Even superheroes have bosses; at least they do in HBO’s Lanterns. As much as Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) acts like a charming rogue who follows his own rules and doesn’t care about authority, he does answer to a higher power that can technically fire him at any time. That power is the Guardians of the Universe, a race of aliens who are seemingly no friends of Hal Jordan, and are so bad at their job that they have given the universe as many supervillains as they have heroes.
As the name suggests, the Guardians of the Universe have sworn to protect and defend the universe as the oldest police force in existence, creating the Green Lantern Corps to patrol the universe. And yet, more often than not, their efforts result in some spectacular mistakes and acts of cruelty. If Lanterns is your first exposure to the worst bosses in creation, we are here to guide you through the long history of the Guardians of the Universe.
Already seen Lanterns episode 3? Be sure to dive into our breakdown of John Stewart's dark new origin story. We're also playing detective by investigating who killed Hal Jordan and asking who is the Manhunter? For a full verdict on the DCU Chapter One show, check out our Lanterns review.
The Guardians of the Universe first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 from 1960, created by John Broome and Gil Kane, where they essentially interview Hal Jordan after he gains a power ring and deem him worthy of joining the Corps. Originally, they were portrayed as benevolent sages, little old aliens with weak bodies but incredibly powerful minds.
They are considered the oldest beings in the DC universe, a group of scientists and thinkers who conducted all sorts of experiments (like torturing other beings to create new species). One of these experiments accidentally resulted in the creation of the multiverse and of evil itself, which prompted the Guardians to dedicate themselves to combating chaos and evil.
Over the years, the Guardians have gone from benevolent old aliens to rather stern bosses who occasionally make bad calls and butt heads with their employees, to a rather corrupt organization capable of untold evil. For example, at one point the Guardians arbitrarily decided that magic was intrinsically bad, and stole it from the entire universe, sealing it along with any magic being inside an orb.
They are now mostly portrayed as emotionless and detached beings with a big backlog of sins that they’ve covered up across the eons. The 2004 Green Lantern: Rebirth comic series by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver revealed that the Guardians once encountered the very embodiment of fear and decided to trap it within the Central Power Battery that fuels every single Green Lantern ring, and then kept that knowledge hidden despite knowing that creature would make every Green Lantern power ring useless against the color yellow.
هەفتانە هەرسکردنەکان، چیرۆکەکانی ئەو کۆمەڵگایانەی کە خۆشت دەوێن و زۆر شتی تر
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/dc-tv-shows/guardians-of-the-universe-explained/
