‘Lanterns’ Proves How Good Kyle Chandler Really Is

Lanterns had a lot to live up to. When it comes to the Green Lanterns, our only real exploration of the Lanterns Core came in the form of the Ryan Reynolds led film from 2011. Now, we have a new Hal Jordan and the introduction of John Stewart and it was perfection. While Aaron Pierre is set to continue to show the world what his John Stewart is made of, the show gave a perfect ending to Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan that proved just how incredible Chandler really is.

There is a lot about this series that works. Setting the Lanterns in a grounded reality in Rushville, Nebraska allowed the space cops to do their job in the way fans always expected them to. But what makes this show truly special boils down to John and Hal’s relationship. It isn’t perfect, Hal’s ego won’t let him be a good mentor and John isn’t telling Hal everything he knows. It means that throughout a lot of Lanterns, Hal and John are at each other’s throats.

What we do learn by the end of the first season of the series though is that there is a love between the two of them, no matter how much the two really tried to beat out the other to be Earth’s Green Lantern. It ultimately led to a beautiful last moment between the two characters and an exploration of who Hal is as a character that makes you yearn for him to return in some way. Well, as Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) says, they can bring him back and the comics back that. But if it wasn’t for Chandler’s performance, that desire to return to Hal wouldn’t really be there.

“I love you too, Junior.”

Hal Jordan is a bit of a jerk. He’s quick-witted and loves to joke around and that’s why Ryan Reynolds was set up to bring the character to life on the big screen. Chandler’s wit is a bit different. It’s dry, it is with a bit of a charm that makes you question briefly if he’s messing with you, and it makes Hal insufferable but also someone you want around. That’s what makes so much of Chandler’s performance work. You can see why Rushville hates him but you also understand why Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) wants him around.

John is more stoic, more contained. He is calculating their next move and trying to not give too much away. Hal would tell you the entire plan knowing that no matter what you try to do, he’ll still succeed. It made them great partners because John would keep him in line but Hal could think quicker on the fly. But what it all lead to was the hope that we would have more of these two.

Given the world of comics, there’s a “never say never” to things like this. Meaning we could probably have more of Chandler in the DCU and make it easily explained away. And that desire to have more of Hal and John on screen comes from both Chandler and Pierre’s performances.