Lanterns Nearly Brought In Members Of The Green Lantern Corps For One Major Scene

John Johnson/HBO

Ever since "Lanterns" was first announced, longtime DC Comics fans wondered which of the multicolored Lantern Corps would show up in the HBO drama. The show's grounded take on the Green Lantern mythos didn't offer much of the color spectrum beyond the traditional green and some hints of yellow. Still, more members of the Green Lantern Corps nearly flew in to save the day.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, co-creator Chris Mundy reiterated that the Red Lanterns, the Star Sapphires, and other differently colored power ring users weren't considered for the story centered on Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). That said, Mundy and the writers did plan to bring in additional Green Lantern reinforcements when Hal and John were in the middle of a war zone in Rushville, before ultimately pulling the idea.

"We had a scene in the writers' room in our heads where that darkness was still encroaching on the town, and various other Lanterns in the Corps came and blew it away," Mundy explained, referencing the events of the fifth episode. "That was the one time we would've seen the others, but we ended up not doing it just because it pulled focus from our guys at that point."

While ex-Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) and Green Lantern replacement Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) both showed up, other ring-slingers such as the "squirrel" Ch'p and the living planet Mogo were only referenced by name. Rather than turning "Lanterns" into a cosmic battleground, Mundy and the team aimed to keep the narrative closer to home.

John Johnson/HBO

"Lanterns" ended its first season with John blackmailing the Guardians of Oa to let him keep Hal's old ring and operate independently on Earth. The finale establishes that Guy Gardner will continue to patrol Sector 2814, while John handles alien detective work on the ground. Although a second season has not yet been confirmed, Mundy teased that the show's grounded tone would continue.

"We obviously left the planet, so that's in our wheelhouse, but we like the idea of the show being very grounded," the co-creator explained. "It's a little more tactile 'of this earth,' 'of this world' kind of thing." For those hoping that "Lanterns" might get a bit more space operatic, it may be worth revisiting the cult classic "Green Lantern: The Animated Series."

Still, Mundy hasn't ruled out extraterrestrial adventures entirely. "We've proven that we can sneak in other stuff, too, if the story warrants it." In fact, when appearing on "The Midnight Boys" podcast, Mundy said the writers' room was interested in tackling more alien Lanterns. "[Writer Vanessa Baden Kelly's] been talking a big Kilowog game for a long time," he revealed.

Whether "Lanterns" continues beyond its first eight episodes or not, there are still plans for these characters in the larger DC Universe. John Stewart and Guy Gardner are both set to return in James Gunn's upcoming "Man of Tomorrow," with Aaron Pierre and Nathan Fillion reprising their respective roles.