Lanterns Trailer: Sinestro, Manhunters & 10 Other DCU Reveals

Published Jul 24, 2026, 9:16 PM EDT Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero. With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention. Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise. Sign in to your ScreenRant account DC Studios has released a brand-new trailer for Lanterns at San Diego Comic-Con, featuring all kinds of exciting DCU reveals. While the series will begin as a more grounded crime drama, this new trailer has confirmed that the stakes will no doubt expand and become far more cosmic in nature. Featuring major alien conspiracies, other planets, and some very exciting faces from the comics, the hype for Lanterns just got a lot bigger. Without a doubt, the new Lanterns trailer released at SDCC gives us our clearest look yet at how James Gunn's DC Universe plans to handle the Green Lantern Corps and two of its most important members. Keeping that in mind, here are the top 10 biggest moments and reveals from DC Studios' newest Lanterns trailer, set to premiere on HBO Max next month. Plenty Of Green Constructs Unlike the first Lanterns trailer, which received some criticism for the apparent lack of green in a show about Green Lanterns, this new SDCC trailer is very much a redemption, as there are impressive green constructs all over the place. Not only do we see John Stewart inadvertently create a green bird while attempting to fly for the first time, but we also see the more experienced Hal Jordan taking flight, creating shields, firing green energy blasts, creating a giant construct of a drill, and even a bottle opener, confirming that the limitless creativity and green power of a Green Lantern will be front and center in the upcoming DCU series. “The Backup Quarterback” During a conversation between John Stewart and a woman at a local bar, she jokingly calls John "the backup quarterback." As such, it's a pretty apt description of John Stewart's original role in the comics when he was first recruited as a reserve Lantern in case Hal was ever compromised and/or put out of commission. The same looks to be true in the DCU as well, though Aaron Pierre's Stewart clearly intends to step up and replace Jordan one day. Alien Victims The central mystery also becomes much clearer in the new SDCC footage, with Hal Jordan suspecting that several of the murder victims they're looking into aren't actually human but in fact alien. As such, this immediately helps explain why two intergalactic space cops have been sent to investigate a homicide in the American heartland, acting as interplanetary law enforcement responding to what is likely a pretty major cosmic threat hiding in plain sight, hence the show's more grounded nature and comparisons to True Detective (at least at the onset). Manhunters (But Which Kind?) The trailer also confirms the existence of the Manhunters, one of the most dangerous threats in the DC Universe, though exactly which version remains unclear. Sector 2814 · Ring Active How Well Do You Know Lanterns? “In brightest day, in blackest night...” 💍The RingPowered by will 🔦The Corps3,600 sectors 🌌OaThe Guardians 👮Earth BeatSector 2814 ⚠YellowPerilThe fear entity ACTIVATE RING → 01 Lanterns is one of the tentpole TV series launching James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. On which streaming platform does it air? ANetflix BHBO Max CDisney+ DApple TV+ ✓ Correct! HBO Max — Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streamer and the natural home for DCU prestige TV alongside Peacemaker and The Penguin. Lanterns is positioned as the DCU’s high-end serialised drama counterpart to Gunn’s theatrical Superman relaunch, sharing canon with the films. Disney+ runs Marvel; Netflix and Apple are rival streamers. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is HBO Max. Netflix has had various superhero shows but not DCU. Disney+ is Marvel’s home. Apple TV+ doesn’t house DC. HBO Max is Warner Bros. Discovery’s streamer and the TV home of the Gunn/Safran DCU — Lanterns joins Peacemaker and upcoming DCU series there. NEXT → 02 Unlike most Green Lantern adaptations, Lanterns pairs two Earth-based ring-bearers in a buddy-cop framework — a weathered veteran and a newer recruit partnered together on Sector 2814 duty. Which two Lanterns lead the show? AHal Jordan & Guy Gardner BHal Jordan & John Stewart CJohn Stewart & Kyle Rayner DHal Jordan & Kyle Rayner ✓ Correct! Hal Jordan and John Stewart — two of the most beloved Earth-assigned Lanterns — are paired as the show’s central duo. Hal is the hot-shot test-pilot veteran, John the disciplined ex-Marine architect with a sharper sense of justice. The pairing draws heavily from the Geoff Johns comics era and lets the show explore two very different philosophies of what a Green Lantern should be. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Guy Gardner (played by Nathan Fillion) is a separate DCU character who appears in the 2025 Superman film. Kyle Rayner is a beloved Lantern but not part of this show. The Lanterns duo is the Hal/John pairing — a pointedly contrasting veteran and recruit on Sector 2814 duty together. NEXT → 03 The role of Hal Jordan — the weathered, test-pilot-turned-space-cop original Earth Lantern — went to a veteran actor best known as Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights and for leading Bloodline. Who plays Hal? ARyan Reynolds (reprising) BKyle Chandler CNathan Fillion DChris Pine ✓ Correct! Kyle Chandler — Emmy winner for Friday Night Lights, star of Bloodline, and part of the Monsterverse (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) — plays an older, weathered Hal Jordan. James Gunn wanted a seasoned, grounded presence rather than a rookie. Ryan Reynolds played Hal in 2011’s widely-mocked Green Lantern film (a different continuity); Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Kyle Chandler. Ryan Reynolds’ Hal was the 2011 film (a separate, mostly-disowned continuity). Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film — not Hal. Chris Pine isn’t in the DCU. Chandler’s weathered, Friday-Night-Lights gravitas is exactly the mature Hal energy Gunn wanted for the show. NEXT → 04 John Stewart — ex-Marine sniper, architect, and one of DC’s most iconic Black heroes — is played by a British actor who broke out in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge. Who is he? AAaron Pierre BWinston Duke CSterling K. Brown DJohn Boyega ✓ Correct! Aaron Pierre — the British actor who earned raves as Caesar in The Underground Railroad (2021) and carried Netflix’s Rebel Ridge (2024) with a performance frequently compared to early Denzel Washington. Gunn called his casting “a no-brainer.” Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown and John Boyega are all great actors but not in the role. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Aaron Pierre. Winston Duke is M’Baku in the Marvel universe. Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, American Fiction) is Marvel-adjacent too. John Boyega famously played Finn in Star Wars. Pierre’s Rebel Ridge performance — playing a disciplined ex-Marine — is essentially his audition for John Stewart, and Gunn’s team cast him off it. NEXT → 05 James Gunn has repeatedly pitched Lanterns as a grounded, small-town murder-mystery thriller — where the space-cop rings are secondary to a detective case on Earth. Which acclaimed HBO series is his go-to tonal comparison? ATrue Detective BThe Wire CWestworld DWatchmen ✓ Correct! Gunn has explicitly called Lanterns his “True Detective in the DCU” — a slow-burn, atmospheric, character-driven case with superhero elements layered over a grounded murder mystery. Showrunner Chris Mundy actually did True Detective: Night Country duties, bringing that DNA directly. Watchmen (Damon Lindelof) was also cited, and Lindelof has consulting writer credits, but True Detective is the primary comp. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is True Detective. Gunn has named it as the explicit tonal blueprint — a slow-burn, character-driven murder mystery with superhero elements layered over it. Chris Mundy, the show’s runner, worked on True Detective: Night Country, bringing the DNA directly. Watchmen was a secondary comp (Damon Lindelof consults), but True Detective is the primary pitch. NEXT → 06 When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as DC Studios co-CEOs in 2022, they announced a rebooted slate of interconnected films and TV shows — with Lanterns among the launch titles. What is this first DCU phase officially called? AChapter 1: Gods and Monsters BCrisis on Infinite Earths CThe Flashpoint Initiative DDark Knights Rising ✓ Correct! Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters — announced in January 2023 as the Gunn/Safran DCU’s opening slate. It includes Superman (2025), The Authority, Supergirl, The Brave and the Bold, Paradise Lost, Waller, Creature Commandos, and of course Lanterns. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a comics event; Flashpoint and Dark Knights are other DC storylines, not the chapter branding. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a famous DC comics crossover event (and Arrowverse crossover) but not a DCU chapter label. Flashpoint was referenced in The Flash (2023) from the now-defunct DCEU. The Gunn/Safran era officially named its launch phase Gods and Monsters — Superman 2025, Lanterns, and related titles. NEXT → 07 Green Lanterns serve the Guardians of the Universe, an ancient race who created the Corps’ 3,600-sector peacekeeping force and charge the Lantern rings from a central Power Battery on their home planet. What is the Guardians’ homeworld called? AKrypton BOa CThemyscira DApokolips ✓ Correct! Oa — the small blue-skinned Guardians’ home at the centre of the universe. It houses the Central Power Battery from which all Green Lantern rings draw their energy, and serves as the Corps’ academy and operational base. Krypton is Superman’s destroyed homeworld; Themyscira is Wonder Woman’s hidden Amazon island; Apokolips is Darkseid’s hellscape. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Oa. Krypton is Superman’s homeworld. Themyscira is Paradise Island where Wonder Woman was raised. Apokolips is Darkseid’s grim world in the Fourth World mythos. Oa is specifically the Guardians of the Universe’s planet — home to the Central Power Battery that fuels every Green Lantern ring in all 3,600 sectors. NEXT → 08 Every Green Lantern recites the same oath when charging their ring — a four-line rhyming incantation that’s become one of the most famous pieces of verse in comic-book history. How does it famously begin? A“In the darkest hour, a light shall rise...” B“In brightest day, in blackest night...” C“By the power of Oa, I serve...” D“Ring of willpower, heed my call...” ✓ Correct! “In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” The oath dates back to 1940’s All-American Comics #16, was refined through the Silver Age, and is considered one of DC’s most sacred bits of verse. Every canonical adaptation includes some version of it. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is “In brightest day, in blackest night...” The full oath: “No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” It’s been canon since 1940 and remains one of comics’ most instantly recognisable pieces of verse — recited in every major Green Lantern adaptation. REVEAL MY SCORE → Ring Depowered · Report to Oa Your Corps Rank 💍 / 8 Honor Guard veteran — or still in Corps training? ⤴ RECHARGE RING Described as powerful shapeshifters capable of taking the form of any species, the strong implication is that these Manhunters will be of the Martian variety. In the comics, there are Green Martians like the Justice League's J'onn J'onzz aka Martian Manhunter. There are also the more hostile White Martians who could very well be a fascinating live-action threat in the upcoming DCU series. Combined with a brief shot of a Manhunter from behind and scenes that appear to see Hal and John investigating another world that could very well be Mars, this feels like the most likely explanation. However, there is another possibility worth noting. The comics also have the robotic A.I. Manhunters, who were the Guardians of Oa's original police force before the Green Lantern Corps replaced them. Turning against their creators and going rogue, the robots came to believe that sentient life was the root of all chaos and disorder. As such, it's at least possible that Lanterns may feature both versions as a part of a major conspiracy. Laura Linney - Guardian of Oa? Laura Linney's mystery character in Lanterns continues to generate theories about who she's playing. The new SDCC trailer sees her speaking with surprising formal familiarity about both John Stewart and the Green Lantern Corps, suggesting she's far more knowledgeable than an ordinary human might be, leading many fans to speculate that she might secretly be one of the Guardians of Oa taking on a human form while on Earth. Then again, now that we know shapeshifting Manhunters are involved, she could just as easily be one of them, or perhaps even J'onn J'onzz himself hiding in plain sight.​​​​​​​ Sinestro The new DSCC Lanterns trailer finally reveals what Sinestro looks like in the DCU. Rather than being an active villain wielding the yellow power of fear, Thaal Sinestro looks to be imprisoned on an alien world when Hal Jordan comes to visit him. As such, one has to wonder what their relationship is like and why Hal believes his former mentor can help. Additionally, Sinestro is the perfect person to speak with Hal about his concerns/fears about being replaced by Stewart, as Hal was trained by Sinestro himself before he turned on the Green Lanterns. It stands to reason that Sinestro likely possesses some information about the conspiracy unfolding on Earth, perhaps about the Manhunters. Whether he ultimately becomes a temporary ally, manipulator, or outright antagonist remains one of the series' biggest mysteries. One can only hope a breakout is in his future, so we can finally see a live-action Sinestro in all his fearsome glory. Other Planets In The DCU Although Lanterns is set to begin with a murder investigation in rural America, this new trailer proves the story won't remain grounded for long. At least two extraterrestrial worlds appear throughout the footage: wherever Sinestro is imprisoned and what strongly resembles Mars, continuing to embrace the cosmic side of James Gunn's new DC Universe after Supergirl. Guy Gardner Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner confirmed appearance in Lanterns is finally teased in this new trailer following his debut in 2025's Superman and subsequent role in Peacemaker season 2. While brief, Guy gives Hal Jordan a warning in the new footage, claiming that some unnamed threat is prepared to send an entire army to take Jordan down. It will be very interesting to see how involved Guy Gardner will be in this new series, especially if his fellow Lanterns are in danger. The End of Hal Jordan? Keeping Guy's warnings and Hal's concerns about John's true role in mind, the trailer carries the strong implication that Hal Jordan's days as a Green Lantern are numbered. All things considered, it feels very possible that he won't survive the series' end, and that John Stewart will fully take over in the aftermath. While it could just be retirement, the alternate could be far darker and more permanent. The Green Lantern Oath The trailer closes with one of the most satisfying moments for longtime fans, with Hal Jordan reciting the classic Green Lantern oath used to recharge power rings from the comics: ​​​​​​​ "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!" The oath has been part of Green Lantern mythology for decades, and hearing it on-screen in the DCU feels like an exciting promise that the Green Lanterns will be adapted faithfully for this brand-new universe. Here's hoping Lanterns becomes the definitive live-action Green Lantern adaptation fans have been waiting years to see. DC Studios' Lanterns premieres August 16th on HBO Max. Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Chris Mundy Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart Kelly Macdonald Sheriff Kerry Directors James Hawes Writers Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof Franchise(s) DC Universe Creator(s) Tom King, Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof