Hal Jordan: The Green Lantern Appreciation 2022

[Johnny]

Well, there's the good kind of Hank Pym and the bad kind of Hank Pym.

Like there's the good kind where they age you up but still treat you with respect and reverence because of the characters' stature...or the bad kind where they never let you forget your biggest mistake and basically kill you off.

The respect could be shown with an experienced and slightly older but still prime Hank Pym, while still simultaneously introducing Scott Lang as his successor. I'm not even a big fan of that character but the way he was screwed over in the MCU was awful. Being treated better in comparison to the comics doesn't really make up for it. And if Marvel really thought Pym was treated with respect in the MCU, they would've done the same thing in the comics. They did the opposite which shows what they think about him. But if he was more prominent and younger in the MCU, they would've likely had no choice but to give him better characterization in the comics. They don't because he's not the Ant-Man the company that owns them is invested in and they don't have to do anything to "fix" him. Sounds familiar.

Usually the whole point of Hollywood aging up a prominent legacy character so much is to either get him out of the way as quickly as possible, or make him a supporting player whose main purpose is to prop up the other character(s). I'm not interested in seeing Hal Jordan in a role like that. The actor they cast as Guy in the HBO Max show has to be pushing 40, so I don't mind if Hal is also in his 40s in the DCEU, but to cast a 60 year old actor as him? Nah. The only positive to me about someone like Tom Cruise potentially playing him is that Cruise is infamous for taking over the entire production of his features, which means that Hal probably wouldn't be treated as a side-character or turned into a villain, but that's where the positives end.

[Johnny]

On a side note, a Michael Douglas in his prime would have been perfect to play Pym. He would run a clinic bringing to life the batsh!t stories about Hank. Douglas & Spader as Pym & Ultron with quality dramatic writing? Sign me up!

No issues with Douglas either way, if the guy wants to play a retired superhero in his 70s, more power to him. I just gave MCU Hank Pym as an example of what WB shouldn't do with Hal, especially after what they did to him last time. "The old Green Lantern" is Alan Scott not Hal Jordan.

[j9ac9k]

Cruise is one of those types I don't think I'd be able to see past the actor, similar to Reynolds actually.

Same. Cruise would just be Tom Cruise, not Hal Jordan. I was able to buy Reynolds as Hal more towards the beginning of the film when he seemed more like Hal, but then Hal wasn't really acting like Hal very much when he got the ring, so it didn't matter as much.

For me, Nathan Fillion as Hal is the same with me - when I hear his voice, I can't help but picture him rather than think of Hal.

[Frontier]

The respect could be shown with an experienced and slightly older but still prime Hank Pym, while still simultaneously introducing Scott Lang as his successor. I'm not even a big fan of that character but the way he was screwed over in the MCU was awful. Being treated better in comparison to the comics doesn't really make up for it. And if Marvel really thought Pym was treated with respect in the MCU, they would've done the same thing in the comics. They did the opposite which shows what they think about him. But if he was more prominent and younger in the MCU, they would've likely had no choice but to give him better characterization in the comics. They don't because he's not the Ant-Man the company that owns them is invested in and they don't have to do anything to "fix" him. Sounds familiar.

Usually the whole point of Hollywood aging up a prominent legacy character so much is to either get him out of the way as quickly as possible, or make him a supporting player whose main purpose is to prop up the other character(s). I'm not interested in seeing Hal Jordan in a role like that. The actor they cast as Guy in the HBO Max show has to be pushing 40, so I don't mind if Hal is also in his 40s in the DCEU, but to cast a 60 year old actor as him? Nah. The only positive to me about someone like Tom Cruise potentially playing him is that Cruise is infamous for taking over the entire production of his features, which means that Hal probably wouldn't be treated as a side-character or turned into a villain, but that's where the positives end.

I'm a big Hank Pym fan and I would still say he was nowhere near as screwed over compared to the comics.

[SebastianS]

The only way Hal makes sense to me is when he is between 40-45 years old.

[Holt]

Putting the character in that age range is a sure way for me to lose interest in it. Not having him in the movie at all would be preferable over making him an old supporting character who has no business being around anymore. If they want to "Hank Pym" Hal Jordan I don't plan to support it.

Hal’s never come across as a “spring chicken” character to me, save for Secret Origin, so an actor like Cruise in their late 50s isn’t too far beyond what I’d expect.

[Frontier]

Hal always come off as a late 30's guy, at least physique/personality wise.

[Johnny]

Hal’s never come across as a “spring chicken” character to me, save for Secret Origin, so an actor like Cruise in their late 50s isn’t too far beyond what I’d expect.

He's not a spring chicken but he's far from being close to retirement age too. GL: TAS Hal wasn't a rookie Lantern and he was in his early 30s tops. It's not like we're talking about a "Michael Keaton is back as Batman" thing here, Affleck's Batman was also older but he wasn't 60 years old. Noone says they should have a millennial Hal Jordan, but considering we've had two live-action Barry Allens, one of whom is younger than current comic Wally West, the idea of Hal being 30 years older makes no sense to me.

[Johnny]

The only way Hal makes sense to me is when he is between 40-45 years old.

I'd be fine with that. If Jason Momoa is 43 and can still play Aquaman, I'm fine with a 40 something year old playing Hal Jordan. But someone between 55 and 60? Makes no sense.

[Holt]

He's not a spring chicken but he's far from being close to retirement age too. GL: TAS Hal wasn't a rookie Lantern and he was in his early 30s tops. It's not like we're talking about a "Michael Keaton is back as Batman" thing here, Affleck's Batman was also older but he wasn't 60 years old. Noone says they should have a millennial Hal Jordan, but considering we've had two live-action Barry Allens, one of whom is younger than current comic Wally West, the idea of Hal being 30 years older makes no sense to me.

I mean, it makes sense to me in that the films have not, nor have they ever been, strictly accurate about the ages of the characters relative to each other, so a 20 something Barry doesn't really have all that much bearing on how old I'd expect Hal to be. Though to be fair I kind of hate everything they've done with dorky 20 something Barry in the films as well and would've preferred they just use Wally if they wanted a "relatable" Millennial Flash.

[Johnny]

I mean, it makes sense to me in that the films have not, nor have they ever been, strictly accurate about the ages of the characters relative to each other, so a 20 something Barry doesn't really have all that much bearing on how old I'd expect Hal to be. Though to be fair I kind of hate everything they've done with dorky 20 something Barry in the films as well and would've preferred they just use Wally if they wanted a "relatable" Millennial Flash.

I understand that adaptations do whatever they please with the characters for the sake of serving whatever story they want to tell, but it shouldn't be to the point where the characters feel unrecognizable. I would be fine with it if Hal plays a similar role to the one that John Stewart had in the DCAU. In that continuity he was the veteran GL who served as a mentor to younger heroes, but he wasn't in his 50s or 60s, he was probably late 30s/early 40s at most. The whole Flash thing is a mess.

[SiegePerilous02]

The only way Hal makes sense to me is when he is between 40-45 years old.

Hal always come off as a late 30's guy, at least physique/personality wise.

Hal should really just be roughly the same age they want Clark and Bruce to be. it never makes sense to depict him as being any older than them. That always felt really forced, especially as there is at least one Silver Age issues where Clark and Hal meet as teens.

So early to mid 30s is the comfortable vague age range they typically want the main heroes to be. Late 30s/early 40s tops if it gets to later in the timeline with a couple generations of sidekicks floating around.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I'd just like a good actor playing Hal and a good movie with him that understands who the character is. That's a big enough ask these days...

[Frontier]

I'd just like a good actor playing Hal and a good movie with him that understands who the character is. That's a big enough ask these days...

That seems reasonable, but likewise hard to get right...

[NathanS]

Add in there are a few different takes on Hal over the years, I have my doubts everyone would agree on any one of them. To be fair this is FAR from unique to him in the world of ongoing characters.