Critics have widely praised Lanterns, but comic book fans seem to have a different take on the latest DCU project. The HBO Max TV series started with a glowing 89% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter, but that's plummeted to 70% since the finale aired last Sunday.
7/10 isn't bad, right? Maybe, maybe not; either way, this makes Lanterns the lowest-rated DCU movie or TV show since the franchise launched in 2023.
Creature Commandos has a 79% score from fans, while Superman kept the momentum going with a "Verified Hot" 90%. Peacemaker Season 2—which many felt dropped the ball with its finale—has 79%, and even Supergirl has beaten Lanterns at 72%.
While DC Studios' take on the Green Lantern mythos was well-received by critics, it seems James Gunn and Peter Safran made a major misstep with its handling of Hal Jordan and John Stewart in the eyes of fans (the very people the studio needs to get on side after the DCEU's many low points).
Aaron Pierre is set to reprise his role as John in Man of Tomorrow, and if he shows up in a comic-accurate costume with a whole host of constructs in tow, it might be enough to win over those dissatisfied with his portrayal in Lanterns.
Unfortunately, there's likely no undoing the damage done to Hal Jordan, a character the creative team seemingly set out to destroy over the course of the eight-episode series (with one writer branding him a racist). That's backfired, however, as many fans chose to look past that interpretation and have expressed a hope to see more of Hal down the line.
HBO has not disclosed viewership data for the Lanterns finale, and there's no word on a Season 2 renewal. Previously, HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed that The People vs. Gorilla Grodd is the only DCU TV series currently in active development.
"Lanterns' leads shine bright," we wrote in our Season 1 review, "but even they can't save this abysmal adaptation of the comics that, embarrassed by the source material it's based on, delivers a woefully bland and uninspired take on Green Lantern that's another miss for the DCU."
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Alongside Kyle Chander and Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones round out the cast.
Lanterns is now streaming in its entirety on HBO Max.