How Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan Costume Compares To Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern & The Comics

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The latest trailer for the upcoming DCU series Lanterns finally shows fans what Hal Jordan (played by Kyle Chandler) will be wearing. Here’s a comparison of his suit to the one Ryan Reynolds wore and how it stacks up to the comic book version. While Lanterns isn’t scheduled to premiere until August 16th, it’s already facing some criticism from fans.

When the first trailer for the show Lanterns was released, some dedicated Green Lantern fans weren’t happy with how Hal Jordan’s costume looked. A quick shot showed the suit hanging in his closet, and it appeared to be mostly brown and grey, rather than the classic all-green design. Some viewers even commented that the suit from the 2011 Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern movie looked better.

The latest trailer for Lanterns finally gives us a clear look at Hal Jordan’s suit in action, allowing for a good comparison to its previous designs. A new shot with better lighting also reveals the suit’s true colors, which were hard to see in earlier, darker scenes. Now we can accurately compare Lanterns to the 2011 Green Lantern movie and the comic books.

Lanterns’ Suit Is Practical & More Grounded Than Ryan Reynolds’

The main difference between Kyle Chandler’s Green Lantern costume and Ryan Reynolds’ is that Chandler’s is a real, physical suit. Reynolds’ Green Lantern was almost entirely created with computer-generated imagery (CGI), including his mask, and was heavily criticized for looking unrealistic. The CGI often made it seem like Reynolds’ head was simply floating on top of the digital suit. Chandler’s costume, however, is a tangible outfit he actually wears.

While the suit used in the new series looks more realistic than the computer-generated one from the Green Lantern movie, this change also affects the show’s story. Traditionally, and in the 2011 Green Lantern film, Hal Jordan’s suit is created using the energy from his power ring. However, the series seems to portray the suit as a real, physical outfit that Hal actually wears. This isn’t just a visual choice for the production; a trailer showed the suit hanging in Hal’s closet, confirming it’s a tangible part of the show’s world.

The primary goal of the ‘Lanterns’ costume appears to be making the series feel more realistic and relatable than the 2011 ‘Green Lantern’ movie. Chandler’s portrayal of Hal Jordan seems to be a more traditional superhero – a figure of the law – compared to the strange and alien version Ryan Reynolds played. This fits with what the creators of ‘Lanterns’ have said they’re aiming for: a tone similar to a murder mystery like ‘True Detective’.

The different Green Lantern suits also have noticeably different colors. The 2011 Green Lantern movie featured Ryan Reynolds in a suit that was almost entirely bright green. However, the newer Lanterns series uses much more subdued greens, and overall, less green coloring. While some parts have a very dark green highlight, most of the suit’s chest and shoulders are gold and brown.

Fans noticed something interesting in the trailer for Lanterns: Hal Jordan’s suit briefly flashed yellow. This is significant because yellow is strongly linked to fear and the villains Sinestro and Parallax in Green Lantern lore. With Sinestro already confirmed to appear in the series (according to Variety), this color change could be a clue about the story to come.

The DC Universe features another Green Lantern, Guy Gardner (played by Nathan Fillion), who was first seen in Superman 2025. Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern suit in Lanterns looks quite different from Guy’s, and there’s a specific reason for that. Guy was working with a team called the Justice Gang and wearing a team uniform, whereas Hal appears to be acting as a sole representative of the Green Lantern Corps in Lanterns.

Lanterns’ Suit Also Takes Inspiration From The Green Lantern Comics

The costumes in Lanterns differ quite a bit from the classic Green Lantern comics. Hal Jordan’s suit, in particular, has a noticeably different design. The most iconic Green Lantern suit is a mostly green, form-fitting outfit with black detailing on the sides and thighs. John Stewart often wears a similar suit, but with more black, especially in appearances like Justice League Unlimited.

One key difference between the Lanterns series and traditional Green Lantern comics is Hal Jordan’s mask. While Hal usually wears a mask to conceal his identity, this version of the character doesn’t wear one at all in the trailer. The trailer also shows Hal publicly revealing himself as Green Lantern during a televised interview, openly using his powers like flying and creating energy blasts. It appears that, in this new DC Universe timeline, Hal doesn’t bother hiding his identity as Green Lantern.

Although the Green Lantern suit in Lanterns looks quite different from the traditional design, it’s actually based on a specific comic book series. Actor Kyle Chandler’s suit closely resembles the Green Lantern Corps uniforms from the Earth One comics, illustrated by Gabriel Hardman. These Earth One outfits were more like padded motorcycle jackets, with extra protection on the shoulders and arms, rather than the tight, stretchy suits Green Lantern usually wears.

While similar, the costume in Lanterns isn’t quite the same as the classic Green Lantern look. The original costume was mostly black and white with a bold green emblem, but the suit in Lanterns features more brown and gold, and the green logo is more subtle. Overall, both Lanterns and the DCU seem to be aiming for a fresh take on Green Lantern, and this new costume reflects that.

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2026-05-18 21:13