‘Lanterns’ Writer Explains Why She Thinks the Green Lantern Ring is Sexist

Episode-specific interviews rarely generate this much discourse on their own, but few installments of HBO’s newest DC series have sparked as much conversation as its third chapter. What began as a deep dive into John Stewart’s family history has evolved into a broader debate about how the show’s writers view one of its most polarizing characters.

“Lanterns” has spent its opening episodes building a grounded mystery around veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and his newest recruit, John Stewart, while gradually expanding its mythology to include figures like Sinestro and the shapeshifting Manhunters. Episode 3, titled “OutKast,” shifted focus specifically toward John’s origin story, revealing that Abin Sur’s ring initially approached his father, John Stewart Sr., before ultimately selecting Hal Jordan instead.

That revelation set the stage for a pointed confrontation involving John’s mother, Bernadette, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones, who challenges a Guardian over the fairness of that original selection process. Speaking with Collider about the episode, writer and co-executive producer Vanessa Baden Kelly offered a striking explanation for how the writers’ room approached Bernadette’s perspective throughout the show’s development.

“The thing that I would always say in the room is that if the ring wasn’t sexist, Bernadette would have been chosen, because she really is just the most fearless of everybody,” Kelly told Collider, reflecting on the show’s approach to Bernadette’s character and her belief that the selection process denied her the ring unfairly.

Kelly’s remarks carry particular weight given how the episode itself frames Bernadette’s confrontation with the Guardian who tested John Sr. During that pivotal kitchen scene between Cephas Jones’ Bernadette and Laura Linney’s Guardian character Lianna, Bernadette directly challenges the fairness of asking a Black man in America whether he’s afraid, arguing that fear carries entirely different weight depending on someone’s lived experience and circumstances.

According to Kelly, that idea of willpower and overcoming fear looking different depending on where someone stands was central to how the writers’ room approached the character throughout the season. She explained that a person’s daily circumstances can shape their relationship with fear in ways the Green Lantern selection process, as traditionally understood, doesn’t fully account for.

That framing has led some viewers and critics to reconsider how Bernadette’s character should be interpreted more broadly. Rather than positioning her purely as a delusional or obsessive figure whose grievances the audience should dismiss, Kelly’s comments suggest the show intends for her critique of the selection system to be taken seriously as a legitimate perspective within the story.

Bernadette’s role in “OutKast” extends beyond that single confrontation, serving as a foundational figure in shaping the man John eventually becomes. The episode positions her disappointment over her husband’s rejection by the ring, paired with her own fierce, unwavering resolve, as a direct influence on John’s development long before he ever received a ring of his own.

That dynamic has made Bernadette one of the more debated characters introduced so far this season, with some viewers questioning how sympathetically the show ultimately wants audiences to view her. Kelly’s comments to Collider suggest the writers intended for her perspective to carry genuine narrative weight rather than functioning purely as a source of tension or conflict within John’s backstory.

With “Lanterns” continuing its weekly rollout on HBO and HBO Max, Episode 3’s deep dive into John Stewart’s origins adds another layer to a season already juggling multiple major storylines, including the ongoing Manhunter mystery and Sinestro’s live-action return. Kelly’s comments about Bernadette offer one of the clearest glimpses yet into how the show’s writers are approaching the more personal, character-driven threads woven throughout the season’s larger cosmic plot.

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