Thus far, each project in James Gunn’s burgeoning DCU has expanded the scope of the world and its history. Creature Commandos introduced us to Task Force M and gave us glimpses of the universe’s past and future (including a silhouetted look at the DCU’s Batman), Superman fleshed out Clark Kent’s supporting cast while also acquainting audiences with the Justice Gang, Peacemaker Season 2 culminated in the creation of a pocket dimension metahuman prison that will certainly become relevant in the near future, and this year’s Supergirl brought viewers on a quest through the cosmos.
The most recent project, Lanterns, is no exception. While the show took a grounded, prestige television approach to its storytelling, it still managed to bring the spacefaring canon of Green Lantern down-to-Earth, introducing characters like Sinestro and the Guardians of the Universe to audiences maybe unfamiliar with them, and even tipping the hat to incredibly obscure Lanterns like Mogo and Ch’p. The show also introduced the amoral android Manhunters as the season’s overarching villain, but while it certainly led to an emotionally-charged resolution, it can’t help but feel like Lanterns simply kicked the can down the road for another project to deal with.
