5 DC Characters We Need to See in Lanterns Season 2, Including One Already Teased in the First Episode

Skip to content Through its first season, Lanterns expanded on the world established in Superman, Supergirl, and Peacemaker, adding new characters and fleshing out ones fans already knew. The show introduced and killed off Hal Jordan, adapted Manhunters with a twist from their comic origins, and established a tense dynamic between John Stewart and Guy Gardner, both Green Lanterns from Earth. In addition to the Green Lantern characters we saw, the show also name-dropped quite a few from Mogo who doesn’t socialize — he is a planet after all — to Hal’s dislike of some of the non-human members of the Corps.

The second season of Lanterns has a great opportunity to further expand the DCU’s Green Lantern mythos. The fear gas on the alien planet suggests that a possible Sinestro Corps War storyline lays ahead in addition to any conflicts that John Stewart may encounter as a boots-on-the-ground Green Lantern of Earth. While it would be great to see Carol Ferris again — the brief appearance at Hal Jordan’s funeral doesn’t feel like enough for Hal Jordan’s longterm comic girlfriend and leader of the Star Sapphire Corps — there are five other characters that would make stronger narrative sense to make appearances in Lanterns season two.

Starting off with a likely uncommon take, Lanterns should introduce the duo known as Fire and Ice. Assuming that Guy Gardner continues to be in Lanterns, it would be interesting to introduce his love interest, and said love interest’s best friend. Fire and Ice were mainstays of the Justice League International run, a comic that James Gunn is fond of, if his remarks about Maxwell Lord are any indication. Given the Mister Miracle animated series currently in development and plans for both Booster Gold and Blue Beetle projects, it’d make sense to introduce more members of that central team. 

In addition to a potential romance with Guy Gardner, introducing Ice would introduce magic to the DCU. The current status of the DCU has felt grounded, engaging in superpowers and technology, but not yet magic. It’d be interesting to see how it would get adapted, and what conflicts might arise with John Stewart who was raised to believe in the Green Lantern Corps from childhood but likely doesn’t have that same relationship to magic. Also, Lanterns needs more women in it. 

An obvious next step for expanding the mythos of Lanterns is the introduction of other Lantern Corps, such as the Red Lanterns. Atrocitius would be a great choice to include in the show, not only because he’s the first Red Lantern but because he has a personal connection to the Manhunters. Lanterns as a show has already established the Manhunters as a species to be afraid of, and it’d make sense if there were more victims out there besides those from Earth and the yellow planet. 

In the comics, Atrocitius is from Sector 666 — thus expanding the representation of the broader galaxy — and survived a massacre from the Manhunters. He along with other survivors banded together to destroy the Guardians, creators of the Manhunters. Ultimately, Atrocitius’s rage consumes him and he kills the other survivors. Bringing in Atrocitius is a logical follow up to the Manhunters and presents Stewart with a new problem to face. Stewart ended the first season with a changing relationship to fear but aside from his scuffles with Hal Jordan and the Guardians, there’s still more to unpack about his relationship to rage. However, given the similar backstory given to the character Antaan in season one, it is uncertain whether a character like Atrocitius would be explored in season two. 

If there’s one DC character uniquely suited to being in a show like Lanterns, it is the Martian Manhunter aka J’onn J’onzz. Being a shapeshifter, Martian Manhunter could be introduced while in disguise. Perhaps, John Stewart is in a different city investigating a crime while he runs into detective J’onn J’onzz. Being a shapeshafter allows for an air of mystery for the character — Stewart could have a hunch that something was off with Detective J’onzz — while keeping the grounded tone of the show. While Lanterns managed it with Sinestro last season, having a full time green alien from Mars may be asking too much, especially if Martian Manhunter is able to be a main character. 

The possibility of having to explain the difference between Manhunters and Martian Manhunters to casual viewers aside, Martian Manhunter is a core member of the Justice League. It’s beyond overdue for him to join a live action adaptation again. He was great in Smallville, and Lanterns could delve into his past as the sole survivor of his planet and his own relationship to fear. In the Justice League animated series, Martian Manhunter and John Stewart are somewhere between friendly and friends, and a similar dynamic could easily pop up in Lanterns once they get to know each other. 

As much as viewers love shapeshifting aliens, the show Lanterns is in dire need of diversity in its characters in terms of species. A fix for this would be the introduction of Ch’p. Alluded to by Hal Jordan in the first episode, the Green Lantern Ch’p resembles a squirrel, and thus is a member of the Green Lanterns Corps that has more fur than Jordan would like. 

In the comics, Ch’p was part of the same group of recruits as Jordan under the instruction of Green Lantern Kilowog. He was chosen to be the Green Lantern for Sector 1014 and has teamed up with John Stewart before, prior to Ch’p’s death where he was killed by a yellow truck. Ch’p was subsequently replaced by B’Dg, who was from the same species and thus also resembles a squirrel. For live action, Ch’p could add some comedy, bouncing off the more grounded Stewart and Gardner, in addition to giving much added alien representation. 

Following up on the mysterious yellow planet introduced in the first season, Lanterns season two should introduce Despotellis. Despotellis, of Sector 119, is a sentient artificial virus from the planet Khondra. Despotellis is able to infect any living creature and kill it from within. Whether the gas on the planet is as deadly as Despotellis has yet to be seen, but season two could quickly follow up on this. Jordan and Stewart leave Sinestro to his own devices on the planet and his fate in the time between seasons could indicate just how deadly the gas is. 

In the comics, Despotellis is a deadly member of the Sinestro Corps, and a similar route could be taken in the show. The planet that Hal Jordan portaled to wasn’t given a name and could be Khondra, or the origin of Despotellis could be changed for the DCU. Despotellis is also responsible for killing Kyle Rayner’s mom, a death that kickstarts Rayner’s Parallax transformation, showing just how dangerous a foe like Despotellis can be. 

Let us know how much you agree or disagree in the comments below! What characters do you need to see in Lanterns Season 2?