The Real Answer To A Major Lanterns Mystery Is Hiding In Plain Sight, And No One Noticed

Lanterns is currently flying high on HBO, conjuring up one of the most watched premieres with its ring and setting the stage for a very successful season. The series, which has often been compared to True Detective, has set up a few mysteries that will, in theory, be paid off by the final episode. One is a pretty big spoiler that we'll avoid discussing here, but chances are you already know it. But another lies in something Hal Jordan tells John Stewart at a bar.

According to Hal, the Guardians of the Universe, the very beings who created the Green Lantern Corps to keep the peace, have convinced the galaxy that Earth is a backwater planet not worth going to, which is why Hal is the first human to ever become a member of the GLC. But Hal thinks that the Guardians are lying to everyone and that there is a deeper reason why they want the rest of the universe to ignore the third rock from the sun.

Perhaps Hal is just proud of his planet and doesn't much like people putting it down, but the way Kyle Chandler plays the famous Emerald Warrior suggests that there is indeed something happening on Earth that the Guardians want to keep secret and, perhaps more importantly, keep out of the hands of others. And the answer to this mystery may have been revealed in the comics long ago.

Earth Is A Special Planet In DC Comics

In the comics, Earth isn't just where most of the stories are set because we all happen to live there. The truth is that the planet holds something that makes is especially important to not only the future of the universe, but the very beginnings of it. Laying some 230 meters under the surface of the planet is a being known only as the Life Entity, and the Guardians of the Universe need it to be kept safe until it is ready to emerge.

First revealed in Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis' Blackest Night, the Life Entity is the corporeal form of the beginning of the universe. Long before the first fish took a stroll on land, the Life Entity battled the Black and, while it won, it was left in a weakened state. The Life Entity sent its power out into the universe, breaking it into seven different forms, with each form becoming the entities that make up the Emotional Spectrum. After that, the Life Entity buried itself into the core of the Earth. But the Life Entity didn't choose Earth by chance.

The Earth sits smack-dab in the center of the Cosmic Nexus, where the boundaries between dimensions are their thinnest. This makes Earth a hotbed for multiversal shenanigans, magic, and, most notably, superpowered beings. That last one is because the energies of the Cosmic Nexus and the Life Entity mix, giving the planet's most evolved species — humans — the metagene. The metagene, of course, is why, instead of dying after being hit with electrified chemicals, Barry Allen gains superspeed and connects to the Speed Force. And, what's more, the Guardians believe that all of this is leading to Earth being the birthplace of the next race of cosmic beings, which would really mess with the other planets out there.

Lanterns Is Setting Up The Danger Earth Faces

Based on what we've seen in Lanterns, Hal Jordan isn't the only one who thinks there's more to Earth than the Guardians suggest. More to it, it looks like someone — or something — may already know the truth and is looking to reveal it to the universe. If what the Guardians are trying to keep secret is the Life Entity, and if the rest of the universe finds out, that would place Earth in the crosshairs of every alien race. And, considering how much James Gunn has shown an affection for late '80s/early '90s DC Comics, all of this could be leading to one of the company's best crossovers that doesn't have "Crisis" in the title, Invasion! by Keith Giffen, Bill Mantlo, Todd McFarlane, and Bart Sears.

In that story, the Dominators, along with the Khunds, the Thanagarians, and a few other alien races, invade Earth looking to eliminate the metagene. When that series came out, the Life Entity hadn't been introduced yet, but it isn't hard to make a little change and have these races also looking to grab that sleepy fella napping in the center of the planet. A bunch of alien armies showing up to conquer Earth would be a pretty good reason for a big event that closes out at least one chapter of Gunn's DCU.

Or there could be a simpler reason for it all, which we will all learn by the time Lanterns ends. But it's important to note that Gunn has said Lanterns is an important piece of the puzzle he is building, which is something he didn't say about Supergirl or Creature Commandos, so it isn't like he just makes that claim for every project. Whatever the case may be, if Lanterns continues to be as good as it's been, fans are in for a great time.