One surprising element of even the theatrical version of the Justice League movie was the presence of a Green Lantern in a flashback sequence. However, this character wasn't Hal Jordan, John Stewart or even any of the well-known alien Green Lanterns from the comics. Instead, it was a reimagined version of a rather goofy-looking, obscure Green Lantern.
Despite his odd appearance, Yalan Gur is a big part of the Green Lantern's comic book mythology. Trading temperance for despotism, he showed the dark potential lurking behind a Lantern ring's power. And in reality, his connections to the Green Lantern Corps, Alan Scott and ancient Earth could end up making one of Steppenwolf's victims in Justice League a big influence on the upcoming Green Lantern show.
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Created by Gerard Jones and Mark Bright, Yalan Gur was introduced in Green Lantern #19 as one of the Green Lantern Corps' greatest officers in the past, with a near-death experience against a yellow beast forcing the Guardians of the Universe to remove the yellow impurity from his ring. This gave him all the abilities of a Green Lantern without any of the weaknesses, making him drunk with power. He believed that he should rule over his Sector with an iron fist, justified by his newfound power.
Gur saw the rising human race as a threat and took to abusing and persecuting them in their ancient valleys. He namely terrorized ancient China, not wanting the humans to develop into a great civilization. The Guardians saw this and gave his ring a new weakness to wood, which made him powerless against the humans' primitive weapons. After being mortally wounded by a stake, Gur's essence joined with his power battery, which also fused with ancient Earth magic. This energy became the Starheart, which empowered Alan Scott's magical Green Lantern ring.
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Despite being such an obscure character, Gur appeared in a flashback in 2017's Justice League and will return in Zack Snyder's Justice League. There, he defended ancient Earth alongside the Olympian gods, the Atlanteans, the Amazons and early man against the machinations of Steppenwolf. He doesn't seem to share either of his comic book weaknesses, though this can be attributed to his small role. Gur fares valiantly against the alien Parademons but ends up being killed by Steppenwolf himself.
The Green Lantern TV Show May Follow Zack Snyder’s Lead
The upcoming Green Lantern series on HBO Max is meant to take place in the DCEU, and it could showcase the comic book lore of Gur in some capacity. Gur's story was meant to connect the divergent mythologies of Alan Scott's magical Green Lantern and the more popular cosmic Green Lantern Corps. While his story obviously doesn't end in the same way as it does in the comics, the rest of Gur's story involving merging with Earth magic to form the Starheart could be included in the upcoming show. The show is also likely going to involve Alan Scott, which makes the likelihood of this storyline being developed rise tremendously.
Why Evil Green Lanterns Are Important
The nature of Green Lanterns being essentially intergalactic police officers leaves room for all sorts of topical storytelling. This would fit with the franchise, as many of the characters, from Yalan Gur to the maniacal Sinestro to even Hal Jordan himself, have succumbed to the lust for power and control that their rings tempt them with. Ideas of fascism and even police brutality on an intergalactic level would be easy drama to create conflict for the Corps in the upcoming HBO Max show.
Illustrating this struggle to maintain decency and the potential dark side to a Lantern's willpower is crucial in showcasing the responsibility and restraint necessary to be a successful Green Lantern. It's unclear if Sinestro will be in the show, but the series could parallel Gur's fall from grace with Sinestro's own. One way it could use this storyline while still coinciding with Gur's on-screen death would be to have him attempt to vex early man, only to be humbled and side with them against Steppenwolf. The flip side of this would be to have Sinestro be a cop who doesn't come back from the brink and continues to use his power to serve only himself. Thus, while Gur may have been minor in the comics, he could go on to be a much bigger influence in the show and the DCEU.
Streaming now on HBO Max, Zack Snyder's Justice League stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ray Porter as Darkseid, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.
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