Lanterns Episode 2 Hints That One Character Could Be Far More Powerful Than Anyone Anticipated

In brightest day, in blackest night, no spoilers for “Lanterns” Episode 2 shall escape my sight. Beware!

Grant Morrison’s issues with the show’s color palette notwithstanding, “Lanterns” is a fantastic TV show. Developed by Chris Mundy, Tom King, and Damon Lindelof, the show is more than just DC’s “True Detective,” it is an exploration of the cost of being a hero, a superhero story about the strict regiments of the job, and about how the Guardians of the Universe are complete jerks.

Sure, there is reason to worry, particularly in how little the show has dealt with the truly sci-fi concepts of Green Lantern and its vast cosmic universe. There’s also the whole Guy Gardner issue of “Lanterns” having to explain how he plays into this universe, but for now, this is a rather entertaining story that expands James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe in thrilling ways.

One of those ways is by slowly introducing the power set of the Lanterns and teasing their true might. “Superman” showed Guy Gardner being able to conjure all sorts of objects with his ring, but what are the limits of his abilities? Though “Lanterns” hasn’t given us a clear answer on that front, we do get a fascinating look at just how powerful John Stewart will be as a Green Lantern.

We see this early in Episode 2 when John puts on the ring and conjures a little bird when trying to fly. Rather than the bird dissolving the moment John takes off the ring, it actually continues to exist throughout most of the episode. Later on, a group of aliens tell John that “to create a living thing, let alone keeping it alive while not wearing the ring, is so advanced that it’s practically impossible.”

It seems “Lanterns” is teasing John Stewart being an immensely powerful Green Lantern, one that might even have abilities that Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) can’t conceive of. 

This tracks with the comics, as John Stewart is one of the most powerful Green Lanterns. As a Marine and an architect, Stewart can create extraordinarily detailed and powerful constructs with his ring. In one comic book run he even became (temporarily) the first mortal Guardian of the Universe. 

So, yes. John Stewart is quite strong and powerful, but can he create something that lasts even without the ring? Well, it depends. The Green Lantern ring channels willpower and turns it into energy. The power of the construct depends entirely on the willpower of the ring user. Different comic book runs treat the ring differently, with certain Lanterns being capable of creating constructs instantly rather than manually building every single piece and then assembling it. In certain runs, removing the ring from its bearer doesn’t stop their power and doesn’t make constructs disappear, just like John Stewart’s bird. 

This being said, the idea of John Stewart being that much more powerful than Hal Jordan does raise an eyebrow. In the comics, Hal Jordan is unequivocally the absolute most powerful Green Lantern of all time. At one point, he recreated the entirety of Coast City using his ring, complete with people. Sure, he was possessed by an evil cosmic entity, but still, there’s no denying the power of Hal Jordan. We haven’t really seen that in “Lanterns,” so hopefully the show will take the time to show Hal and John both being powerful but in different ways.