Watch Instead: Green Lantern, the Animated Series

There are not that many significant identifiably Jewish superheroes. Marvel has Marc Spector, a.k.a. Moon Knight, and Ben Grimm, better known as The Thing in the Fantastic Four. DC has Hal Jordan, one of the Green Lanterns. One might argue Jordan is the single most prominent Jewish superhero, since Grimm gets equal billing with his teammates. That is why it is so suspiciously alarming to watch HBO’s Lanterns constantly tear down Jordan, turning him into a morally-compromised and corrupt anti-hero, who has violated his oath—and apparently dies in the future, based on brief flashforwards teasing his death.

No other ethnic minority superheroes would get this kind of treatment from Hollywood. Yet, Lanterns has steadily undermined Hal Jordan, turning him into a borderline sociopath. Granted, they have not called out Jordan’s Jewish heritage, but according to the language currently used in the comic industry, this clearly constitutes “erasure.” At best, you could call it Jewish-washing. At worst, it is a deliberate effort to destroy a figure of Jewish heroism.

Admittedly, some casual fans might not know Jordan is indeed Jewish. This aspect of his character was first revealed in January 2016 with the publication of Justice League: Darkseid War: Green Lantern #1¸written by Tom King. However, the Lanterns writers should surely be aware, since the series was created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. Frankly, longtime Lantern Corps fans are annoyed in general by the show’s shabby treatment of Jordan. It feels especially unhelpful coming at a time of exploding antisemitism.

There is a far superior streaming alternative that portrays Jordan in the kind of heroic light fans would hope for. It happens to be animated, but that should inspire confidence in viewers, because DC animated films have often outshined their live-action counterparts. Green Lantern: The Animated Series was originally created by Bruce Timm, Giancarlo Volpe, and Jim Krieg in 2011 (before the aforementioned comic), to tie-in to publicity for the ill-fated Ryan Renyolds movie—immediately proving the point regarding DC’s animation and live action disparity.

The twenty-six episodes tell a largely continuous story that feels more like epic science fiction than a conventional superhero drama. Apparently, the Guardians of Oa had appointed Green Lanterns (like Jordan) for the furthest sectors of the universe, but given the extreme distances, they have only just surmised many of them have been assassinated. Unfortunately, they would rather dither than act, so Jordan “borrows” their experimental Interceptor space craft to investigate what he fears might be some sort of invasion.

Much to his regret, his gruff fellow Lantern, Kilowog, accidentally joins him on the mission. They soon find the Guardians’ evil rivals, the Red Lanterns, have targeted Green Lanterns, as part of their mysterious long-term plans. As Jordan and Kilowog learn to work together as a team, they successfully recruit Razer, who was manipulated into committing genocidal crimes by the Red Lanterns, by exploiting the grief and rage provoked by his wife’s death.

Unfortunately, Razer still struggles with anger management issues, which makes him somewhat unreliable as a teammate. However, the ship’s. AI system, Aya, offers Razer friendship and understanding. In fact, they both develop deeper feelings for each other, which leads to shocking complications later on. By the way, it is worth noting the animated Green Lantern series pre-dates Spike Jonze’s Her by two years.

Regardless, the 2011 is addictively watchable. Sometimes, episodes feature mostly self-contained adventures, but the series steadily builds towards a literally galaxy-shaking climax. Krieg, Ernie Altbacker, and their fellow writers also clearly understood why long-time readers always considered Jordan their Green Lantern of choice. They capture his cockiness as a test pilot, as well as his optimistic, take-charge persona. Yet, they also nicely develop his relationship with Carol Ferris, who later becomes Star Sapphire.

However, the difficult bromance between Jordan and Kilowog really makes the series sing. Episode after episode, they rip each other up one side and down the other, but then fight shoulder-to-shoulder against all foes. Frankly, the core voice-cast, Josh Keaton, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jason Spisak, and Grey Delisle—as Jordan, Kilowog, Razer, and Aya—are terrific. They really hook viewers on an emotional level.

Admittedly, some purists might be put-off by the show’s very CGI-looking CGI-animation. Yet, the cast breathes life into their characters so successfully, most viewers will acclimate to the distinctive visual style. A lot of Lantern Corps characters fly in and out of the series, but Sinestro only appears once. Yet, “Prisoner of Sinestro” is a standout episode, featuring the perfectly sinister voice of the on-again-off-again villain, wherein Jordan starts to suspect something might not be on the up-and-up with the legendary Lantern.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series is great television that embraces both the heroism and the heroic flaws of its main characters. Lanterns seems to reflect dangerous and ugly trends in pop culture, turning a beloved Jewish character into a pariah. Watch the animated series instead. It currently streams on Tubi.