Comedian Topher Florence first put forward the idea of "Surf Dracula" in 2021. Taking to X, he wrote, "Back in the day, if you did a TV show called 'Surf Dracula,' you'd see that fool surfing every week in new adventures, but in the streaming era the entire first season's gotta be a long-ass flashback to how he got the surfboard until you finally get to see him surf for 5 minutes in the finale."
Does that sound familiar? Well, it should, because that's exactly what Lanterns just did with the DCU's newest addition, John Stewart.
It took the DC Studios TV series nearly eight hours to introduce John Stewart as Green Lantern, but without even showing him "surf for five minutes in the finale." Instead, he makes up an oath with no connection to the comics, charges up his ring, and flies off (courtesy of some so-so wire work) without ever suiting up.
Netflix's Daredevil made us wait until the finale's final act to see the Man Without Fear in his red suit—that took thirteen episodes, as a reminder—but Lanterns can't even give fans that much. Next summer's Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, will likely introduce John as a true, albeit unofficial, Green Lantern, but that doesn't help us now, does it? And it certainly doesn't help Lanterns.
We've already waxed lyrical about the lack of constructs in the HBO series. Put it down to a low budget or the creative team feeling that the whole concept is just too lame for a "prestige" drama, but perhaps we shouldn't be shocked that Lanterns dropped the ball on giving John the chance to shine as a superhero in the finale. After all, the series had already devoted a lot of time to establishing how superior in every way to Hal he is.
The problem isn't simply that fans didn't get to see John Stewart in his full Green Lantern costume, or that he didn't spend the finale throwing around elaborate constructs. It's that DC chose to tell a Green Lantern story while seemingly being embarrassed by the very thing that makes these stories distinctive.
There's nothing inherently wrong with taking a slower approach to a superhero's origin. Lanterns could have spent seven episodes establishing John as a person, exploring his relationship with Hal, and grounding the mythology in a murder mystery before delivering the superhero payoff we've been waiting for. Instead, it spent almost eight hours circling the idea of John becoming a Green Lantern.
Man of Tomorrow can make that right next July, though Gunn will need to find room to do so in a movie that's already jam-packed with characters.
To borrow Florence's analogy, Lanterns gave us eight hours of explaining why Surf Dracula might eventually surf, only to hand him the board when there was barely any time left to actually do it. DC didn't need to rush John Stewart into becoming Green Lantern. But after spending an entire season getting there, it absolutely needed to let him be one.