James Gunn and Nathan Fillion are now publicly backing Damon Lindelof following the backlash over his past Green Lantern comments and the recent criticism from Grant Morrison.
The support showed up in the comments of Lindelof’s Instagram post, where he admitted the joke was “dumb,” said Green Lantern fans deserved better, and insisted he has always loved the characters and mythology.
James Gunn reacts with a green heart
Gunn kept it simple.
In the comments, the DC Studios co-head responded with a green heart emoji, an obvious nod to Green Lantern and a clear public show of support for Lindelof.
While brief, the comment still stands out because Gunn has largely avoided directly jumping into the growing Lanterns debate. By reacting publicly to Lindelof’s post, Gunn is signaling where he stands. Gunn, like Lindelof, also happens to be a big Grant Morrison fan.
Nathan Fillion goes further in defending Lindelof
Nathan Fillion was more direct.
“The joke was funny. No harm, no foul! Keep up the great work, we appreciate you!” Fillion wrote, who is confirmed to return as Guy Gardner from Superman in Lanterns.
That comment is notable because it does more than support Lindelof personally. It also brushes off the backlash and suggests Fillion does not think the controversy should be treated as a major issue.
Comes after Lindelof admitted the joke was dumb
The reactions from Gunn and Fillion came after Lindelof tried to put the controversy to rest.
In his statement, Lindelof said he made a “dumb joke on a comedy podcast” and admitted he was “sloppy and careless” with his words. He also said Green Lantern was a hero he loved growing up and called green his favorite color, adding that “green is f-cking awesome.”
Lindelof said he was honored to have worked on Lanterns and insisted it would be a betrayal to the team to suggest otherwise.
Morrison’s criticism clearly sparked a response
Grant Morrison had previously blasted the attitude behind Lindelof’s comments, arguing the “Green” in Green Lantern is not stupid and questioning why creators take on superhero projects if they seem embarrassed by the source material.
Morrison also warned that alienating Green Lantern fans at the start is the last thing Lanterns should be doing.
Lindelof’s apology already made it clear the criticism hit home. Now Gunn and Fillion have stepped in to back him up.
Lanterns hits HBO Max in August.
