DC fans are a famously patient bunch but when it came to Lanterns, they had one very specific complaint: Where’s all the green? Turns out, James Gunn heard them out and the brand new teaser shows exactly how. After a first teaser dropped in March that looked more like a crime procedural than a superhero show, the backlash was swift, loud, and kind of hilarious. But today, the studio has posted a two-minute teaser and for the first time, fans finally got to see Hal Jordan’s power ring do what it’s supposed to do.
The teaser opens with Hal Jordan and John Stewart and their conversation about the former’s iconic green ring, which Jordan calls the “greatest weapon in the universe”. He uses it to counterfeit money, and occasionally to shield himself. It’s an important artefact, as we all know and Jordan is reluctant to pass the baton to Stewart.
The new footage showed Aaron Pierre’s Stewart leaping over a car in action, and Kyle Chandler’s Jordan summoning a green shield construct to block a laser fired from space. There are wrecked buildings, guns pointed at Stewart, and a whole lot of action
The conversations then turn to how the ring can possibly be earned and Jordan talks about it, coldly, that the only question there is is “Are you afraid?” The quote is repeated, several times, as destructive, action-filled sequences fill up the screen until Stewart says,
“I was raised fearless and I’ll do this better than he has ever done it before
More details about Lanterns
For anyone catching up, Lanterns is HBO’s upcoming DC series built around two of the most iconic Green Lanterns in comics history. The show follows Lantern Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder in Nebraska that pulls them into darker mysteries.
The story actually spans two timelines: a 2016 thread follows Hal and John investigating an alien-related shooting in the small town of Rushville, while a second storyline unfolds in 2026, after the events of Superman.
Two months ago the internet was writing this show off before a single episode aired because there was no green all around to be found. The studio clearly heard the complaints and implemented all of that in the new trailer and the balance the show is going for seems to be clear: a grounded crime thriller that also has giant glowing shields blocking laser fire from space, which feels like a fair compromise.
Lanterns premieres August 16 on HBO and HBO Max.
Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates!
Also Read: The Boys Finale teaser proves leaks true with Butcher’s weapon, Homelander ‘s fate and more
Edited by Nibir Konwar