Lanterns has had a great first season, apart from the final episode. The main takeaway from the first season is that Sinestro is still not back in prison and that they have had him create a lantern for John to charge his ring with what seems to be some yellow power source within it… could this be fear?
The first season of Lanterns established the Green Lanterns, countless mentions of the Corps, mentions of other Green Lanterns, and the training and origins of John becoming a Green Lantern. The next step for the season is to deliver a great villain and actually use the Lantern powers in the second season.
Who better than that villain to be Sinestro? Throughout the first season, we know Sinestro has been in prison and had a great rivalry with Hal Jordan. So allow Sinestro to become that new villain for John and his Dark Lantern, have Sinestro establish his Yellow Lantern Corps again, and learn from his previous mistakes against Hal.
Sinestro isn’t just some random cosmic threat; he is a Green Lantern turned bad. He has a connection to Hal and the rest of the Corps, so that can carry emotional weight, especially if they play on the former friendship and mentor relationship between him and Hal.
In the second season, I would bring Guy back. This time, needing to help John against an army of Yellow Lanterns. Have one of those Yellow Lanterns be none other than Arkillo. Give us that scene where Guy literally takes off his ring and goes toe-to-toe with one of the strongest Yellow Lanterns.
Why this showdown would be perfect is to show not only John Stewart that Guy isn’t a joke, but also the overall DC fans as well. The two Corps were forced into an uneasy alliance with massive tensions between the two sides; Guy challenged Arkillo to a fight. That fight was a brutal, ringless brawl. Arkillo is a massive, monstrous alien built similarly to Kilowog. Guy was at a physical disadvantage, yet even after receiving bone-crunching hits, Guy relied on sheer willpower and dirty street-brawling tactics, even ripping out one of Arkillo’s eyes during the fight, then repeatedly punching Arkillo’s face to a pulp, causing him to yield.
With Sinestro becoming John’s ultimate enemy, this could cause John to truly adopt the vision of the Guardians; this could also force him to decide what kind of Lantern he actually wants to become. It could lead John into becoming the very best Green Lantern, or it could lead to the near-destruction of the Corps, causing Kyle Rayner to get the last remaining Green Lantern ring.
It could also be Sinestro to tease the other Corps like the Red Lanterns, Blue Lanterns, and even the Black Lanterns.
