2026 is going to be a big year for DC fans. On the big screen side of things, fans have both Supergirl and Clayface to look forward to while, on the small screen, the eagerly anticipated Lanterns is headed to HBO Max in August. But while fans have been looking forward to the live action adaptation of the beloved Green Lanterns for more than a decade following 2011’s disappointing feature film, the upcoming series isn’t without controversy. Early looks at the series have left fans questioning just how comic booky the series is going to be and now fresh footage has reignited concerns, particularly when it comes to how “green” Lanterns will really be—and fans have a lot to say.
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A recently released teaser for what’s coming soon to HBO Max offered up a handful of new looks at some of the platform’s most anticipated series, including Harry Potter, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, and the new season of Gilded Age. The footage also included a new look at Lanterns, specifically of Kyle Chandler fully suited up as Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern. The suit looks particularly armored up, which itself is a little different than what fans of the comics might expect, but the real issue for fans is the color. While there are some very subtle green-ish tones, the look is color graded in more blue shades, giving it a moody appearance, one that have fans asking where the heck is the green?
DC Fans Want to Know Where’s the Green?
On social media, fans were quick to share their thoughts on the Lantern suit and, for many, the biggest issue was the color. Fans noticed right away that the footage wasn’t particularly colorful, with some even going so far as to say that this isn’t “Green Lantern” but “Gray Lantern” and wanted pointedly to know where exactly the green is.
Others felt the colors were more muddy and brown than green or grey and even went so far as to come up with a new version of the Green Lantern Oath to better suit the unusual color choice (and it’s admittedly pretty funny and oddly fitting.)
However, not everyone was particularly critical of the suit’s design or its colors. Some fans noted that the version of Hal Jordan that Chandler is playing in Lanterns is older so it would make a bit more sense that his suit might be older and, thus, less vibrant. Another fan noted that the suit also looked like it had actually seen battle—which could account for the lack of color. After all, battle would probably dull its shine.
Does the Suit Really Need to Be Green?
While we will ultimately have to wait until Lanterns actually arrives to get the full spectrum of how color factors into the costuming and story, we do know that green will be a part of the equation, just perhaps not in a way directly translated from comics. Series showrunner Chris Mundy has previously indicated that there will be green, but the show is also more based in reality rather than the bright, neon-esque nature of comics. While the idea of a grounded, more realistic take on Green Lantern comics (well, as realistic as you can get with the concept) might be difficult for some fans to fully embrace, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Lanterns is betraying the character or fans or even disrespecting comics.
While Green Lantern as a concept can be boiled down to the very basic idea of “space cops”, the truth is that there is much more to Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and all of the other Lanterns who have carried the title on the pages of DC Comics. In particular, there are Earth-based stories that feature Green Lantern that would very much be most accurately described as grounded or reality-based—Green Lantern/Green Arrow Hard Traveling Heroes comes immediately to mind. There’s also the idea that colors in comics are part of the storytelling, a function that isn’t necessarily as needed in live action. Different forms of media can express story and action and emotion differently and while a bright, vibrant green might be evocative of certain story elements on the pages of floppies, the screen is able to use actual movement, sound, music, and more to do the same thing.
There is also, of course, the fact that we don’t really know the full story that Lanterns is going to tell. As some fans have noted, it is possible that the suit we get a look at in the new HBO Max sizzle footage is of an older, more outdated suit, something that would go towards the idea that Hal is old, worn, and maybe ready for retirement. Since he is the only suited up Lantern we’ve seen to date for the series, we don’t know what other Lanterns look like. There could indeed be a lot more green.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Forum Conversation: Does Lanterns really need to be "green"?
Go to Forumi think the color grade matches the tone of the show they’re promoting, but it’s a little jarring that its supposed to be the same universe as the super-colorful Superman
Yeah it needs some green! Especially cause we’re about to get neon green John Stewart in Man of Tomorrow lol. Gotta give us some of that action even if the tone is more grounded.
I think the color grading should be linked to the tone and style of the show… It makes no sense to ask for more “green” to be used in a vacuum, and I’m tired of people complaining about this show for the most stupid reasons.