"Green Lantern" from 2011 left the majority of geeks with a bad taste in their mouths. Many saw it as a failure due to its heavy-handed comedy from Ryan Reynolds, who starred as Hal Jordan, while others felt that Martin Campbell's film suffered from a weak, unbalanced script that didn't do the concept of a space saga true justice.
RELATED: Green Lantern Corps: 15 Lanterns We Want to See On Film
This led to the DC film-verse being curated by Zack Snyder through movies such as "Man of Steel" and "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice," setting up this year's "Justice League." With whispers that a Green Lantern may appear in it and that Warner Bros. are eyeing a Green Lantern ensemble film in 2020, the rumor mill's in overdrive as to who the studio is eyeing to don the emerald rings and reignite the franchise. While they ponder, CBR decided to look at 15 cameos we hope to see!
SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for DC's slate of movies and Green Lantern comics!
15 SUPERMAN
Zack Snyder made it clear that Superman (reprised by Henry Cavill) has a big role to play in "Justice League." After being killed by Doomsday in "BvS," fans are eager to see how he's resurrected, especially with Apokolips' first wave of invasion imminent in the form of Steppenwolf. Whether or not the League actually interacts with a member of the Green Lantern Corps, it's very much out in the open that Snyder's filmverse is cosmic-oriented and that the door's open for space aid.
This paves the way for Superman to appear on Oa as an emissary from Earth, requesting the Corps' assistance for the incoming Darkseid war; or the story could be shaped where the Lanterns themselves find crucial information at their galactic doorstep, leading to the Sector 2814 (Earth-protecting) Lanterns coming back home to defend the planet alongside the League. The cavalier Hal Jordan meeting this stoic Kryptonian is a mouth-watering prospect which will surely have DC fanboys in raptures, especially with a potential clash of leadership philosophies awaiting.
14 THE ENTITIES
While the 2011 movie touched on Parallax as the embodiment of fear, eventually corrupting Sinestro, there's a new opportunity here to traverse the entire emotional spectrum driving life in the DC universe. These entities, each with their own distinct appearance and emotional powers, directly represent the spectrum, and the colors of the rainbow. When combined, their energies form the white light that is in essence the power of life and creation. Red (rage) is embodied by The Butcher (a demonic bull), orange (greed) by the serpent-like Ophidian, yellow (fear) by the insectoid Parallax, and green (willpower) by the fish-like Ion.
Blue (hope) is embodied by the bird-like Adara, indigo (compassion) by the cephalopod figure called Proselyte, and lastly, violet (love) by another insect-like being of energy called the Predator. They're more than avatars for their respective emotions as they are also seen as the engines of their respective corps, helping power their affiliated teams and their batteries in the eternal war of light. Imagine the visual spectacle they'd provide, even for just a few minutes, adding depth, scale and backstory to the motivation of every colored Lantern and their overall ambition.
13 CORPS MEMBERS
In Campbell's film, not many Green Lanterns got enough screen time, apart from Hal and Sinestro. This was understandable as it dealt with the dynamic of Hal's love for Earth and Carol Ferris, alongside his duty to train with Sinestro. This time around, however, it seems that things will be more focused on the Corps as opposed to just Hal. John Stewart is expected to be a main figure, of course, but we'd love to see the likes of Kyle Rayner, the future White Lantern, and the brash Guy Gardner in the mix.
As for alien species, Kilowog and Tomar-Re are among the few we hope play more prominent roles as opposed to how peripheral they felt in 2011. Soranik Natu, Sinestro's daughter, is another addition that could foreshadow conflict with her father's Yellow Corps, as well as Arisia, a love interest that brought quite a bit of drama to Hal's off-Earth activities. Other candidates include the overly-aggressive female, Boodikka, and Sodam Yat, who actually became the host for the all-powerful Ion entity.
12 NEKRON
Nekron is the embodiment of death and the reason why "Blackest Night" rocked the DC universe. He hatched a plan to destroy his opposite number, the embodiment of life simply called The Entity. This was executed via a resurrection scheme involving his Black Lantern Corps, the Anti-Monitor's power, Scar (a corrupted Guardian), as well as a tether to the living world, Black Hand. Nekron ended up being foiled by Hal Jordan, who, along with a few others, temporarily became a White Lantern in the process.
This particular villain heavily influenced Geoff John's vision of the ominous Book of the Black in "Green Lantern" lore, with the writer painting him as a highly powerful dark force, one that was strong enough to comfortably defeat the Spectre in battle. This soulless creature has the ability to raise the dead, grow in size and kill through his signature black energies. Maybe in explaining the Green Lantern oath or hinting at the legend of the aforementioned Book, we could see the Guardians depicting Nekron as the boogeyman to their illustrious Corps, hinting at an early sign of fear, perhaps?
11 GREEN ARROW
Sticking to the green theme, there could be an opportunity here for Green Arrow to cameo in the franchise's revamp, given that Warner Bros. hasn't made any announcement as to the movie fate of Oliver Queen. While the emerald archer's in full swing on the CW's "Arrow," Hal nodding to the days on Earth with his old friend could be ideal to tell the 1983 story from Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, where Ollie's sidekick, Speedy, was revealed to be a heroin addict.
This was part of DC's plan to boost "Green Lantern" sales and was a critically received arc, with the revolving stories Hal and Ollie faced being more sociopolitical and grounded, such as corruption, racism and pollution. Their storied history was quite emotional, eventually dovetailing into Ollie feeling remorse for killing a man, which could provide more fodder for the writers to flashback to and show the heroes as truly human. They may not be the most dynamic of duos, but '80s geeks know how enjoyable Hal and Ollie were as a gritty buddy-cop duo.
10 VOLTHOOM: THE FIRST LANTERN
Volthoom was a human from an alternate universe who tried to harness the essence of The First Ring, created by Krona, who himself was observing the beginning of the universe. He became unstable but very powerful and was locked away by Oa's Guardians in the Chamber of Shadows in a black hole. They eventually siphoned his power to create The Third Army to replace the Green Lanterns.
Volthoom eventually broke free and waged war on the various Corps, destroying Sinestro's homeworld (Korugar) in the process. It took Hal Jordan and Nekron to defeat him, but what makes this character truly intriguing is the sympathy you felt for him due to his treatment by the Guardians. He was curious and terribly human, and even if in just recapping a story in a flashback as told by the Corps seniors, the tales of the First Lantern could set the precedent as to just how tricky things can get with the lure of willpower. They could also touch on how skeptical someone has to be when it comes to the Guardians' at-times suspicious actions.
9 MONGUL
Mongul has been one of DC's biggest galactic threats, often tussling with Superman and other members of the Justice League. What gives this behemoth extra oomph is the weapon known as Warworld, a planetary engine capable of massive destruction similar to the Death Star, as recently seen on "Young Justice." With Darkseid opening the door to more galactic threats in Snyder's film-verse, Mongul, due to his super-strength, near-invulnerability and thirst for power, would be another great addition to the mix.
What makes him even more ideal to appear in this movie is the fact that he took over Sinestro's Yellow Lanterns, renaming them "The Mongul Corps," only for Sinestro to return and pummel him on Korugar to take back his army. In the past, Mongul also destroyed Hal Jordan's home, Coast City, and ran afoul of other Green Lanterns such as Kyle Rayner and Sodam Yat later on. He was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin, who also co-created Thanos, so that in itself could signal that he's destined for the big screen. We need more alien powerhouses and Mongul definitely fits the bill.
8 BLACK HAND
Geoff Johns used "Secret Origins" to start updating William Hand as someone obsessed with death, who would go on to become Nekron's link to the living world. Hand was Nekron's tether to bringing about the "Blackest Night" prophecy to extinguish life in the DC universe. The former Guardian Scar helped resurrect him as the embodiment of death, after which Hand would go on to lead the Black Lanterns in their war against the other colored Corps.
While this may be biting off too much in the first movie, it would be nice to see the earlier aspects of Black Hand pop up somewhere as he did manage to invent a device that was able to absorb the energy of a Green Lantern power ring. Johns eventually retconned this as being built by the Red Lantern leader, Atrocitus, but that shouldn't rule out a cameo. Maybe his family's funeral home, where Hand began his dark descent, could appear, or maybe it's in a prophecy that warns the Sector 2814 Lanterns that Earth could well be hosting Nekron's avatar to pure destruction. If the fall of the emotional spectrum is to be foreshadowed, this villain is a must-have!
7 MOGO: THE LIVING PLANET
We know what you're thinking, we mentioned other Green Lanterns making a cameo above, but Mogo's such a grand one that he deserves his own special entry. Created by "Watchmen" creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Mogo acts as a haven for Green Lanterns to recharge and was thrust into an even bigger spotlight than usual in "Blackest Night," housing the rings of his fallen comrades.
He ended up proving crucial in destroying the Black Lanterns, but this corrupted Mogo and he was destroyed by John Stewart, only to reform in the New 52 where the Guardians tried to use him as part of their Third Army plot. Mogo would continue to help his brethren, even becoming the new Green Lantern headquarters after the First Lantern debacle, proving that he steadfastly remains as loyal as he is big. He channels the energy from the Green power battery and also guides the Corps' rings to new bearers. If anything, his cameo would be a great combination of spectacle and fan service, which could rival James Gunn's Ego (another living planet) in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel.
6 ALAN SCOTT
Alan Scott was the supernaturally-powered Green Lantern of Earth-2 and a key hero in the Justice Society of America. His earliest incarnation saw him become mystically imbued by a lamp, made from the metal of a mysterious meteor that fell from the sky with a green flame. His powers are usually hinted as being connected to the power of the living world. In his New 52 reboot, it was revealed that the source of this power was actually the energies from The Green, similar to Swamp Thing.
It's unlikely that he'll share this same space-war universe on film, but maybe he can be mentioned as part of an old fable or joke. Imagine also if we see the Lanterns in their civilian identities back on Earth, and we see Scott in a comic or a cartoon or television show. Ideally, we'd love to see Corps members meeting him on Earth-2, but with the multiverse yet to be fully touched on by Snyder, we'll settle for any tease we can get for Scott, one of DC's most endearing and beloved characters.
5 STAR SAPPHIRE
Carol and Hal Jordan have endured an emotional rollercoaster together. She's been tied to Hal's past ever since he lost his father, but her duties as Star Sapphire, chosen by an alien race called the Zamarons, led to several conflicts with the Green Lanterns. She took the villainous role in this feud, especially with the emergence of the Predator, who strongly corrupted her. Eventually, Carol would lead her Corps down a more heroic path, but her relationship with Hal remained forever strained.
This saw her, despite fighting alongside Hal in several battles, eventually falling for Kyle Rayner and even becoming a White Lantern herself. The good thing about this movie not focusing completely on Hal is that we can steer clear of this complicated relationship. Blake Lively did a decent job in 2011, but their romance saturated the movie; when it comes to the Corps, fans will be looking for less love stories and more all-out wars. If her squad cameos, however, it'll whet our appetites for future explanation; but for now, their past is best alluded to instead of expanded upon. Less love, more fight please.
4 JESSICA CRUZ & SIMON BAZ
In the comics, Jessica Cruz was forced to don Volthoom's power ring, which, despite's Hal tutelage, tried to assert its evil dominance over her in "Darkseid War." She barely escaped death, with the Black Racer purging Volthoom from her instead. She was then granted a Green Lantern ring in the aftermath. Simon Baz, on the other hand, was a hothead who was chosen by a malfunctioning ring (due to a scheme by Hal and Sinestro), and eventually earned galactic cred against The Third Army and First Lantern.
After endorsing the inexperienced duo as Justice League material, Hal fused their power batteries into one, which can only be accessed when they are together, to ensure they cooperate to graduate from rookie status. With both now intrinsically linked, it'd be nice to see them before they became Lanterns, back on Earth, even if it's through meeting one of the official Green Lanterns in civilian form. They've added diversity to the books through Cruz's Hispanic heritage and Baz being the first Middle Eastern-American and Muslim Corps member, so why not extend that to the film franchise?
3 KRONA
Krona, a disgraced Malthusian (the Guardians' race), proved to be a major thorn in the Green Lanterns' sides. Obsessed with witnessing creation, he empowered The First Lantern and created a gauntlet which harnessed willpower: the basis for the Green Lantern power ring. His laundry list of no-no's runs very deep as he was also responsible for the Manhunters (watchdogs of the old cadre of Guardians) attacking Sector 666 and, last but not least, he was a key pawn in Nekron's "Blackest Night" assault.
What makes the villain's cameo here an integral one is how he was retconned to tie in to the emotional entities and was revealed to be their original custodian. Krona used his gauntlet to control them in "War of the Green Lanterns" and exact revenge on Oa and its Guardians, who were originally from Krona's planet, Maltus. His movie cameo could be tied in to when the entities and their emotional tags are glossed over. Krona may not have been a full-fledged Guardian, but he drastically shaped the landscape of the emotional spectrum, as well as the major events that ensued.
2 OTHER CORPS
Geoff Johns' modern reinterpretation of the Green Lantern mythos saw him bring the emotional spectrum and all the Corps to us in a way we never thought possible. His stories were exceptionally crafted, which bodes well for the DC filmverse as he's also a chief architect there. There'd be nothing better for a Green Lantern fan than seeing a montage of the various Corps with one or all of their leaders in the movie's finale, hinting at big things to come.
Imagine seeing Atrocitus and his enraged Red Lanterns, Larfleeze, the greedy individual who makes the Orange Lanterns so funny yet so dangerous, as well as Saint Walker and the inspirational Blue Lanterns. The most certain bet would be one of Johns' favorite stables, the Sinestro Corps, but if the franchise is heading down that "Blackest Night" to "Brightest Day" path, then we can't wait to also glimpse the Indigo Lanterns, perhaps the most alien and unique of them all, along with the Star Sapphires, who have just as much emotional baggage with Hal's squad as Sinestro's team. We're all in and all ready for this war of light!
1 SINESTRO
To wash the taste of the first movie out of our mouths, the best thing to do would be to not use Sinestro as a major character. Having him lurking in the shadows and making an epic cameo a la Palpatine in the "Star Wars" prequels would be a better direction. After all, it would be boring rehashing him as Abin Sur's student who trained Hal and then turned on the Green Lanterns.
His villainous legend as the leader of the Sinestro Corps, harnessing the power of fear and Parallax, would be mysterious and silently threatening, also reducing potential convolution in the script. This is the kind of cerebral game Sinestro would play, looming overhead, monitoring the other colored Corps, and waiting like a serpent to strike when the time was right. It would also hype fans even more for when he does eventually come knocking on Oa's door, via the "Sinestro Corps War," to undo what he helped build in his altruistic days. In the relationship between Hal and him, the less said, the better, because their dynamic is so strong, we'd be able to fill in the words and betrayal which Hal undoubtedly feels, as well as Sinestro's resentment.
Thoughts on our picks? Let us know in the comments who else you'd like to see cameo!