Warner Bros. were so eager to jump into the DC Extended Universe that they only introduced Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman prior to doing a Justice League movie. Marvel introduced us to everyone with a solo movie before assembling the Avengers, but Warner Bros. just couldn’t wait.
They crammed the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg into Justice League without setting them up first. This rushed build-up meant that Green Lantern wasn’t even in the Justice League movie, which is a slap in the face to DC Comics fans. He still has yet to make an appearance in the franchise, so here are 10 Ways Green Lantern Could Be Introduced In The DCEU.
Green Lantern Corps
DC’s original plan to bring Green Lantern into their shared cinematic universe was in a movie called Green Lantern Corps about the interplanetary organization of Green Lanterns of the same name. The movie was described as a buddy cop movie – specifically, it was called “Lethal Weapon in space” – and that sounds like an awesome idea.
It could have more or less the same tone as Thor: Ragnarok and become the most fun entry in the DCEU to date (yes, more fun than Shazam! – it’s Lethal Weapon in space!). Warner Bros. have delayed the movie, but they should still make it.
A post-credits scene
The DCEU’s use of post-credits scenes has been accused of copying the MCU’s, but since the MonsterVerse’s post-credits scenes have never seen any flack, it seems as though in-universe post-credits scenes are only criticized when they’re used wrong. DC should be using post-credits scenes to set up their next movies, like the MCU does.
In a perfect world, with a more carefully planned cinematic universe of the DC characters, Man of Steel would’ve ended with a Batman tease, Wonder Woman would’ve ended with an Aquaman tease, and so on. Maybe Green Lantern will be introduced in a post-credits scene done right.
Justice League sequel
Realistically, Green Lantern should’ve appeared in the first Justice League movie. He’s a founding member in the comics and it was astounding that a movie was made about the team that didn’t include him. It was like if Marvel made The Avengers without including the Hulk or Thor or someone.
Warner Bros. shouldn’t have rushed into the big ensemble team-up movie and should’ve allowed themselves time to introduce all the characters before teaming them up. But anyway, here we are, and maybe the best way to introduce Green Lantern is in a second Justice League movie. Strangely enough, although he’s been replaced by Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ solo movie, Ben Affleck is still signed on to play Batman in a Justice League sequel.
A team-up with Martian Manhunter
It might just be a coincidence that the only two core members of the Justice League that were missing from their ensemble team-up movie in 2017 – Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter – were both cosmic characters, but there’s a way for Warner Bros. to make it look intentional if they team the two of them up in a future movie.
In the comics, the Green Lantern Corps and the Manhunters have been at war, so a team-up could be akin to Captain Marvel’s adventures with the Skrulls following her tenure on the Kree Starforce in her solo movie earlier this year.
The DCEU’s answer to Guardians of the Galaxy
Hal Jordan is an endearing and lovable character, because despite the fact that he’s not particularly smart and he constantly screws up, he’ll do anything to fix his mistakes and protect the people he loves, and he’s got a huge heart. Sound familiar? He’s a very similar character to Peter Quill, the lead protagonist of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
It’s often said that the Suicide Squad movies are DC’s answer to Guardians of the Galaxy, but that’s just because they’re a band of misfits. The Guardians movies are cosmic adventures with plenty of humor and heart – with that in mind, DC’s version of that would be a Green Lantern solo franchise.
Introducing Green Lantern Corps as a presence in the universe
Before showing the Green Lantern tenures of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, or all of the above, the DCEU might depict the Green Lantern Corps as being present in the wider universe.
Some other cosmic movie or a Man of Steel sequel or maybe another Justice League movie could suggest that the Green Lantern Corps are out there, keeping an eye on the injustices in the cosmos, to tease them for fans. The MCU has found success with this kind of storytelling in the past, and the DCEU is just a few tweaks away from matching its innovative brilliance.
A team-up with the Flash
Another DCEU solo movie that Warner Bros. have been struggling to crack is the Flash’s. It’s reportedly gotten to the stage that Ezra Miller is writing his own screenplay for it in a bid to keep hold of the role. Since the studio is struggling to give both Green Lantern and the Flash their own movie, why don’t they give them a team-up?
A team-up between these two characters has been on the cards since the beginning, and it would be an interesting way to both focus on standalone movies in the DCEU and also display a wider interconnectivity in this universe. It could be a great solo story that happens to pair up two completely different characters in a sort of buddy comedy.
Explaining where he’s been all these years
When the MCU finally introduced Captain Marvel in its 21st movie in a ‘90s-set origin story and then she followed it up with an appearance in Avengers: Endgame, set in the present day, the producers were tasked with explaining where she’d been all these years.
Carol Danvers explained it by saying that while Earth had the Avengers to protect it, other planets didn’t, so she was off-world helping them the whole time. The DCEU’s introduction of Green Lantern will have to explain where he’s been during all of the world-threatening events of the franchise’s previous films, and might do that right away.
Sinestro as a Green Lantern before becoming a villain
Since Sinestro is like the Joker of the Green Lantern comics – the ideal villain, representing the opposite of everything the hero stands for – it might seem like a Green Lantern solo movie would need him as the villain. But there are plenty of other great Green Lantern villains to draw from.
What would make Sinestro truly have an impact would be to first introduce him as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, as a good guy, before turning him into a Yellow Lantern, becoming a villain, in a post-credits scene or sequel. This is the great thing about cinematic universes, and the secret to the MCU’s success: they allow for long-running character arcs.
A true standalone movie
The success of Aquaman and Shazam! has proven that a DCEU movie can be successful – more successful than the rest, in fact – if it just rests on its own laurels. Warner Bros. have already said that the future of their DC movie-verse is in standalone movies that have limited ties to the wider ongoing narratives.
Maybe the best way to bring the Green Lantern characters into this universe would be to give them a solo movie that stands on its own. Sure, the last time they tried that, it failed miserably, but with the right director, writers, and cast, it’ll be no problem.