Grant Morrison is not mincing words about the debate surrounding HBO’s Lanterns.
Writing on Substack, the DC Comics legend directly pushed back on Damon Lindelof’s comments about the “green” in Green Lantern and used the moment to call out what he sees as a bigger Hollywood problem: creators taking superhero jobs while acting embarrassed by the source material.
Grant Morrison says the “green” in Green Lantern is not stupid
Morrison made clear he thinks the entire attitude behind dismissing core Green Lantern mythology is backwards.
“TV writer/producer Damon Lindelof’s comments notwithstanding, the ‘Green’ in ‘Green Lantern(s)’ green is not ‘stupid,’” Morrison wrote.
He then went further, questioning why a writer would even attach himself to a superhero property if he thinks one of its defining elements is silly.
“Why does a writer attach himself to this kind of narrative if he thinks it’s fundamentally ‘stupid’?” Morrison asked.
That is a lot stronger than simply weighing in on fan debate. Morrison is calling out the mindset directly.
Morrison says Hollywood keeps hiring people ashamed of comic books
The bigger point in Morrison’s comments is not only about Lindelof.
He argued that studios keep bringing in creators who look down on the material they are being paid to adapt, which in his view leads to watered-down superhero stories that miss what fans actually like about them.
Morrison said studios would never hand crime procedural scripts to writers who openly mock forensics experts and their haircuts as stupid, so he questioned why superhero properties are often handed to people who appear embarrassed by comic books.
He described that attitude as patronizing and said it feels like some creators want to distance themselves from the genre rather than embrace it.
Morrison warns Lanterns could alienate Green Lantern fans
Morrison also zeroed in on what he sees as the real risk for HBO’s Lanterns.
“The only people who give a f-ck about the Lanterns TV series are Green Lantern fans. Why alienate them at the start?” Morrison wrote.
That line gets right to the heart of the backlash the teaser trailer has been getting. Since the footage dropped, some fans have criticized the grounded tone, muted visuals, and lack of classic Green Lantern energy.
Morrison’s view is that the series should not be backing away from the very things that make Green Lantern unique.
He also says Green Lanterns is the better title
Morrison did not stop with the “green” debate.
He also said Green Lanterns is simply a better and more dramatic title than Lanterns, arguing that anyone who cannot understand that should not be anywhere near superhero stories.
That adds to the sense that Morrison sees the issue as part of a larger creative misunderstanding, not just a marketing choice or one bad quote.
He even suggested the show could still turn out good, but argued it could be much better if studios hired the right people instead of “phoning their embarrassed friends to water the source material down.”
Morrison ended the passage with an even harsher shot at the industry, writing, “Hollywood will die of insularity and inbreeding.”
Update: Damon Lindelof responded to Morrison on social media admitting his comments were “dumb” and more.
Morrison still praises James Gunn
Despite all of that criticism, Morrison also made clear he still thinks highly of James Gunn, so it’s not like he is attacking the DCU.
Morrison recently praised Gunn’s Superman and said he believed Gunn made the best superhero film so far.
So this is not Morrison taking a broad shot at DC Studios as a whole. It is more specific than that. He is criticizing the creative attitude surrounding Lanterns and the way some people in Hollywood seem eager to downplay the comic book elements that fans actually care about.
That part matters, especially since Gunn has long been a fan of Morrison himself.
Lanterns backlash is not going away
With Morrison now joining the conversation, the Lanterns debate looks like it is only getting louder.
Alex Ross already appeared to weigh in with Green Lantern art after the teaser dropped, and fans have continued arguing over whether the HBO series feels too stripped-down, too grounded, and too far removed from the cosmic side of the mythology.
Morrison’s comments pour gasoline on that fire.
More than anything, he is saying Green Lantern does not need to be fixed by people who think its core ideas are stupid. In his view, that attitude is exactly how studios end up alienating the audience from the start.
