Lanterns Episode 1 Provides Some Clarity About The Dc Universe Timeline

John Johnson/HBO Max

The first chapter of the DC Universe, "Gods and Monsters" only got started in earnest with 2025's "Superman." But each new project sheds more light on the DC Universe timeline, and now "Lanterns" has given us an insight into the Green Lantern Corps' history on Earth. The opening scene is set in 1996 and confirms that humanity only recently learned about the existence of Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler). That means Green Lanterns have been known to humans for a lot longer than the Man of Steel, and helps to clarify how Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner fits into the timeline.

"Lanterns" begins with a "60 Minutes" profile of Jordan, officially introducing him to viewers and clarifying details about his past. Meanwhile, a young John Stewart watches the segment with his brothers and we see him become transfixed by this heretofore unknown hero. "10 years ago, no one on Earth was aware we were already under the protection of someone calling himself Green Lantern," says the reporter. "Then, without warning, he made himself known, dramatically stopping a meteor from devastating Victoria Falls. Or at least he made himself partially known. Here now, we bring you the first ever heart to heart with a superhero." 

That hero is, of course, Hal Jordan. But it remains unclear how recently he'd revealed himself at the time. What's clear is that in 1986, 10 years prior to this news segment, humankind had no idea that Green Lanterns even existed. Just like in the comics, Jordan then became the first Lantern for the sector of the galaxy in which Earth sits, and at some point prior to the "60 Minutes" report, revealed himself to the world. That means he'd been operating in plain sight for decades before David Corenswet's Superman emerged.

HBO

2021's "The Suicide Squad" represents the official start of the DC Universe timeline, with 2024's "Creature Commandos" picking up where that film left off. James Gunn's charming crowd-pleaser "Superman" gives us more concrete details about the history of this universe via on-screen text that appears at the start of the film: "Three centuries ago, the first superpowered beings, known as metahumans, appeared on Earth, ushering in a new era of Gods and Monsters." So, superheroes had been on Earth for roughly 300 years by the time the events of "Superman" played out.

That film also confirmed that Supes had announced himself to the world three years before the story of the movie itself — which took place in the present day. Based on what we learn in the "Lanterns" series premiere, then, Hal Jordan's Green Lantern was known to humankind for at least 30 years prior to the events of "Superman" and long before Superman himself emerged.

"Superman" also introduced us to the Justice Gang, a group of superheroes made up of Guy Gardner's Green Lantern, Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi). These characters had clearly been known for some time prior to the events of "Superman," but just how long they'd been operating remained unclear. When the "Lanterns" trailer first arrived it raised a big question about Fillion's "Superman" character as it suggested Jordan was Earth's original Green Lantern and John Stewart was in training to be his successor. As Stewart says in Episode 1 of "Lanterns," "The way it works is, Earth has one Lantern. So I'm just being trained in case anything happens to Jordan." So, where does Gardner come in? We'll surely find out more as the series continues.

Warner Bros.

The DC Universe was supposed to be a triumphant cinematic rejuvenation for DC. Thus far, it's been a bit of a mixed bag. "Superman" performed well enough, but things just went from bad to worse at the box office for 2026's "Supergirl," and in truth, DC Studios didn't get off to the best start. James Gunn and his fellow DC Studios co-head, Peter Safran, oversaw the transition from the DC Extended Universe to the DC Universe. But instead of overhauling the entire thing, the pair opted for a soft reboot, maintaining certain characters and plot points from the DCEU. It didn't sound like the full-scale reinvention Warners and DC needed but we lived in hope. 

In 2023, we learned the first chapter of this new cinematic enterprise was called "Gods and Monsters," which was to feature five films including "Superman" and "Supergirl" alongside "The Brave and the Bold," "Swamp Thing," and "The Authority." So far, only the first two have materialized, while at least one has been scrapped altogether (RIP, "The Authority). 

"Lanterns" has at least provided some clarity about this (semi-)new timeline, and how the Green Lantern Corps fits in. But at this point it all feels a little redundant. After the box office failure of "Supergirl" amid the general decline of superhero movies, the future of DC Studios feels uncertain. Does learning the complex lore of a whole new cinematic timeline really seem like the way to right this particular ship? Die-hard fans will no doubt be eager to learn when and how Guy Gardner joined the Corps in Gunn's timeline, and how many other Lanterns exist on Earth in the modern day. But will general audiences care about any of this? It seems unlikely.