Lanterns: Guardians of the Universe, Abin Sur, and the Green Lantern Corps Explained
Lanterns: The Cosmic Buddy Cop Show We Didn’t Know We Needed
Picture this: a young John Stewart, lounging on his couch, glued to a TV interview with the legendary Hal Jordan, the very first human to rock the Green Lantern Corps badge. Hal’s spinning tales about being a space cop (talk about a 9 to 5!) and dropping hints about his secret sauce for success: he’s got zero fear. Yep, that’s right! Just the kind of bravado you need when you’re getting ready to protect the universe.
Now, the pilot starts off with a pretty solid vibe, but let’s be real here, if you were expecting a full-on sci-fi lecture, you might walk away a bit disappointed. Sure, Hal throws around some jargon about willpower and power rings, but you’re left with a handful of alien references without any juicy details. No worries! If you want to dive deeper into the cosmic chaos without sifting through decades of comics, we got your back!
Meet the Guardians of the Universe
So, here’s the deal: the main drama unfolds between our buddy Hal and John because guess what? The ring picked Hal when Abin Sur took a nosedive on Earth. And of course, the Guardians decided John should be the next big thing. Let’s just say if you’re a DC aficionado, you might remember these wise (or not-so-wise) dudes. They’re the ones behind the Green Lantern Corps and are on a mission to sprinkle some goodness throughout the galaxy.
These illustrious beings hail from planet Maltus, a peaceful world where science reigns supreme—until Krona, a Maltusan with more curiosity than sense, ruins the vibe by trying to witness the origin of the universe. Whoops! Long story short, a squad of Maltusans got together, realizing they needed to trap the evil Krona unleashed and protect the innocent, thus birthing the Green Lantern Corps.
Initially, the Guardians seem all-knowing and good-hearted, but fast forward a few comic years, and let’s just say their hubris could rival a bad reality TV star. Both Hal and John have found themselves at odds with these so-called wise ones. You could say Hal’s skepticism is pretty spot-on.
Understanding the Green Lantern Corps
The Guardians went all out and split the universe into 3600 sectors, assigning each one its own Green Lantern. Think of them as the universe’s neighborhood watch. These Lanterns are selected based on three criteria: No fear, all honesty, and a bit of serendipity—like being around when the previous Lantern bites the dust. After they’re picked, they head to Oa, the Corps’ high-tech HQ, where they receive a crash course in Space Cop 101, usually taught by the tough-love Lantern, Kilowog.
Fun fact: In the pilot, they mention that Lanterns don’t get trained by locals, but that’s a twist not taken from the comic books. Oh no! Traditionally, every sector boasts at least two Lanterns because, you know, safety in numbers!
Speaking of numbers, there are the elite Honor Guard, stationed on Oa for special ops, and let’s not forget the Alpha Lanterns—think of them as internal affairs keeping a watchful eye on the watchmen. Doesn’t that sound like enough drama? Not yet! Over the last two decades, other Corps have popped up in the Green Lantern universe, each with its own quirky powers. There’s the Sinestro Corps that feeds on fear, the Star Sapphires who radiate love, the Blue Lanterns channeling hope, and the raging Red Lanterns. It’ll be interesting to see if any of these colorful characters make an appearance in the series!
Introducing Abin Sur: The Guy Who Kicked It All Off
Next up on our not-so-funeral list: Abin Sur! He’s not just another backstory; he’s the Lantern who hands Hal the cosmic ring and flops onto Earth when misfortune strikes. According to the lore, Hal’s backstory in the pilot is pretty spot-on: Abin Sur tumbles from the sky, calls for Hal, and then, well, yeets out of existence. Simple, right? Not quite! Abin Sur was a badass, red-skinned, bald dude from Ungara who rocked the Green Lantern gig for a cool 150 years before his unfortunate crash.
But wait! Why did this powerhouse fly a ship when his ring could do all the heavy lifting? The answer comes from a wild tale written by the legendary Alan Moore, where Abin meets Qull of the Five Inversions on a hellish planet. This demon dude drops some gnarly prophecies about his ring failing him. Instead of listening to his intuition, Abin chuckled it off and continued flying. This little ‘whoopsie’ leads to his fateful crash, proving that sometimes, a little fear can go a long way.
As Lanterns unfolds, we can expect a little twist on this classic tale, but rest assured: it all still kicks off with Abin crashing and handing the reins to Hal. The journey from here? Well, only time (and a few episodes) will tell!
Don’t miss out on new episodes of Lanterns every Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max!