Why have one Green Lantern when you can have four? The DC Universe series Lanterns, which premiered on HBO and HBO Max on August 16, is about as grounded as a show about superheroes with magic rings who protect the Earth from aliens can be. It’s kind of giving supernatural Taylor Sheridan-universe? But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of characters you need to learn all about, so here is your quick and easy guide to the cast and characters of DC’s Lanterns.
In DC comics and the DCU (as kinda/sorta established in James Gunn’s Superman) Green Lantern Corps are intergalactic peacekeepers. Their rings give them powers and are also 3D printers. Don’t come for me for that comparison—I’m not wrong. But we’ve only seen one so far, and lowkey not the most famous one or the second most famous one. That’s where Lanterns comes in, bringing Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) to the screen in a fraught mentor/mentee relationship as they investigate mysterious, potentially extraterrestrial circumstances in Nebraska.
Kyle Chandler plays Hal Jordan
Hal Jordon is the “first” superhero in this version of the DC Universe.
If you don’t know Kyle as Coach Taylor, what are you doing with your life? Not watching Friday Night Lights, that’s for sure! It’s fine. It’s fine! He’s just an Emmy winner, NBD. You might also know him from an iconic guest star (and Emmy-nominated) appearance as Bomb Squad Guy on Grey’s Anatomy or from the (Emmy-nominated as well) Bloodline. Some of his film credits include, for good measure: The Wolf of Wall Street, The Spectacular Now, Game Night, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Manchester by the Sea.
Aaron Pierre plays John Stewart
John Stewart is a new recruit/an aspiring Green Lantern assigned to Jordon as his mentee.
Prior to taking on this iconic DC comics role, Aaron was in another DC show called Krypton as well as Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Old, the movie about the beach that makes you old. He had a recurring role on The Morning Show season 4. He was also the voice of Mufasa in the movie Mufasa. Finally, Pierre is a London stage actor who recently starred as R. P. McMurphy in a production of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
IG: @aaron_pierre1
Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner
Guy is a Lantern and a member of the “Justice Gang” you’ve seen in Superman and on Peacemaker.
Nathan famously starred as Mal Reynolds in the famously canceled-too-soon series Firefly. Those who are less likely to frequent comic cons may alternatively know him as Castle from Castle or John Nolan from The Rookie. Way in the day, he received a Daytime Emmy nomination for One Life To Live. Back in the more recent-ish day, he was also the villain of the streaming musical Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog. Remember that?!
IG: @nathanfillion
Kelly Macdonald plays Kerry Macon
Kerry is a local sheriff in Nebraska.
Kelly was the female lead in Trainspotting in 1996, which was also her debut feature film as an actress. She went on to receive critical acclaim and awards nominations for her work in films and television shows including Gosford Park, No Country for Old Men, Boardwalk Empire, Finding Neverland, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Operation Mincemeat, and Anna Karenina. She’s also the voice of Princess Merida in the movie Brave, NBD!
Jason Ritter plays Billy Macon
Billy is a local lawyer and the sheriff’s husband.
Jason is currently a series regular on Matlock. You might know him from Joan of Arcadia, The Class, The Event, Parenthood (Emmy nominated!), Girls, Another Period, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, and The Last of Us. He was in a secret episode of his wife’s, Melanie Lynskey, show Yellowjackets that has not been released. Recent film credits include Frozen 2 and I Love Boosters. Jason is also a great TikTok follow if you like dancing and home decorating.
IG: @jason_ritter
Garret Dillahunt plays William Macon
William is Billy’s father and a powerful ranch owner.
Garret played Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney on The Mindy Project for several seasons. He was also a series regular on Fear the Walking Dead and Raising Hope. He has such cowboy energy, you would not be surprised to learn that he was on Justified and Deadwood. On the big screen, he cameoed in Deadwood: The Movie and appeared in films like Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave and Widows as well as Where the Crawdads Sing.
IG: @garretdillahunt
Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe Macon
Zoe is William’s wife and also in the law & order business. It really is a small town!
Poorna played Nalini Vishwakumar on Mindy Kaling’s follow-up to The Mindy Project, the Netflix series Never Have I Ever. She also starred in Deli Boys on Hulu and The Night Of on HBO.
IG: @poornagraphy
Jasmine Cephas Jones as Bernadette Stewart
Bernadette is John’s mother. She’s played by Nicole Ari Parker (Boogie Nights) in the present day, and by Jasmine in a pretty heavy series of flashbacks.
Jasmine broke out as Peggy Schulyer/Maria Reynolds in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. She played a supporting role in the 2018 film Blindspotting and went on to lead the phenomenal television series spin-off, also called Blindspotting, as the main character. You’ve also seen her in Mrs. Fletcher, Girls, and #FreeRayshawn, for which she won an Emmy Award for short form performance.
IG: @jazzy_joness
Ulrich Thomsen plays Thaal Sinestro
Sinestro is a former Lantern who went rogue and got expelled from the Green Lantern Corps.
Ulrich is a Danish actor best known on these shores for the Cinemax series Banshee, Trom, the movie The Celebration, the HBO series The New Pope, and The Blacklist.
IG: @ulrichthomsen
Laura Linney plays a Guardian of the Universe
Not to be confused with the Marvel antiheroes, the Guardians of the Universe are the Lantern Corps’ bosses. They make themselves look like Laura Linney because, well, wouldn’t you?
Laura has won two Golden Globes and four Emmy Awards for John Adams, The Big C, Wild Iris, and Frasier. She was nominated so many times for Ozark as well as Kinsey, The Squid and the Whale, You Can Count On Me, and Mystic River. She is a five time Tony Award nominee. You root for her Love Actually character every Christmas. Maybe you first saw her in The Truman Show. She’s iconic!
IG: @itsmelauralinney
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