does anyone else feel like this John Stewart origin story actually diminishes the character a little bit? bear with me here, I promise this won’t be a nonsense, “this show is too woke!” rant.
I liked the setup. I like the idea that Hal isn’t necessarily exceptional, he’s lonely, and he’s more comfortable/privileged because… well, yeah, he is. even if they gave him the saddest possible backstory, he’d still have a leg up growing up in America not constantly looking over his shoulder. he has the privilege of not being afraid.
but now, instead of John being an ideal candidate because of who he is as a person, he’s an ideal candidate largely due to how he was raised? I liked when it felt like John was a paragon of willpower in his own right. he earned his place in the lantern core without setup or help.
again, I understand the message the episode was trying to convey, that even overly qualified black people oftentimes still need to make themselves known lest they be overlooked, and since we’re only a few episodes in, there’s still a chance this will all be made right or clarified in some way that makes me go, “ah, yeah, I’m dumb,” but until then, I’m a little sour. I liked and appreciated the messaging, I just don’t know if I agree with how it played out.
I think about that in contrast to someone like Nightwing - arguably raised from a similar age to be the ideal replacement for the bat, but he’s a better hero not because of his training, but in spite of it. Bruce may be a superior tactician and detective (although the ladder is debatable depending on who’s at the helm), but Nightwing is a better hero because of who he is as a person. he looked into the same darkness as Bruce, but still wakes up every day and chooses hope and human connection (even if Superman has definitely had a hand in that).
anyway, long rant.
tl;dr: I think the origin diminished John’s story because it ties his qualifications as Green Lantern more to his upbringing than his character.
I enjoy the show and will keep watching, and I’d love to hear counter arguments! this is just my opinion, and I can definitely be wrong.
I understand where you’re coming from. As a devil’s advocate, I would say that all upbringings help to determine character. Nature and nurture both are important and you can have the same character with different pathways to that end result.
I completely understand where you’re coming from, but I also agree that we have to see how this story plays out.
For example it’s interesting that obedience seems to be the most important quality the Guardian is looking for in John. The Ring picks the next Lantern, not the Guardians. John is being setup for failure. John from 2016 is not going to become the next Lantern. We know Hal doesn’t die until 2026, and we know Guy Gardner is a Lantern. John is taking the ultimate test in 2016, the test he’s been waiting his entire life for, the test his parents raised him for… and he’s going to fail. And as a parallel to this episode, it’s going to be Hal’s fault.
But, as you said, John is a paragon of willpower. He isn’t giving up. John in 2026 is going to be the next Lantern.
all good points. another thing I’m glossing over is… this isn’t John Stewart. this is John Stewart Jr. new universe, new character - I’m glad he’s getting his own story, guess I’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
a part of me wonders if this guardian is a misdirect. their behavior is so strange, but as we saw with Superman, Gunn is very interested in changing up some back stories.
a larger part of me hopes the man leaving the interview room when JS arrives was a Kyle Rayner cameo.
does anyone else feel like this John Stewart origin story actually diminishes the character a little bit? bear with me here, I promise this won’t be a nonsense, “this show is too woke!” rant.
I liked the setup. I like the idea that Hal isn’t necessarily exceptional, he’s lonely, and he’s more comfortable/privileged because… well, yeah, he is. even if they gave him the saddest possible backstory, he’d still have a leg up growing up in America not constantly looking over his shoulder. he has the privilege of not being afraid.
but now, instead of John being an ideal candidate because of who he is as a person, he’s an ideal candidate largely due to how he was raised? I liked when it felt like John was a paragon of willpower in his own right. he earned his place in the lantern core without setup or help.
again, I understand the message the episode was trying to convey, that even overly qualified black people oftentimes still need to make themselves known lest they be overlooked, and since we’re only a few episodes in, there’s still a chance this will all be made right or clarified in some way that makes me go, “ah, yeah, I’m dumb,” but until then, I’m a little sour. I liked and appreciated the messaging, I just don’t know if I agree with how it played out.
I think about that in contrast to someone like Nightwing - arguably raised from a similar age to be the ideal replacement for the bat, but he’s a better hero not because of his training, but in spite of it. Bruce may be a superior tactician and detective (although the ladder is debatable depending on who’s at the helm), but Nightwing is a better hero because of who he is as a person. he looked into the same darkness as Bruce, but still wakes up every day and chooses hope and human connection (even if Superman has definitely had a hand in that).
anyway, long rant.
tl;dr: I think the origin diminished John’s story because it ties his qualifications as Green Lantern more to his upbringing than his character.
I enjoy the show and will keep watching, and I’d love to hear counter arguments! this is just my opinion, and I can definitely be wrong.
I understand where you’re coming from. As a devil’s advocate, I would say that all upbringings help to determine character. Nature and nurture both are important and you can have the same character with different pathways to that end result.
I completely understand where you’re coming from, but I also agree that we have to see how this story plays out.
For example it’s interesting that obedience seems to be the most important quality the Guardian is looking for in John. The Ring picks the next Lantern, not the Guardians. John is being setup for failure. John from 2016 is not going to become the next Lantern. We know Hal doesn’t die until 2026, and we know Guy Gardner is a Lantern. John is taking the ultimate test in 2016, the test he’s been waiting his entire life for, the test his parents raised him for… and he’s going to fail. And as a parallel to this episode, it’s going to be Hal’s fault.
But, as you said, John is a paragon of willpower. He isn’t giving up. John in 2026 is going to be the next Lantern.
all good points. another thing I’m glossing over is… this isn’t John Stewart. this is John Stewart Jr. new universe, new character - I’m glad he’s getting his own story, guess I’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
a part of me wonders if this guardian is a misdirect. their behavior is so strange, but as we saw with Superman, Gunn is very interested in changing up some back stories.
a larger part of me hopes the man leaving the interview room when JS arrives was a Kyle Rayner cameo.
only one way to find out!
only took a few episodes for me to eat my words.
trained his entire life for this, pressured by everyone around him, but he still had the strength of will to turn down the ring.
that’s my John Stewart. can’t wait for the next one