Lanterns Writer Says The Power Ring's Sexism Stopped It From Choosing John Stewart's Mother

So far, DC's "Lanterns" has mainly focused on introducing John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as Hal Jordan's (Kyle Chandler) successor within the DCU. While "Lanterns" Episode 3 established that the Power Ring ignored John Stewart Sr. (J. Alphonse Nicholson) because he was afraid, one of the writers says his mother, Bernadette (Jasmine Cephas Jones), should've been a candidate for the Green Lantern Corps.

When speaking to Collider, writer and co-executive producer Vanessa Baden Kelly revealed, "If the ring wasn't sexist, Bernadette would have been chosen, because she really is just the most fearless of everybody." The hero's upbringing is put in the spotlight during the third episode, as his parents ensure that his entire life revolves around becoming the next Green Lantern. While Stewart Sr. showed fear when offered the ring, Bernadette doesn't flinch at anything they do to make the boy fearless — like shooting apples off his head.

Heck, she even faced a literal Guardian of the Universe (Laura Linney) with a cool head while holding her baby. So, did the Guardians miss an obvious candidate for the power ring? Maybe. If nothing else, the Guardian acknowledges Bernadette's resolve and tells her that they would consider her son as a future Lantern as the ring already recognized potential in her husband, so the pair clearly passed on something special to John.

During her meeting with the Guardian, Bernadette points out that they missed some key social context in the way the ring approached John Stewart Sr. "Do you know the differences in race on Earth? Do you understand how unfair it is to ask a Black man in America if he's afraid?" It's clear that "Lanterns" is trying to dissect deeper themes of race, which makes it much more interesting than some of the best superhero shows of all time. For Vanessa Baden Kelly, the heart of "Lanterns" can be tied back to growing up Black in America, which is why John Stewart's backstory is so vital to the HBO series. "For me personally, as a writer, and I feel like most of the writers' room would probably agree, this idea of willpower and overcoming fear is so different depending on where you stand," she explained.

"You can be terrified walking in your neighborhood every single day, and yet still you walk. And then somebody else can come in and have no fear whatsoever because they don't know what your neighborhood is like." That ability to overcome fear allows the Green Lanterns to create the energy constructs using the power ring, with Hal and John's willpower coming from very different places. So far in "Lanterns," John Stewart has displayed incredible willpower, even keeping a little energy bird alive without the ring in Episode 2, but his fearlessness is rooted in a frightening reality many Americans deal with every day.