After the success of 2025’s Superman, it’s safe to say that a lot of fans are excited to see the DCU grow. Thankfully, there’s no need to wait long with Supergirl hitting theaters soon and the Lanterns TV series right around the corner.

The first teaser trailer for Lanterns, coming to HBO Max, has been released. Reception to this teaser has been all over the place. Let’s dive into all the details it features and what it all could mean, and if any of it is worth being upset or excited for.

Lanterns | Official Teaser | HBO Max

Old Man Hal Jordan

In this version, Hal Jordan is an older guy training a young John Stewart. On one hand, that feels like a weird choice since that’s not how things are in the comic books. On the other, it’s an interesting creative choice that might pay off. It’s a good way of having both main Green Lanterns have their time in the spotlight, with maybe only one of them eventually joining the Justice League.

Focusing on either Hal or John for the DCU Green Lantern is a hard decision, and this way there can be both. It’s a little sad for Hal fans to miss out on seeing him in his prime, though.

John Stewart: Substitute Teacher

Hal mentions that John is a substitute teacher. In the source material, John was a sniper for the U.S. Marines and an architect. So either he’s just a substitute teacher here to make him feel like an underdog, or Hal is insulting him for filling in the Green Lantern role. If it’s the latter, then John trying to live up to the Green Lantern title could make for an interesting arc.

Premise

The show does have an interesting premise for a Green Lantern series. Hal Jordan and John Stewart working together buddy cop style to solve a mystery in a small town sounds like a lot of fun. It’s a grounded story for space-faring heroes, but it makes sense to start small like this before branching out into the greater DCU. It also seems like there’s some sort of mystery at the center of things, which could lead to some big surprises.

Lacking the Green

Not only was the color “Green” wiped from the title. It’s not present in this teaser whatsoever. Even Hal’s Green Lantern suit looks more brown. There are no Green Lantern constructs seen in the trailer, and the only power showcased is Hal flying for a second. Regarding the suit, while it should definitely still be more green, it’s clearly meant to look faded, as this version of Hal seems to have been out of the superhero game for some time. It’s also possible it will get its greenish glow while he’s wearing it and using his powers.

As for the superpowers, they’re clearly keeping things hush-hush until we see a full trailer or the show itself. That being said, if they really want to tease the audience, maybe they should have had one quick glimpse with the duo suited up as Green Lanterns. It’s a superhero show. The audience wants to see superheroes.

Other Green Lanterns Mentioned

John and Hal briefly discuss other members of the Green Lantern Corps. He mentions aliens and says that one is even a squirrel.” This means that either Ch’p or B’dg exists in the DCU, which is cool. It would be great if this series takes off and eventually explores other members of the Corps, or even other Lantern Corps like Yellow Lanterns or the Star Sapphire Corps. The Lantern lore goes deep, so a long-running TV series might be the way to go for an adaptation.

Read Next: Everything Set UP By ‘Superman’