We’re in a new era of the DC Universe, and this time, it’s going to stick. Under the wise hand of James Gunn, the franchise got a fresh start with Superman, and it’s only continued with Peacemaker Season 2 and the upcoming Supergirl. But things won’t stop there — HBO will air Lanterns, a detective drama inspired by True Detective. For a while, it seemed like this series would be more or less separated from the events of Superman — at least for now — but it looks like the crossoverfication of DC Studios is starting sooner than we thought.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lanterns star Aaron Pierre will appear in Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming sequel to Superman. Even though we haven’t seen Lanterns yet, this reveals a lot about both the series and the future of the DC Universe itself.
Pierre plays John Stewart, a member of the Green Lantern Corps, in Lanterns, so his involvement in Man of Tomorrow is somewhat obvious, as we’ve known from the get-go that Man of Tomorrow will pit Superman and Lex Luthor against Braniac, an alien villain who will be played by German actor Lars Eidinger.
It’s likely that this role will be somewhat like Matt Murdock’s appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. That movie put Peter Parker in a place where he needed a lawyer, so introducing Matt as his representation — even briefly — was a great way to tie together the movie and TV worlds.
Man of Tomorrow is in a similar position: Earth is about to be threatened by an alien force, so the Green Lantern Corps are uniquely qualified to help out and provide some much needed information.
But in the long term, this role could mean something DC fans have quite literally always wanted: a proper Justice League movie, a big Avengers-style teamup movie with characters who have been established elsewhere. 2017’s Justice League was so divisive it sparked a fan movement demanding Zack Snyder release a director’s cut that turned out to be more like a four-part miniseries.
Perhaps this movie is the first step towards an actual, proper Justice League movie that gets things right the first time. Superman proved how different James Gunn’s perspective on the franchise can be, so anything is possible. But that’s still a long way off: two people isn’t a “league,” it’s a partnership. But if a TV character can appear in the new DC movie, then anything is possible.
