James Gunn does not seem to have any issues giving fans exactly what they want, with Brainiac set to appear as the big bad to go up against Superman in the sequel Man of Tomorrow and Jason Momoa as Lobo making what looks to be a significant appearance in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the brain behind the new DCU has already checked two giant fan-asks off the proverbial list. What’s next, you might ask?

If DC fans remember the 2011 version of Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds, they will recall that the movie ended with a post credit scene giving us the yellow-ring transformation of Hal Jordan’s mentor-turned-foe Sinestro into the classic yellow suited super villain in preparation for the sequel that unfortunately never got to see the light of day. Since then, DC fans (myself included) have wondered if we would ever get the chance to see one of the most underutilized DC heroes take on their arch nemesis in live action, and even though the brilliant Marc Strong most likely won’t be the one to reprise the role, it looks as if Gunn might be gearing up to give us just that in HBO Max’s next series, Lanterns.

In a tweet earlier today, Gunn did a spotlight on the comic iteration of the infamous DC super villain, Sinestro. The tweet was innocent enough, with a picture of the comic version and a paragraph giving us a reminder of who the character is since the last time we saw him on screen was about 15 years ago. Today’s 20-somethings may not even know who Sinestro is, but if you go back and rewatch the 2011 version you will know that aside from Ryan Reynolds’ charisma as Hal, Marc Strong’s take on the character was one of the most memorable aspects of the slightly misguided film. Superman has Lex Luthor, Batman has the Joker, the Flash has the Reverse Flash, and the Green Lantern corps has Sinestro – if that helps you put the concept into better perspective. Read the tweet for yourself below:

While there’s nothing in this post that connects the character to the upcoming Laterns series, it’s more the timing that seems to be the give away. Lanterns is set to premier on August 16th this summer, and the second major trailer for the series was just released right around a week ago. In other words, this seems to be like a nonchalant way of marketing for the show without directly spoiling anything for fans. This post gives curious fans a starting point for research to draw their own theories and conclusions, and is one of the most fun aspects of getting into comic book shows – at least it was for me back in the CW days of Arrow and The Flash. I’m not saying Sinestro is going to be the main villain of the show right off the bat, but just planting this seed in the minds of the eventual audience is enough to make the light-bulb go off when the reveal is made, whenever that may be.

As it stands, nothing has been confirmed about who the villain of season one will be, but in the latest trailer Hal Jordan tells John Stewart briefly about the Lantern Corps and that, “even one is a squirrel”, which opens up the doors right off the bat for the galactic side of the lore – which, to be fair, is where Green Lantern truly is rooted. If they can tease a squirrel Lantern in the trailer, then pretty much nothing is off limits in my mind. And with Nathan Fillion making a brief cameo as Superman‘s Guy Gardner in the trailer as well, Gunn has shown that he has no qualms connecting the True Detective-esque series to the fantastical world that was established in 2025’s tentpole DC film. One of the largest pre-air criticisms of Lanterns I’ve read over and over is that fans are worried the tone of the series isn’t going to allow for the fantastical, which seemingly bars his arch-nemesis Sinestro, but the last few weeks the marketing has made sure to clear up that issue. In my opinion, this small tease today was another step in that same direction.

In the new series, it’s already been established that Hal Jordan has been Earth’s Green Lantern for quite a while now and is in the process of passing the mantle down to his predecessor John Stewart, so it seems like a no-brainer that this version of Hal has most likely already come up against Sinestro a few times by now. This series won’t serve as Hal’s first rodeo, and there’s probably a very large chance that Sinestro is still out there somewhere. This time around, unlike the 2011 version, we most likely won’t get the mentor-turned-villain story arc, as that most likely already occurred prior to the show’s premier, but a full fledged super villain from his first appearance on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went the Arrow route and include some sort of flashbacks where Hal was at one point under Sinestro’s wing (much like Slade Wilson’s pre-Deathstroke days on Lian Yu), leading up to a late season one or two reveal of the super villain’s return. This is all speculation based on the history of DC comics shows and the current DCU slate, but we think it’s a pretty solid assumption.

For now, all we can do it wait for more marketing for the series and the first season to air on HBO Max to find out for sure. Gunn is going the smart route and appealing to the comic nerds out there by showing Sinestro’s comic origin, and that seed will hopefully stay tucked away in fans minds until August 16th. It worked on me, and now I am looking forward to the series even more than I already was. Between the better look at the suit and the Green Lantern’s powers in last weeks trailer and today’s tease on Twitter, I can confidently say this show is gearing up to be a major hit.

Are you looking forward to Lanterns? Do you want to see Sinestro make an appearance or be the main villain in a future season? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments or on our Instagram!

Source: James Gunn’s Twitter