Men's Lifestyle September 21, 2026 0 Comments

You Won’t Believe Batman’s Secret Role Hidden Inside Lanterns—This Changes Everything!

Let’s be honest—when was the last time you saw a live-action Batman that truly felt fresh? Sure, Robert Pattinson swung into the spotlight four years ago, but with his sequel not landing until 2028, we’re left hanging. Meanwhile, James Gunn, the mastermind behind the DC Universe revival, is playing the long game with his Batman, tucked away for a rainy day in his upcoming The Brave and the Bold. But here’s the kicker: while we wait for Gotham’s finest to re-emerge, Lanterns—this stellar new series—has slyly dropped Batman breadcrumbs that deepen the lore and keep the Caped Crusader’s shadow looming large. Ever wonder how the Dark Knight inspires heroes beyond Gotham? Or why the “worst” Green Lantern might be his biggest fan? Hold onto that thought, because the latest episode reveals all—tying together the old and the new in a way that might just make waiting for Batman a bit more bearable. LEARN MORE

3 min read

It’s been a minute since we’ve seen a live-action Batman. I’m not talking about Robert Pattinson, although it has been four years since we last saw the Pat-Man do his thing. (The sequel shooting now? Not out until 2028.) But James Gunn, the steward of the DC Universe, has been saving his own Batman for a rainy day. It will be a long time until his movie The Brave and the Bold will see any forward movement, with a new actor donning the cowl. But Lanterns just laid another brick in the foundation for Gunn’s Batman.

I’ll also acknowledge this isn’t the first Batman Easter egg for James Gunn’s DC. Peacemaker made a few passing references, while the animated series Creature Commandos shrouded Batman in darkness for a quick cameo. But still, even in a show like Lanterns, Batman still casts quite a large shadow.

In “Bad Optics,” the sixth episode of the thus-far stellar freshman season of Lanterns, the action picks up ten years after Rushville endured destruction over the Manhunter. Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) has just spent a decade in federal prison and is now trying (and failing) to make it up to the locals. But Green Lanterns are not welcome anymore. Half-hearted olive branches by Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion, who finally appears in the series) are vandalized and ignored.

“Bad Optics” is a superb episode that tracks John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as a man outside of the Green Lantern mantle. We’ve spent all season watching him define it, and feeling crushed by its pressure. “Bad Optics” lets us glimpse the man who still shines bright without it. No, he doesn’t live an idyllic life—his family all walk on thin ice still, and the Rushville folk still expect him to pay checks he alone can’t cash—but ten years free from thinking about duty and fear and being exceptional and space rings has been healthy. When the sheriff’s ex and his boys try to gang up on him, he dispatches them easily, no Power Ring needed.

But there still had to be a Green Lantern of Earth. As we explored last week, Stewart’s decision to decline the Guardians’ invitation made them turn to someone else: Guy Gardner, a former gym teacher. And it’s in John and Hal’s final conversation at the Rushville diner, which happened to involve Guy, that we also get an unexpected mention of a certain Caped Crusader.

At the diner, John arrives expecting Hal to give an overdue apology for all that happened ten years ago. (Or, in our time, last week.) After John asserts they are “a long fucking way from being square,” Hal changes the subject by bringing up Guy—and a bizarre publicity stunt involving panda bears—and evoking Batman in the same breath. “Ripped off that Bat guy over in Gotham, too. Put a beacon right in the middle of fucking town here. So people can summon him. You know what he said? ‘To make good for what we did.’”

The “Lantern Signal” comes up again later, when John switches it on to talk to Guy about burying Hal’s body with the ring. (Which gets him into a fight with Rushville dudes, but John is a Marine. He’s fine.) But the fact Guy Gardner saw the Bat-Signal and basically went, Yes, good idea is just on point with Guy’s character. Green Lanterns are meant to be creative, among other things. So it’s amusing that the one universally agreed-upon “worst” Green Lantern is ripping off Batman. Well, might as well rip off one of the best.

All of “Bad Optics” is basically fantastic, with John Stewart finally coming to terms with the fact that he wants to be a Green Lantern all along. I personally don’t know what to make of his about-face: On one hand, I see him restless, haunted by the ghosts of his mistakes and desperate to correct them. On the other hand, I wonder how much affection he has for Jordan, if any. John was raised by figures who saw him as a soldier first and a son second; it may be his psychological wires crossing that he also sees in Hal what he saw in his own folks. And Hal’s surprisingly moving eulogy (which he wrote himself, natch) was all that John needed to hear.

The DCU is so far away from introducing its own Batman who inhabits the same canon as Superman. But if Lanterns keeps up with being this good, we could stand to wait much longer. The Green Lanterns are way more interesting, anyway.