John Stewart's Green Lantern Status After Lanterns Finale Explained By Co-Creator Tom King

Earth has a new Green Lantern — well, sort of. In the "Lanterns" season finale, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) finally gets a power ring of his own. However, it's not your average power ring, and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) still wields one and remains the official Lantern for Sector 2814. So what gives? At a press conference after the HBO show's finale, series co-creator Tim King explained that John is "not a hundred percent a Green Lantern anymore."

In "Dirt and Stars," John uses a lantern created by the fallen Green Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) to recharge a ring that belonged to the late Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler). Sinestro's lantern is infused with fear, and unlike the other Lanterns, John embraces his fears. He has a new oath when he recharges the ring, one that rejects the Guardian's anti-fear dogma while paying homage to Hal. John also confronts Guy, explaining that he'll act as Earth's Lantern outside of the authority of the Guardians of the Universe while Guy and his bowl cut do official business for the whole space sector.

"He has an unsanctioned lantern that has a bit of yellow and a bit of fear in it," King said (via The Hollywood Reporter). "So he's not saying the same oath as every other Green Lantern — just like a Yellow Lantern or an Orange Lantern says something different. John is this utterly unique creation that he chose for himself. So getting his own unique oath seemed to line up very much with the lore and where we're going from here."

The "Lanterns" TV show has taken many liberties with the comic book source material, and this finale is no exception. There have been many comic storylines where Green Lanterns are at odds with their bosses, the Guardians of the Universe. There are Green Lanterns who operated somewhat outside of the Guardians' authority, like the original Green Lantern from the 1940s, Alan Scott. There have also been Lanterns that have left the Corps, like Guy Gardner who quit and became leader of the rage-fueled Red Lanterns for a while. And, there have been alternate Green Lantern oaths, like one about sound rather than colors and light for a Lantern member of a blind alien species. 

Sill, John Stewart's specific situation and his bespoke new oath are show-only inventions. Speaking at the press conference, Tom King said that John's plot on "Lanterns" is part of a tradition where writers and creatives who worked on Green Lantern comics have come up with new ideas that evolved the superhero character. "None of them said, 'I just want to copy the person before me,'" King said. "So to honor that legacy and creativity, you have to push the ball a little farther."

"Lanterns" co-creator Damon Lindelof said that the choice for John "just felt right," though he acknowledged that some parts of the DC fandom might not love the change. To read more, be sure to check out TVLine's ranking of all 44 DC live-action shows (including where "Lanterns" stacks up).