HBO MaxBecause neither DC Comics nor Marvel are particularly big fans of change when it comes to their bread-and-butter, there are a lot of superhero identities that will probably never change long-term. Superman will more than likely always be Clark Kent; Batman will more than likely always be Batman. But there are a surprising number of characters who share the mantle, be it with one other person like Peter Parker and Miles Morales, or an entire family of superheroes like the various members of the Flash Family.However, there’s no bigger collection of heroes all operating under the same title than the Green Lantern Corps. The original, Alan Scott, was introduced in 1940 as a solo hero whose ring and lantern came from a magical meteorite, but when Hal Jordan soared onto stands 19 years later, it was the result of a massive reimagining of the concept, making the new Green Lantern the sole human among thousands of intergalactic lawmen. Since Hal’s debut in 1959, there have been several Earth-based Green Lanterns, frequently serving at the same time — although the HBO Max series Lanterns seems to be coming up with its own version of the Green Lantern recruitment process.It truly seems like the only way John will become an official Lantern in the show is over Hal's dead body. | HBO MaxOne Lantern At A TimeUnlike his origin in the comics, where he’s recruited to serve as a substitute Lantern while Guy Gardner recovers from injuries, in Lanterns it’s established in the first episode that John Stewart is being trained to eventually replace Hal Jordan. Episode three goes deeper into this by explaining that Stewart’s father was passed over for the role of Green Lantern in favor of Hal Jordan, but after his mother Bernadette encountered one of the Guardians of the Universe, John’s parents began training him with the awareness that he might one day be recruited into the Corps. That day comes much later, after John is well into adulthood and has been dishonorably discharged from the Marines (collateral damage after Hal’s superpowered recklessness almost caused an international incident) – the Guardians tell him in no uncertain terms that they’re bringing him in to observe and eventually replace Jordan, who they no longer trust.Thus far, the show has suggested that there is only ever one active Green Lantern at a time, evidenced by John’s lack of his own ring or costume. The fact that John is handpicked by the Guardians seems to be an anomaly and a source of tension between Hal and his protege, as it seems like candidates are only ever chosen by the rings themselves when a sector’s Lantern dies. While part of the show’s depiction of the recruitment process is based in the source material, there are also some constraints placed on it for the sake of narrative tension and the nature of a television budget.Just like in the comics, John Stewart is hand-picked by the Guardians in Lanterns, but the context is wildly different. | HBO MaxBackup Green Lanterns, ExplainedWhen Guy Gardner was introduced in 1968’s Green Lantern vol. 2 #59 (not quite the meathead alpha male pastiche he’d become under other writers), it was explained in his first appearance that when Abin Sur died, his ring identified both Hal Jordan and Guy as potential candidates. Because Jordan was closer, he became Earth’s Green Lantern, and Guy Gardner was relegated as his backup, totally unaware of his near-fate. Hal actually strikes up a friendship with Guy, and eventually Guy is trained as a backup Lantern, filling in for Hal as a substitute when needed.Guy was mostly relegated as a spare Green Lantern, using Hal’s ring on the off occasion that its original wielder was indisposed, until he was struck by a bus during an earthquake — the catalyst for the Guardians recruiting John Stewart to become Jordan’s temporary backup. Unlike Guy’s first appearance (which was mostly dedicated to Hal witnessing an alternate timeline where Guy found Abin Sur’s ring first), John is trained and serves alongside Hal immediately, getting his own costume and his own ring instead of sharing one. During a period of time when Hal “retired” in the 1980s, John was officially brought on as a full-time Lantern and served in the role for several years, including taking over Hal’s duties with the Justice League.If you're wondering why Hal's backup would be someone so reckless and cavalier, it's because Guy Gardner was kind of a different character in the 60s. | DC ComicsChanging ProtocolIn the aftermath of the seminal 1985-1986 multiversal crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, which saw DC’s then-contemporary Earth-1 universe team up with the Golden Age superheroes of Earth-2 to fight off the villainous Anti-Monitor, the Guardians decided to bolster their ranks in order to be better prepared for larger-scale threats. Not only did this lead to Hal Jordan’s return and new recruits joining the Corps, but for the first time ever, the Guardians of the Universe allowed more than one Lantern to patrol a sector at a time. This has been the case since the 1980s, and although Geoff Johns’ run on the character narrowed it down to two (to evoke a beat-cop dynamic), we’ve seen many different pairings of active-duty Lanterns since then.With the massive mystery of Hal Jordan’s death in the present day dangling over the series, it doesn’t seem like we’ll see a world in which Hal and John serve on the Corps at the same time. However, we know for a fact that Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart will be in Man of Tomorrow next year, and it doesn’t seem like Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is going anywhere anytime soon — who’s to say that the Manhunter crisis in Lanterns won’t convince the Guardians to bend the rules a little bit. Lanterns streams on HBO Max.