The James Gunn's Superman is introducing several DC characters, each with their own extensive background and accompanying lore. Heroes like Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Metamorpho; and villains like the Engineer will make their big-screen debut in Superman. Not every hero and villain's origin and powers may be explained in detail in Superman, but the DCU's first movie will probably lay the foundations for future spinoffs, sequels, crossovers, and cameos that continue to expand each character's DCU story.
One of the DC characters sharing the spotlight in James Gunn's Superman is Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, the DCU's first on-screen Green Lantern and the second major Green Lantern to appear in a movie in a period of fourteen years. Despite their popularity in the comics and their prominence in the DC multiverse, the Green Lanterns were never a relevant part of the DCEU, and they were barely referenced by the Arrowverse. Fortunately, the DCU is correcting this mistake in its first installment, but there's a specific detail Superman doesn't seem to be addressing.
The Superman Trailers Suggest Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern Powers Will Be Limited
Guy Gardner Only Shoots Energy Beams In The Superman Trailers
In the Superman trailers, Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner shoots what seems to be a harmless energy blast at an angry crowd before reuniting with Superman. Guy also seems to be fighting the mysterious glowing orb in the background while Superman is recovering from a battle, and again, Guy only appears to be using energy beams. Despite his apparent experience in the role, Guy Gardner may also lack creativity when it comes to his ring's abilities.
Superman might not take advantage of the Green Lantern ring's nearly limitless capabilities
It makes sense for Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner to be bad at exploiting his Green Lantern ring's power. After all, a Green Lantern at the top of his skills would likely be able to deal with Superman's villains by himself. Guy Gardner is also an especially hot-headed and short-sighted member of the Green Lantern Corps, so jumping into battle with the simplest of attacks is in character for him. Still, Superman might not take advantage of the Green Lantern ring's nearly limitless capabilities.
Green Lantern’s Energy Construct Powers Are Yet To Be Explored To Their Full Extent In Live-Action
The Green Lanterns' Abilities Haven't Been Able To Shine On Screen
The Green Lanterns have some of the most creative and versatile powers in the DC universe, but their energy constructs have been disappointingly uncreative in live-action. Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan relied on energy beams, fists, and human weapons and vehicles in 2011's Green Lantern. The most creative construct Reynolds' Hal Jordan crafted was a giant toy car he shot at Parallax.
Simple energy constructs suited an inexperienced Hal Jordan in his first movie, but Green Lantern was so poorly received that a sequel was immediately canceled, so Hal's full powers weren't able to evolve. Unfortunately, David Ramsey's John Diggle was never shown using his Green Lantern ring in the Arrowverse, as all plans for a follow-up to his discovery of the Green Lantern ring were scrapped, and Diggle ended up throwing the ring away.
If You’re Mad About The New Green Lantern, You’re Missing The Point
Guy Gardner's Green Lantern is supposed to look dumb, and he looks exactly as he should compared to his fellow Lanterns in the DC Universe.
Zack Snyder's plans for John Stewart in the DCEU were shot down before he could appear in a single scene. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' own plans for a Green Lantern series were canceled, making Justice League's Yalan-Gur the only Green Lantern to use his powers between 2011's Green Lantern and 2025's Superman. Yalan-Gur, of course, only used energy beams.
The DCU May Be Saving The Best Of Green Lantern’s Powers For Later
The Green Lanterns' Powers May Finally Take Center Stage In Hal Jordan And John Stewart's DCU Series
Guy Gardner uses very basic Green Lantern powers in the Superman trailers, but the actual movie may feature more creative energy constructs in its action sequences. The Justice Gang's teamwork provides lots of possibilities for creative fight moves where Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, Metamorpho, and Hawkgirl's abilities come together in unprecedented ways. However, their coordinated moves may be reserved for the film in order to keep them spoiler-free. On top of that, the Justice Gang's Superman screentime may actually be shorter than the trailers make it seem.
Lanterns: Cast, Story, & Everything We Know About The New Green Lanterns TV Series
With James Gunn announcing that he is working on a TV series following Hal Jordan and John Stewart, here's everything you need to know about Lanterns.
After Superman establishes the DCU's Green Lantern lore, the Superman series will introduce Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart — perhaps the two most famous human characters to wield the Green Lantern ring and protect Sector 2814. Hal Jordan and John Stewart might use their Green Lantern rings much more creatively than Guy Gardner in their own DCU show, where the spotlight will be placed entirely on them and the Green Lanterns' lore.
Superman
- Release Date
- July 11, 2025
- Director
- James Gunn
- Writers
- James Gunn, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
- Producers
- Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran
- Franchise(s)
- DCU
Cast
Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El
Rachel BrosnahanLois Lane
Nicholas HoultLex Luthor
Edi GathegiMichael Holt / Mister Terrific
