The third episode of HBO’s Lanterns, titled “OutKast,” has taken a bold creative risk. Instead of continuing the main murder mystery, the episode spends its entire runtime exploring the childhood and upbringing of John Stewart (played by Aaron Pierre). This deep dive into his past is something the original DC comics never fully did. The show’s writers built an entirely new origin story for the character, and the decision has created a major split among viewers.
What the Comics Originally Said About John Stewart
When John Stewart first appeared in Green Lantern #87 back in 1971, his backstory was simple. He was an unemployed architect from Detroit who stood up against police brutality and unfair systems. He was chosen by the Guardians of the Universe to be Hal Jordan‘s backup after Guy Gardner got injured. That was pretty much it. The comics never gave him a detailed childhood or explained what happened before he got the ring.
Over the years, different writers changed parts of his story. The 2011 “New 52” reboot made him a former soldier who later studied architecture. The animated series Justice League also portrayed him as a Marine. But none of these versions ever showed his parents or what his home life was like. The comics always skipped over his early years.
What Lanterns Episode 3 Reveals
Lanterns takes a completely different approach. The episode shows that John Stewart‘s path to becoming a Green Lantern started when he was just a baby.
Here is what the episode reveals:
- John’s father was almost chosen first. The Green Lantern ring actually visited John Stewart Sr. (played by J. Alphonse Nicholson) before it found Hal Jordan. The ring asked him one question: “Are you afraid?” He answered honestly and said yes. Because of that, he failed the test, and the ring moved on to find Hal instead.
- The failure broke John Sr. The experience traumatized him. Nobody believed his story about being kidnapped by aliens, not even his wife Bernadette (played by Nicole Ari Parker). He started spiraling mentally.
- A Guardian visited the family. A member of the Guardians (played by Laura Linney) came to apologize for the emotional damage caused by the selection process. But she also hinted that the couple’s son could become a candidate in the future.
- Bernadette demanded answers. She told the Guardian it was unfair to ask a Black man in America if he was afraid, given the daily fear Black families face. She said, “We are terrified daily of persecution and still show up, sometimes better than everyone around us.”
- The parents started training John from birth. After that conversation, Bernadette and John Sr. became obsessed with preparing their son for the ring. They believed he had to be completely fearless to succeed where his father failed.
- The training was extreme. John Sr. would make young John stand still while he shot apples off his head. The parents also left him alone in dangerous parts of the city to force him to find his way home. They put him through sniper training and made him practice shooting apples off his mother’s head as well.
- John joined the Marines. He eventually became a Marine sergeant major, just like in some comic versions. After a failed mission, he was given the chance to go to art school, which connects back to his architect background from the comics.
Why the Writers Made These Changes
The show’s creative team had clear reasons for rewriting John Stewart‘s origin.
Showrunner Chris Mundy explained that the idea came from comparing the Manhunters (alien robots programmed to solve moral problems) to parenting. He said, “We were like, ‘Well, what’s the difference between being programmed and being parented so hard?’” The writers wanted to explore what happens when parents push their child too hard to fulfill a destiny.
Tom King, one of the creators, said they wanted to give John a “hook” like Batman and Spider-Man have. He compared John‘s upbringing to “a Tiger Woods, Williams’ sisters kind of thing” – parents raising a child from birth for a specific purpose.
Writer Vanessa Baden Kelly, who wrote Episode 3, said the team wanted to explore what it means to be a Black man and get the Green Lantern ring. She pointed out that John Stewart was created in the 1970s as a politically aware character who fought against injustice. The show wanted to bring that spirit into a modern setting.
How Fans Have Reacted
The response to John Stewart‘s new origin story has been mixed. Some viewers love it, while others strongly dislike it.
Positive Reactions
Many critics and fans have praised the episode. IGN called it “the best chapter of Lanterns to date.” Den of Geek said the show “finally fixed John Stewart’s backstory” by making the character more coherent while keeping his complexity. ComicBook.com described it as “the best episode of an already stellar series.”
Aaron Pierre himself said the episode is “one of the most brilliantly written episodes of television that I’ve personally read.” He praised how it captured social commentary “in such an eloquent [and] articulate way” and creates “immediate conversation.”
Negative Reactions
Other fans have been critical. Some accuse the show of being “woke” and forcing political messages into the mythology. The controversy centers on the idea that the episode suggests Hal Jordan got the ring because his whiteness gave him an easier path, while John‘s father failed because his experiences as a Black man made fear unavoidable.
Some viewers also dislike how much the show changed from the comics. They argue that John Stewart was already a well-established character and didn’t need such a major rewrite. The episode also removes some elements from the comics, like John‘s sister Ellie, who was added in recent comic stories.
One reaction circulating online complained that the episode “reduces Hal” and changes too much of the Green Lantern lore. Some fans have called it “the worst” episode of the season so far.
The Writer’s Response
Vanessa Baden Kelly responded to the backlash by pointing to the character’s history. She noted that John Stewart was always politically engaged from his very first appearance in the 1970s. The show was simply staying true to the character’s roots while giving him a deeper backstory.
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What This Means for the Character
Lanterns has given John Stewart something the comics never did: a complete origin story that explains why he became the person he is. The show combines elements from different comic versions – his Marine background, his architectural skills, and his passion for justice – into one cohesive backstory.
Whether this is good or bad depends on who you ask. For fans who wanted something new and meaningful, the episode delivers a powerful story about family pressure, race, and what it takes to overcome fear. For fans who wanted a faithful comic adaptation, the changes feel like too much.
One thing is clear: the episode has started a conversation. As Aaron Pierre said, it “inspires people to want to find a solution and want to find a way to successfully defeat these troubles that are present in the world we live in today.”
The fourth episode of Lanterns is scheduled to release this Sunday. The preview shows Sinestro telling Hal Jordan to kill John Stewart, which could push the story in an even darker direction.
Also Read: Lanterns Episode 2 Recap: Manhunters Arrive in a Full Flashback Episode That Changes Everything We Know
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