The following contains spoilers for Lanterns Season 1, Episode 3, “OutKast” which debuted on HBO and HBO Max on August 30, 2026.
The third episode of HBO’s Lanterns is something of a gamechanger for the DC Universe series. “OutKast” — so named as both a reference to the iconic hip-hop duo and John Stewart himself — is a kind of Russian doll of flashbacks revealing the character’s backstory. The structure isn’t the only risk, as this modified origin differs greatly from other instances of DC “canon” for Green Lantern.
Continuing the trend which began in James Gunn’s Creature Commandos, Peacemaker Season 2, and Superman, this story begins in medias res. Thus far, the new DCU mostly avoids traditional origin stories. Essentially, Supergirl and “OutKast” are outliers here, and both unveil characters’ pasts through nonlinear narratives. Lanterns‘ advantage over the DCU’s second feature film, because this episode can focus on that backstory without also trying to balance a “present day” narrative.
John Stewart And His Green Lantern Destiny Gets Demystified In A Troubling Way
John Stewart got his start in 1971’s Green Lantern Vol. 2 , #87. DC Comics legends Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams originally envisioned him as a civil rights activist, somewhat inspired by the Black Panther party. It wasn’t until Bruce Timm chose Stewart as the Green Lantern for his Justice League series that he went from “militant” to “military.” Lanterns embraces this latter origin, and saves its examination for racial dynamics for his parents. John Stewart, Sr. was originally chosen by Abin Sur’s ring. But as “a Black man in America,” asking “are you afraid?” is an unfair question.
One of the Guardians approaches John’s mother Bernadette to apologize for any “lingering trauma” from that event. Since John was an infant at the time, his mother decided to raise him to be without fear. He isn’t Hal Jordan’s “backup,” but rather he is meant to replace the loose cannon Green Lantern of Earth. This why, as seen in the Lanterns series premiere, John’s father shoots apples off the top of his head. One chilling shot in “OutKast” shows John standing before the family garage with a line of bullet holes behind him as a twisted spin on a child’s growth chart usually marked on the wall with pencil or marker.
As a veteran, I am particularly sensitive to how many shows and films treat military training as some kind of superpower. Lanterns brilliantly subverts this trope. John Stewart is not destined to become Green Lantern because of his military service. Rather, he joins the Marines as part of his “path” to claim that power. (Also, his father is a Marine, so it’s part of the family legacy.) This new backstory adds a particularly interesting layer to both John’s role as Green Lantern and what exactly it is that Hal is training him to do.
How John Stewart’s Backstory Recontextualizes His Role In Lanterns Thus Far
The second episode of Lanterns examined how both the people in Rushville and John see Hal Jordan, 20ish years into his time as Green Lantern. “OutKast” builds on that by reinforcing the idea that even though he doesn’t don the uniform anymore, he still wears a mask. Specifically, the final scenes of the episode when Hal is with John’s family and the private moment they share outside of his house. He is very polite to John Sr. and Bernadette, at least for him. (Though, it’s not clear if calling them “the Midwest Huxtables was ignorance or a subtle dig.) His brusque manner with John is part of that.
The first two episodes have subtly shown that John carries some element of hero worship for Hal. Yet, he is also the reason John earned a dishonorable discharge from the Marines. After nine months living in a hutch in the woods waiting for a terrorist, Hal destroyed the compound and whisked John’s target away. This was not sanctioned by the Guardians and is one of the reasons why they want to take the ring from Hal. Yet, from the beginning, Hal is the only one among the Guardians and even his own parents who keeps things honest.
The Guardians play mind games, from making him sit in a shitty office in a dead mall overnight to his “audition” right before that interview. His mother and father subjected him to horrific treatment as a child, denying to even get him crayons. Bernadette even made up a story about birds spying on him and reporting back to the Guardians about his training. (This also helps explain the bird construct John made in “Trust Fall.”) Hal, on the other hand, made it clear that he doesn’t want a backup and John will only get the ring “over my dead fucking body.” He deliberately frustrates his trainee, too. However, it’s likely nothing John didn’t already experience at Parris Island.
‘OutKast’ Is Deeply Important To Where Lanterns Takes Its Heroes Next
For his entire life, everyone around John told him that he would one day wear the Green Lantern ring. Everyone except Hal. Everything in John’s life, even his time at art school, was done to prepare him to become the Green Lantern of Earth. This means that there is little Hal can actually teach him about the job that John doesn’t already know. Yet, this doesn’t mean their time together is a waste. The best lesson Hal teaches John is about trusting his “gut” in the face of orders, preparation, or other skills and methods drilled into him since childhood.
For all his cynicism and bluster, John is observant enough to see that Hal still cares about the job. The fact that Hal refuses to let go of this investigation in Rushville is proof of that. John doesn’t doubt his own ability to excel as the Green Lantern of Earth. Yet he can see firsthand that despite Hal’s lack of discipline, Hal isn’t bad at the job, either. In fact, he was onto the weirdness in Rushville before anyone. When John does finally put on the ring he’s waited his whole life to wear, the lessons he learned from Hal Jordan might end up being the most important of all.
Rating: 4.9/5
New Lanterns episodes debut on Sundays at 9 PM on HBO and HBO Max.
