Lanterns’ Big DC Lore Change Had to Be Made, But the DCU Can Still Give Readers What They Want

July 27, 2026, 11:51pm

Lanterns is already shaking up fan expectations in several ways, and as we learn more about the show’s story and approach to Green Lantern mythology, more unexpected twists are likely to follow. So far we’ve got more of a rivalry between Hal Jordan and John Stewart, an older Hal and Sinestro, and even more powerful Manhunters, but a possibly even bigger change to DC lore seems to have snuck under the radar. The change likely had to be made, but even with that change, the DCU can still give readers what they want at some point in the series.

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Lanterns had a big showing at San Diego Comic-Con, including the reveal of the best trailer yet and a number of intriguing details regarding the show’s key characters and backstory. One of the bigger revelations was that Laura Linney is actually playing a member of the Guardians of the Universe, which are typically depicted as small blue beings. Linney is very much none of those things during her brief appearance in the trailer, so it seems at least for now, the typical Guardians from the comics won’t be front and center.

Lanterns’ Guardians Debut Doesn’t Mean We Won’t Ever Get Blue Guardians of the Universe

While Lanterns‘ approach to the Guardians is different from the comics, at least in this case, it makes a lot of sense. There are already a host of fantastical elements within the Green Lantern mythology, including channeling will power into constructs, the emotional spectrum, how a Power Battery works, and even the process of choosing someone to become a Green Lantern in the first place, and that’s just a few of the concepts at play. That’s already quite a bit to keep track of without then throwing these ancient tiny blue beings of massive power into the mix, so if there’s any way to make that a bit less over the top, I can understand taking the opportunity to make that happen.

This is especially true when considering the entire approach to this series as a whole. This is already a much more grounded take on the Green Lantern corner of DC’s world, so while there are Power Rings and constructs on display throughout the early footage, it might be a stretch to suddenly see a blue Guardian showing up to deliver some key information to Hal Jordan.

That said, it is important to note that James Gunn, Peter Safran, and the DCU have not shied away from more fantastical concepts. Superman is a testament to that, as it doesn’t shy away from the more Silver Age aspects of the character and his world, and yet it all fits seamlessly within Gunn’s crafted world. The same can surely be true of Lanterns, so there’s no guarantee that this will be the only approach used for Guardians in the future.

It’s also worth noting that while Linney is playing a Guardian of the Universe, it’s never said that she’s the only Guardian in this world, so while she may be more human in appearance, a more familiar blue Guardian could easily show up at some point down the line. While Ganthet was the only Guardian for quite some time, the Guardians once again grew their ranks substantially later on, so there could be many Guardians in the DCU as well.

Lanterns premieres on HBO on August 16th.

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