Lanterns delivered several unforgettable moments throughout its first season, but other than Guy Gardner's appearances, the focus stayed locked in on John Stewart and Hal Jordan. It turns out that wasn't always the case, as Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy just revealed a scene that would have featured the appearance of the Green Lantern Corps and would have been the perfect place for several fan-favorite characters.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mundy was asked if they ever experimented with bringing other Lantern Corps into the story and revealed there was a scrapped plan to bring various members of the Lantern Corps into the fold via the scene.
"At the end of episode 5, when all the s--- is raining down in Rushville, there was some talk at a certain point—because the whole water tower, which was full of darkness, had gone—we had a scene in the writers’ room in our heads where that darkness was still encroaching on the town and various other Lanterns in the Corps came and blew it away," Mundy said.
Ultimately, that scene never made it to the next phase due to how it shifted the focus from John and Hal.
"That was the one time we would’ve seen the others, but we ended up not doing it just because it pulled focus from our guys at that point," Mundy explained.
The Green Lantern Corps could have made the biggest battle even better
One of the biggest set pieces in the entire season occurs in Lanterns episode 5, which is where the battle of Rushville takes place. Given the stakes and how the attack encompasses the entire city, it's also where we see the most extensive use of the Power Ring, including shield bubbles, large shields, power blasts, and even whirlwinds.
That's why it would also be the perfect place for a cameo appearance from several members of the Green Lantern Corps, especially when you consider the additional threat of the darkness from the tower. Given that this element was created specifically to thwart Green Lanterns and is threatening an entire town, it would make sense that it catches the attention of the Corps.
Even a few members of the Corps responding to the threat would have elevated the scale of the battle and its impact, but it also would have allowed fans to see a few of their favorites on the screen. One that makes all the sense in the world is having Ch'p appear, as the show referenced him on two different occasions, and he would likely be a lower-cost CGI creation than, say, Kilowog or Salaak.
You could have also had appearances from Lanterns like Tomar-Re, Stel, and even Volk, because there's no scenario where a Lantern with the head of a volcano doesn't make a scene better. Seeing some of the other Lanterns would have made the Green Lantern concept tangible in a way that just talking about it really can't, and while Guy Gardner's appearances are wonderful, the Corps is far more than just one man.
Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max.
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