one wearing the ring in 2025’s ‘Superman.’

The HBO Max series ‘Lanterns’ has now given viewers a real answer, and it arrived in an episode that also closed out one of the show’s biggest ongoing mysteries. The fifth episode resolved much of the tension built up in the show’s 2016 timeline while also explaining how Guy Gardner could have gotten the job over John Stewart.

How ‘Lanterns’ Episode 5 Answers The Mystery

Episode five of ‘Lanterns’ finally explains why Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is Earth’s Green Lantern in ‘Superman’ rather than John Stewart. The episode shows John Stewart taking the ring from Hal Jordan but ultimately turning down the chance to become Earth’s Green Lantern. This left a gap in Sector 2814 that the story needed to fill somehow.

With Hal no longer serving as Green Lantern and John declining to take up the mantle, the Guardians of the Universe were left with no choice but to find a new champion to wield the ring as Earth’s protector. The final shot of the episode shows John walking away from a bar and leaving the ring behind while Rushville burns around him. That image effectively sets the stage for someone else to eventually claim it.

The series has been unfolding largely in 2016, nine years before the events of ‘Superman,’ and the episode has at least partially answered how Guy Gardner became Green Lantern while Hal and John were both still around. Based on the show’s own timeline, we already know that a decade into the future, in 2026, John will not be a Green Lantern while Guy Gardner will hold that title.

Why John Stewart Turned Down The Ring

In the fifth episode, John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, ultimately chooses not to take the power ring and become the Green Lantern of Earth. After feeling manipulated by the Guardians of the Universe into taking Hal Jordan’s ring, he rejects their offer to take on the role of Green Lantern for Sector 2814.

The decision follows a physical confrontation between John and Hal, played by Kyle Chandler, over who should carry the ring going forward. John wins that fight and ends up in possession of the ring, though he chooses to use it for a more immediate purpose rather than accepting the Guardians’ assignment. He needs Hal as bait to draw out a character named Zoe, who is later revealed as the shapeshifting Manhunter after John removes what turns out to be a crystallized heart.

John’s refusal does not mean he has ruled out becoming a Green Lantern altogether, only that he has decided not to accept the role simply because the Guardians demanded it of him. With several episodes still remaining in the season, that decision could still shift before the finale.

Guy Gardner’s Comic Book Origins As Hal Jordan’s Backup

In the comics, Guy Gardner first appeared in ‘Green Lantern’ Vol. 2 issue 59, released in March 1968 and credited to writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane. The story established that when the dying Abin Sur searched for a successor on Earth, a schoolteacher from Baltimore named Guy Gardner would have been chosen instead of Hal Jordan if not for Jordan’s closer proximity at the time.

In that early appearance, Guy worked as a physical education teacher and also played football. He was later selected as Hal’s backup Green Lantern for Sector 2814 whenever Hal was unavailable, though his run as Hal’s replacement did not last long.

Guy eventually suffered a brain injury and was replaced in the role by John Stewart, before going through several more transformations over the decades, including a stint with the Red Lantern Corps, and eventually returning to Green Lantern status with writer Geoff Johns. Reporting from Entertainment Weekly has noted that Guy continues a pattern of Green Lanterns being drawn from everyday people, since he was working as a gym teacher before he got the ring, and in the comics he was severely injured by a bus after saving a student on a collapsing bridge.

That grounded, unglamorous background has long been part of what separates Guy from Hal’s test pilot swagger or John’s military precision.

Nathan Fillion’s Take On Playing Guy Gardner In The DCU

Nathan Fillion was announced to play Guy Gardner in ‘Superman’ and beyond, according to James Gunn. Fillion had actually voiced Hal Jordan in a string of earlier animated DC films, including 2011’s ‘Green Lantern Emerald Knights,’ 2012’s ‘Justice League Doom,’ 2013’s ‘Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox,’ and 2015’s ‘Justice League Throne of Atlantis,’ along with 2018’s ‘The Death of Superman’ and 2019’s ‘Reign of the Supermen.’ Gunn instead chose him for a different, more chaotic member of the Corps this time around.

Fillion and Gunn have been close friends since working together on 2006’s ‘Slither,’ and Gunn has a history of casting his trusted collaborators, which has led to Fillion’s appearances in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ and ‘The Suicide Squad’ before his recurring role as Guy Gardner across the DCU. Fillion has described Guy in blunt terms, saying he is a jerk, and explaining that a Green Lantern does not have to be good, just fearless, which is what makes Guy qualify for the ring despite his flaws.

Fillion has also spoken about how central Guy Gardner has become to Gunn’s slate of DC projects, having appeared in more of them than any other actor so far. In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, Fillion joked that being the actor with the most appearances in Gunn’s franchise means there is a chance he will continue to be employed throughout his later years, and he suggested that quality may be part of the reason Guy keeps turning up across so many corners of the DCU.

Between the comics groundwork laid decades ago and the answers ‘Lanterns’ has now supplied on screen, Guy Gardner’s path to becoming Earth’s Green Lantern finally has a clear throughline connecting Hal Jordan’s fall, John Stewart’s refusal, and Guy stepping into a job nobody else wanted. With John Stewart’s story clearly unresolved and three episodes still left in the season, how do you think ‘Lanterns’ will ultimately bring him back into the fold as a Green Lantern alongside Guy.