The next step in the DCU is approaching. Lanterns is set to premier on HBO within a short time. And recently fans got an official look at the new show from a new trailer. One of the best parts about the new show is that it’s not choosing between Hal Jordan or Jon Stewart because the show has both of them as the main characters. Hal Jordan is a veteran Green Lantern teaching the rookie Green Lantern John Stewart the ropes. Another part that looks intriguing is the aesthetic of the new show. It has a grounded, real feel to it. Even going so far as avoiding the big city trope and setting the story in a small town. This choice however was met with a bit of confrontation from fans. It is an interesting choice since Green Lanterns – intergalactic cops – are dealing with a human problem in a small time. This choice may seem bold but it is a great thing for the DCU.
This will be the fifth project set in the DCU. Supergirl will be right before it. But even though the DCU is still in its infant stage, Lanterns is proving something with just a trailer. When James Gunn announced the DCU and the projects, he was quick to say that each story will feel different. Will be artistically different. Creature Commandoes had an animated, violent, heartful, brutal emotional tone to it. Superman had a feelgood, heartwarming, encouraging, inspiring tone to it. Peacemaker had a dark humor, graphic, immature, emotional tone. And from the little fans know and have seen of Supergirl, the movie will have a high energy, explosive, humbling, coming-to-age feel. And much like Supergirl, fans got a glimpse of what Lanterns will bring. The show appears to ground the DCU. Give the DCU a more ‘realistic’ feel…well as much realism as a superhero universe can allow. Every story so far in the DCU has brought the universe to spectacular environments told in a fantastical ways. However, Lanterns, ironically, will bring the DCU back to Earth…metaphorically. Nearly everything that was revealed in the trailer, feels tangible. Feels as if he can be reached, it can be felt. Even when the trailer showed some the more extravagant elements, like the ring, the suit, flight and even a Green Lantern Squirrel, those parts still felt real. Those elements were approached in very real way, and it helps the show come across as sensible. That plays a small but crucial part for the DCU.
And the fact that the DCU is already showing different styles of storytelling, it’s proving that the universe is willing to separate from the competition. No matter how high or low the DCU could get, its run will always be compared to the MCU. Even with James Gunn’s comments about how it will operate differently from the MCU, comparisons will always be nearby. But one thing that the MCU fell into, especially after Avengers, was that many projects felt, looked and behaved the same. The first phase of the MCU was perhaps the only time that each movie felt different from each other but over time, everything blended together. But even three projects in, the DCU appears to be committed to ensuring each project will have its own DNA. And Lanterns appears to carry that momentum. Lanterns seems to have a mature tone. From when this series was announced years ago, it was compared to True Detective, especially season one. The first trailer has already confirmed that. There is a little bit of that flare. And just a little bit more, Lanterns has some shared flare with Man of Steel. Both DC projects really grounded two characters who have space as their territory and put them in a small town living to some extent. But True Detective was meant for a mature audience. Same with Man of Steel. And that’s what Lanterns is bringing to the DCU. Creature Commandoes and Peacemaker obviously brought edge to the universe but Lanterns will bring that more mature tone…with some F bombs thrown in the mix as well.
To be fair, are the Green Lanterns really the characters to use a realistic tone and grounded approach? The short answer is no. There are plenty of other characters that use those tones consistently. Green Arrow could have been placed here. But if DC really wanted an extraterrestrial character and really ground them, Martian Manhunter would have worked perfectly, given that at times, Martian Manhunter uses the guise of an investigator/detective. This is a risk that the DCU is doing. This style is not the one that the Green Lanterns operate in. It is a gamble but it could pay off. It also shows that the DCU is willingly to take such early risks unlike the MCU, who still, for the most part, play it safe. But if Lanterns manages to succeed with this approach, it lays the groundwork for future DCU projects. It sets a tone, even a message, that the DCU could take stories in bold new directions and thrive in that territory.
