John Stewart’s Green Lantern Status After Lanterns Finale Explained by Co-Creator Tom King

Earth has a new Green Lantern – well, sort of. In the “Lanterns” season finale, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) finally gets his own ring of power. However, it’s not your average power ring, and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) still possesses one and remains the official Lantern of Sector 2814. So, what gives? During a press conference following the HBO show’s finale, series co-creator Tim King explained that John was “one hundred percent not a Green Lantern anymore.”

In “Dirt and Stars”, John uses a lantern created by the fallen Green Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) to recharge a ring that belonged to the late Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler). Sinestro’s Lantern is imbued with fear and unlike the other Lanterns, John accepts his fears. He has a new oath when he recharges the ring, one that rejects the Keeper’s anti-fear dogma while paying homage to Hal. John also confronts Guy, explaining that he will act as Earth’s Lantern outside of the authority of the Guardians of the Universe while Guy and his bowl will do official business for the entire space sector.

“He has an unauthorized lantern that has a little bit of yellow and a little bit of fear in it,” King said (via The Hollywood Reporter). “So he doesn’t say the same oath as all the other Green Lanterns – just like a Yellow Lantern or an Orange Lantern says something different. John is this very unique creation that he chose for himself. So getting his own unique oath seemed to fit a lot with the story and where we’re going from here.”

The TV show “Lanterns” took many liberties with the comic book source material, and this finale is no exception. There have been many comedic stories in which the Green Lanterns are at odds with their bosses, the Guardians of the Universe. There are Green Lanterns who operated somewhat outside of the authority of the Guardians, such as the original Green Lantern from the 1940s, Alan Scott. There have also been Lanterns who left the Corps, such as Guy Gardner who resigned and became the leader of the rage-fueled Red Lanterns for a time. And there have been other Green Lantern oaths, like one about sound over colors and light for a Lantern member of a blind alien species.

Sill, John Stewart’s specific situation and his new tailor-made oath are just fictional inventions. Speaking at the press conference, Tom King said John’s storyline on “Lanterns” was part of a tradition in which writers and creatives who worked on the Green Lantern comics came up with new ideas that evolved the superhero character. “None of them said, ‘I just want to copy the person in front of me,’” King said. “So to honor that heritage and that creativity, you have to push the ball a little further.”

“Lanterns” co-creator Damon Lindelof said the choice of John “felt right,” while acknowledging that some parts of the DC fandom might not like the change. For more, be sure to check out TVLine’s rankings of DC’s 44 live-action shows (including the rankings for “Lanterns”).