Men's Health September 25, 2026 0 Comments

Could Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart Be the Game-Changer That Transforms the DC Universe Forever?

So, here’s a thought: when you hit that sweet spot of something truly good, why wouldn’t you ride that wave as far as it’ll carry you? James Gunn’s DC Universe might be the new kid on the block, still finding its footing—but boy, has it made some serious noise. From the gritty charm of Lanterns to the dynamic duo of Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre lighting up the screen as Green Lanterns, DC’s latest moves have sparked a whole new energy. But here’s the kicker—will John Stewart’s story blaze beyond Lanterns, or is there a twist waiting in the wings? Stick with me as we unravel what’s confirmed, what’s speculative, and why the future looks bright for John Stewart—whether he’s soaring solo or teaming up with some familiar faces. Ready to dive in?

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WHEN YOU FIND something good, it makes sense to capitalize on it, right? James Gunn’s DC Universe is still in its relative infancy, and its earlygoings have been good, but a bit bumpy. Creature Commandos and the second season of Peacemaker were strong and had their audience, and Superman was very good. Supergirl was something of a miss earlier this summer, however, leaving DC in a state of turmoil.

Lanterns changed the story of the year in a big way. The True Detective-inspired take on the famous DC Comics Space Cops made the brilliant decision to pair Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre together as Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart, respectively, and the results have been magnificent. The show is good, but it’s made significantly better because the two are both brilliantly cast as their respective characters, and are somehow even better when working together and playing off of the other’s distinctly different energy.

Much of the first season’s mystery revolves around John investigating what seems to be Hal’s death, as revealed at the end of the show’s first episode in its 2026 timeline. And, so, while the distinct possibility remains that somehow that will prove to be a fake-out switcheroo, we’re left largely believing that our Green Lantern going forward will be Aaron Pierre as John Stewart (and, sure, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner remains in the mix as well).

“It’s basically John Stewart’s story, in a lot of ways,” Gunn told CBS News last year, implying what we’ve been believing: John is going to be our guy. It helps, too, that Aaron Pierre is a totally dynamic actor and a rising superstar. It also figures that DC would want to get the most of him going forward.

So, what’s the deal? Will John Stewart’s story continue beyond Lanterns? We have a little bit of information confirmed, and we’ll share that with you below. But we’ll also get into what might be fun to think about and hope for, too. But with the way Lanterns has gone, and the way audiences everywhere have reacted to it, it feels pretty safe to say that we’ll be seeing a lot more of John Stewart.

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When will John Stewart appear next?

HBO

While we don’t know just yet whether or not Lanterns will continue on to a second season, we know for sure that we’ll be seeing Aaron Pierre as John Stewart within the next calendar year. He was officially cast in Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to Superman, back in March. Now, we don’t know what capacity that will be—he could be a quick cameo, or even a major supporting role. In a way, he’s in a similar spot to both Adria Arjona (who has been cast in a mystery role) and Xolo Maridueña (who will be reprising his role as Blue Beetle). All three will be in the movie. How much of the movie, however, is anyone’s guess.

What kind of story would we most want to see John Stewart in?

While we don’t know too much about when John Stewart will appear beyond Man of Tomorrow, it’s easy to speculate on what might be the best use of both Pierre the actor and Stewart the character. Pierre and Chandler have such brilliant chemistry with one another that we can’t help but want to keep that together. But if Hal really is dead—and if Chandler, for all intents and purposes, is done with the DC Universe after just this season of Lanterns—then we’ll have to brainstorm some more exciting ideas.

One of those ideas is the possibility of pairing Pierre’s Stewart and Fillion’s Guy Gardner for their own Green Lantern movie. Gunn has shown a desire to bring exciting filmmakers and unique visions into his universe, and he’s already explored the True Detective kind of dynamic in Lanterns.

So, instead, for a Green Lantern movie starring Pierre and Fillion, here are five fairly realistic ideas for who could direct, and what their movie could wind up like.

Bart Layton: One vibe that would be really cool to bring Green Lantern into would be a Heat–style cop/crime thriller. And, well, you’re not going to get the real Michael Mann to direct a movie in the DC Universe (he’s 83 years old and busy with Heat 2, anyway). So why not Layton, whose 2026 film Crime 101 felt like a more-than-solid version of Heat-lite? He could bring it to life.

Rose Glass: Guys. Have you seen Glass’s 2025 thriller Love Lies Bleeding? It’s exactly the kind of weird, trippy, awesome crime movie that would be so cool to see somewhat applied to a Green Lantern story. Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian are both great in Love Lies Bleeding, and you can see a real path for how an Aaron Pierre-led pairing would be super good and super entertaining.

Jeremy Saulnier: The director of the brutal horror movie Green Room and the upcoming Slayground has already worked with Aaron Pierre on Rebel Ridge, and his brutal taste could be a really fun swerve for the Green Lantern story to take after Lanterns.

JT Mollner: Mollner has been a quietly busy voice in the last few years, writing and directing the twisty thriller Strange Darling and also the screenplay of The Long Walk. He could bring a Tarantino-style twisty vibe to a future Green Lantern movie.

M. Night Shyamalan: Let’s get weird. M. Night probably doesn’t want anything to do with Franchise Life after his brief foray with The Last Airbender, but you know he’d have a very cool take on this kind of thing. Plus, he already cast Aaron Pierre in his movie Old as the legendary rapper Mid-Sized Sedan. A reunion would be simply delightful.

Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.