The wait for Lanterns is almost over, as the highly anticipated series is set to launch this Sunday, but there’s even better news. Fans can now watch the first five minutes of Lanterns thanks to DC Studios, and the opening of the show has also confirmed major details regarding the DCU timeline before the events of Superman. You can watch the full five minutes in the video below.
In the new footage, three brothers are watching a 60 Minutes interview with Hal Jordan, and in the interviewer’s introduction, it’s revealed that he’s been a Green Lantern for 10 years. This is taking place in 1996, so it happens far before Superman revealed himself to the world, which didn’t happen until 2022. Not only does this establish that Green Lanterns and the general cosmic side of the DCU have been known to the broader world for some time, but we also get a first look at a younger version of Hal Jordan in the interview, and you can watch the full clip below.
While this is Hal’s first sit down interview, the interview confirms that he’s been protecting Earth for 10 years. It also confirms that he is Earth’s first Green Lantern, and that the Green Lantern Corps works similarly to the comics in that each Lantern is given a sector to protect. We also see that Hal’s father died in a plane crash and that he was a fighter pilot.
The other interesting details of the footage revolve around the Stewart family, as John’s father comes home and asks John what the Green Lantern’s name is. He says Hal something, and then his father asks him to step outside. We see him take an apple, and John puts it on his head as his father asks him, “Are you afraid?” John says no sir, and then the apple is shot clean, and John doesn’t even have a reaction.
The show then moves to 2016, and we move into the present of the series, as John gets in a car with Hal Jordan waiting. Even at this point in time, this is well before Superman has revealed his presence to the world, so there’s likely going to be some critical details in Lanterns that will serve as foundational elements of the DCU.
While Superman is certainly the central pillar of the DCU, it really seems like Green Lantern is the constant presence throughout it thanks to Guy Gardner’s frequent appearances and Lanterns’ importance to the pre-Superman timeline. It remains to be seen if that will continue as we move into Man of Tomorrow, Clayface, and the Jimmy Olsen show, but Green Lantern looks to remain an important part of the overall DCU plan.
Fans can check out the full episode when Lanterns debuts on HBO on August 16th.
