John Stewart's Black Identity and Fearlessness in 'Lanterns' Season 1 Episode 3

Note: This article contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 3 of "Lanterns."

From its initial scenes, "Lanterns" has foreshadowed John Stewart's (Aaron Pierre) destiny to become a Green Lantern. However, it is only in the latest episode that the full extent of his lifelong preparation and his parents' guidance in this pursuit is revealed. The episode delves into John's journey to potentially succeed Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as the Green Lantern.

Aaron Pierre expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to explore his character with such depth, stating, "It was a gift to have the opportunity to explore each of these characters with such enormous depth. It’s not a given that you get to have this much experience with a character, and live this much with a character in your portrayal."

In the current episode, John faces scrutiny from a Guardian (Laura Linney) regarding his life choices, an interrogation to determine his worthiness to inherit Hal Jordan's mantle. This moment represents the culmination of John's lifelong ambition: to finally prove his right to the Green Lantern ring. John confidently asserts, "I know exactly why me."

The narrative interweaves John's intense interview with flashbacks of his upbringing, illustrating how his parents deliberately conditioned him to be fearless from a young age. These flashbacks reveal his parents' desperation following John Stewart Sr.'s (J. Alphonse Nicholson) failed attempt to become a Green Lantern due to fear, and how they saw investing in their son's future as their path to redemption.

Recognizing John's inherent potential, his parents, John Stewart Sr. and Bernadette (Jasmine Cephas Jones), dedicated themselves to ensuring John would be the ideal candidate. Their rigorous training methods included extreme tests like shooting an apple off his head and abandoning him in perilous parts of the city, forcing him to rely on his own resourcefulness. They also maintained the illusion that the Guardians were constantly watching him, disguised as birds.

Knowing that every aspect of John's life, including his military service and social isolation, was geared towards his Green Lantern aspirations, profoundly influenced how Pierre portrayed John's developing relationship with Hal Jordan. Pierre commented, "He’s had a wealth of life experience, more life experience than people twice, three times his age have even come close."

Jasmine Cephas Jones aimed to convey that despite Bernadette's strict demeanor and her insistence on John growing up quickly, her love for her son remained unwavering. Jones explained, "I really wanted to show that militant side of her, and that she made that decision at a very young age for him, and that is his destiny. No matter what happens, she’s gonna stick with it."

Jones identified the greatest challenge as portraying Bernadette's unspoken vulnerability, particularly in moments like instructing John to shoot a gun off his father's head, and the emotional toll it took on her.

Upon discovering his parents' deception about the omnipresent Guardians, a young John grapples with the realization that he wasn't inherently chosen and must exert himself more than others to prove his worth. Bernadette's words to him, "Sometimes, a Black man has to raise his own hand. Doesn’t mean you’re not good enough, doesn’t mean you’re not better. It just means they don’t see us," highlight a critical theme.

Jones elaborated on the significance of addressing fear for individuals of color, stating, "The importance of having no fear in a society, and also being a person of color in this country, fear is instilled in our ancestry as well. That was also an important piece to talk about. How do we extract that for him to become the Green Lantern?"

J. Alphonse Nicholson added, "It’s real, man. Yeah, I know we all want to escape from it but sometimes those questions need to be addressed even in our fictional worlds, right? Why do they make us have these feelings or why do they exist? And so just asking the questions sometimes allows room for people to talk about it. I think that’s what great writers do."

The drive to prepare John as the next Green Lantern stems significantly from his father's past trauma. Investing in his son's potential and maximizing his chances becomes his primary motivation for moving forward.

Nicholson further explained, "He doesn’t want to let his son down. Essentially, he felt like he let himself down, he let his community down, let his wife down, so now it’s up to him to make sure that his son doesn’t feel that way and doesn’t go into the same spiral of depression. It’s really cool to see him protect his son in a really tough way, but it’s tough love."

The episode's pivotal moment occurs when John takes initiative and successfully shoots an apple off his mother's head, signifying his transformation into the person his parents envisioned.

"It’s him taking a step into his own lane and really showing how fearless he is because that’s a huge risk, right?" Nicholson remarked. "He showed an immense amount of confidence, and I’m proud as his father to have shown him how to have that confidence early on."

Reflecting on the filming process, Pierre highlighted the joy of working with the young actors who portrayed younger versions of John, including Jayce Eiland and Cairo Cash Lee.

"They really need to be celebrated, acknowledged and commended for delivering all of the emotion and beyond that was necessary," Pierre said. "It was very rare that we were working on the same location or on the same day because it’s a completely different timeline, but anytime I had the opportunity, I would definitely give them a fist and just tell them how proud I was."