Immediately killing a beloved hero of almost seven decades instantly established that nothing is sacred in HBO's Lanterns. Anyone can die, and the DC comics this show is based on are a mere guideline at best. Yet even so, John Stewart's decidedly dark origin story – explored in episode three – comes as a big surprise to anyone familiar with his start in the source material.
Powerhouse comic book duo Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams introduced John as the fourth Green Lantern in Green Lantern #87 (1971) where he quickly proved himself to be worthy of wielding such emerald might. The character was originally an architect and civil rights activist who actively distrusted authority. This might seem worlds away from Aaron Pierre's somewhat uptight take on John in Lanterns, but that military background explored here didn't just come out of nowhere.
Although Stewart continued to be portrayed as an architect throughout the decades that followed, it wasn't until the character was rewritten as a former U.S. Marine in the noughties Justice League cartoon that he became more prominent. The comics soon followed suit, retconning John as a Marine sniper, although his architect roots were reintroduced again just recently, aiming for a best of both worlds scenario in line with Lanterns.
This unique combination of creativity and discipline isn't easy to balance in a character, although Pierre does a masterful job of it on the show. That tension is key to understanding his version of John in Lanterns and it unfortunately makes his life all the more tragic as a result.
In the premiere, we watched as John's father shot an apple off his head as a child, yet it's not until episode three where this show really digs into the 'why' of it all. Why would John Stewart Sr. risk his son's life so casually? And why wouldn't the boy cry or run away?
Early in the episode, we discover that John's father was offered the ring before Hal Jordan, while John was still in the crib. Flashbacks reveal he was tested by the Guardians, but failed upon admitting that he was "afraid." His wife, Bernadette, didn't believe John Sr., not until one of the Guardians showed up at their door and confirmed the truth of his account.
Bernadette called her out, asking, "Do you know how unfair it is to ask a Black man if he’s afraid?" The Guardian conceded that the ring selection process is unusual for humans, so she offered a new opportunity to make up for it.
هەفتانە هەرسکردنەکان، چیرۆکەکانی ئەو کۆمەڵگایانەی کە خۆشت دەوێن و زۆر شتی تر
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