The new DC Universe is a world built, for better and worse, on the backs of C-list heroes. There’s a reason this reboot — spurred by Marvel’s erstwhile edgelord, James Gunn, and producer Peter Safran — officially began with Creature Commandos, of all things. Gunn clearly loves to dredge the bottom of the proverbial toybox to resurrect the heroes time forgot. And admittedly, that’s given the DCU some scrappy, punk-rock vibes where it counts: it’s hard not to be charmed by Gunn’s choice for the Green Lantern, for example, who reluctantly mentors the Man of Steel in Superman.
Of course Gunn would use Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, a foul-mouthed former gym teacher with a gold tooth and a terrible bowl cut, to introduce the Green Lantern Corps to a new generation. It was a deep cut just troll-y enough to set the tone for his offbeat world of Gods and Monsters — but what exactly did it mean for, say, Hal Jordan or John Stewart? Were they unavailable when Lex Luthor was tearing Metropolis apart? How did they fit into Gunn’s vision?
