Why Green Lantern: Earth One Is Perfect for the DCEU
With the exception of a cameo in Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2017, the DC Extended Universe has essentially been devoid of Green Lanterns. Warner Bros. doesn't seem to be in a hurry to put the Lanterns on the big screen -- instead opting for an HBO Max series -- due in part to the failed Ryan Reynolds movie in 2011. However, if the studio is looking for a way to involve the intergalactic cops in the DCEU, then Green Lantern: Earth One lays the perfect template, improving on the failed movie.
Both volumes of Green Lantern: Earth One really refresh the lore, especially when it comes to Hal Jordan, and offer something way different from the normal takes on the titular hero. Instead of focusing on Hal as a linchpin in the Corps, the story initially has him as a stowaway in space, learning to use his ring for survival rather than as a soldier training for war. He becomes one with the ring and eventually uses it to help Arisia and the Green Lantern Corps become a symbol of hope. In that sense, Hal, Kilowog and the other Lanterns make this story much grander in focus.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Start nowGreen Lantern: Earth One also doesn't paint Sinestro as the typical villain who wants power, because he only takes on a Yellow Lantern ring in the sequel in order to bring justice and order to the galaxy. It's not about revenge or cruelty. Instead, it's about getting results for their rebellion faster. Thus, the story moves past that overdone dynamic of mentor and teacher falling apart -- which has played out in so many stories.
The story also has all the ingredients necessary to keep Hal tethered to Earth in an organic way, as he's trying to improve the planet's tech rather than rush off with the Corps. However, it still has that expansive, otherworldly feel as he hunts the Last Guardian across dimensions in a space rift story. This gives him a solid reason to abandon the planet. Hal quickly understands here, just like any freedom fighter, that he could easily be seen as another man's terrorist, so this encourages him to fix Earth's reputation, providing a unique emotional push where he makes grave decisions with consequences. And with Earth adopting a Star Trek approach by trying to forge diplomatic relationships with other planets, an adaptation of Green Lantern: Earth One can speak to various contemporary topics, such as refugees and "the other." We don't want something too similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, after all, so this could be the DCEU's way of doing its own character-driven study.
Finally, Green Lantern: Earth One's lack of Lanterns perfectly fits the existing DCEU -- which doesn't have many itself. Thus, we get that treasure hunter feel as Hal tries to reignite the dead Corps across the galaxy. Plus, giving Hal his own aerospace company adds a new kind of comedy while reducing his douchey vibe, as he now has employees to care for. His romance with Carol is thus placed on the backburner, and as he gets lost in space, not only does he get to test his mettle, he learns about his true character without using the Corps as a crutch, properly mixing the old mythos into something new.
Source: www.cbr.com