Why the Lanterns Writers Room Labels the Green Lantern Power Ring as Sexist

In the latest episode of HBO’s Lanterns, the show tackles the legendary Green Lantern power ring selection process, but with a provocative twist. Writer Vanessa Baden Kelly recently shed light on a pivotal scene, suggesting that the criteria used to choose a hero are flawed and, perhaps, inherently biased. The series challenges the long-standing DC Comics tradition by questioning if the ring—and the Guardians who oversee it—truly understand the complexities of human bravery.

The Debate Over the Lanterns Power Ring

During a candid interview with Collider, Vanessa Baden Kelly discussed the character of Bernadette Stewart, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones, and her potential to become a hero. According to Kelly, the narrative team frequently discussed the unfair nature of the selection process within the show’s writers’ room.

The thing that I would always say in the room is that if the ring wasn’t sexist, Bernadette would have been chosen, because she really is just the most fearless of everybody.

This perspective shifts the focus from the ring as an objective judge of character to a tool influenced by an alien worldview that lacks context regarding the human experience.

How Fear Defines the Selection Process

The series highlights that overcoming fear is not a universal experience. Kelly emphasized that the Lanterns power ring selection process fails to account for the lived reality of those it observes. The show posits that:

• True courage is often found in the daily navigation of difficult or dangerous environments.
• The Guardians, as extraterrestrial entities, lack the capacity to comprehend the nuances of human fear.
• The expectation of fearlessness ignores the socioeconomic and cultural weight carried by different individuals.

For example, a person navigating a dangerous neighborhood every day possesses a type of resilience that someone living in a vacuum of safety might never understand. When the Guardians evaluate candidates, they overlook this grit, favoring an idealized version of bravery that doesn’t reflect real-world struggle.

Human Experience vs. Cosmic Guardians

The tension in Lanterns is heightened by the conflict between the Guardians’ detached perspective and the ground-level reality of their candidates. The series masterfully explores this during a confrontation between Bernadette and Lianna (played by Laura Linney).

Bernadette points out a crucial blind spot for the Guardians: asking a Black man in America if he is afraid carries a completely different, heavier significance than asking someone who has never faced systemic adversity. By centering these conversations, Lanterns isn’t just telling a superhero story; it is critiquing the systemic biases inherent in the DC Universe’s power structures, forcing the audience to reconsider who actually deserves the mantle of a hero.

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