‘Lanterns’ Writer Confirms Hal Jordan Was Meant to Be Racist

James Gunn’s DCU keeps asking fans to accept a version of Hal Jordan that bears little respect for the character’s long history. Now, Lanterns writer and executive producer Vanessa Baden Kelly has confirmed that the show’s controversial portrayal was not an accident, a misunderstanding, or a line that landed wrong. It was the point. During an appearance on The Ringer’s Midnight Boys podcast, Baden Kelly said Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan was written with “racist tendencies.” She described him as a man whose “microaggressions” reflect his age, background, and upbringing. She also argued that Hal would be sexually open-minded since he probably had a lot of sex with aliens while still carrying his racial bias. That is a strange defense for a character who has spent decades as one of DC Comics’ central heroes. Hal Jordan isn’t supposed to be flawless. He’s made mistakes, faced fear, fallen, returned, and carried the weight of being Green Lantern. But Lanterns isn’t exploring those flaws with care. It’s using them to deconstruct him and reduce him to a familiar stereotype. A Chat With ‘Lanterns’ Writers Vanessa Baden Kelly and Justin Britt-Gibson | The Midnight Boys Relevant portion begins...