The Biggest DCU Crossover Event Theory Was Just Made More Likely by James Gunn

There continues to be a lot of excitement about the DCU. Thanks to the success of Superman and the wild ride that was Season 2 of Peacemaker, fans are more invested than ever in what DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn is doing and where the stories of these familiar and beloved characters will go next. And there’s a lot on the horizon with Lanterns coming to HBO in early 2026. Fans have long thought that Lanterns is going to set up the biggest DCU crossover event, finally bringing “Blackest Night” to live-action and now, Gunn has just made that fan theory a lot more likely.

In the aftermath of the Peacemaker season 2 finale, Gunn spoke with Rolling Stone about the larger world being built for the DCU that, while each project is its own independent thing, the different shows and movies all are different pieces that come together in different ways. But he also made it clear that Lanterns is a key part of it all: “Lanterns is really important in setting up things,” Gunn said.

Lanterns Being Important Only Furthers The Potential For “Blackest Night”

“Blackest Night” is one of the biggest Green Lantern-centric crossovers in DC Comics history. Running between 2009 and 2010, the event saw Sinestro and his Sinestro Corps war with the Green Lanterns kick off the fulfillment of a major prophecy. That prophecy sees the awakening of the entire color spectrum of power rings and their emotions across the universe, which includes black rings, aka Black Lanterns, a group that serves Nekron, the lord of the dead. These Black Lanterns, which are essentially zombies, kill numerous DC heroes that, in turn, come back as members of the Black Lantern Corps To fight Nekron and his Corps, the heroes had to come together with the different Lanterns to create a White Lantern Corps, countering dark with light and resurrecting some of the dead heroes in the process.

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Given that “Blackest Night” is a very Green Lantern-centric event in comics, it would make sense that its most direct connection in the DCU would be in Lanterns, and based on what we know about Lanterns so far, it feels like we could be on the right track there. Lanterns will follow experienced Lantern Hal Jordan and a new recruit, John Stewart, as they investigate a murder that, in turn, leads them to darker mysteries and reckonings. Fans have already speculated that the murder Hal and John are investigating is that of DC’s first Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and the investigation will lead to the revelation that the Blackest Night prophecy is coming true.

How Could Peacemaker Connect to Lanterns?

With Gunn asserting that Lanterns is “really important” to setting up something larger, we can look to the Peacemaker season 2 finale for a connection that might give that Alan Scott fan theory more credence. Season 2 of Peacemaker ended with A.R.G.U.S. discovering Salvation while Christopher Smith/Peacemaker and company founded Checkmate. That Checkmate part is especially interesting. In comics, Alan Scott has been more than a Green Lantern. He’s been a prominent member of the Justice Society, but he was also a member of Checkmate, briefly serving as the organization’s White King opposite Sasha Bordeaux as their Black Queen.

With Checkmate being established in the DCU thanks to Peacemaker and Lanterns laying the groundwork for not just the various Lantern Corps but also potentially Alan Scott in some capacity, the idea that something happening to Alan could very well be the mystery that Hal and John are investigating which would set the DCU down the path for “Blackest Night” to spread its way through the different DCU projects. Even if “Blackest Night” didn’t directly kick off in Lanterns – one theory is that Lanterns will just establish that the prophecy is coming true, not necessarily that “Blackest Night” will actually begin – simply introducing the concept would go a long way to setting the stage for it to occur in the larger DCU. We already know that Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner will appear in Lanterns, giving a connection to the larger DCU to the series. With Guy being a member of the Justice Gang, confirmation that “Blackest Night” is coming is something that would have that team’s attention, too.

Lanterns is expected to arrive on HBO in 2026.

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