Damon Lindelof Clarifies 'Dumb Joke' That 'Pissed Off' Green Lantern Fans: 'I Was Sloppy and Careless'

Brenton BlanchetTue, March 17, 2026 at 2:29 PM UTC

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Damon Lindelof attends eadline Contenders Television at Directors Guild Of America on April 15, 2023Credit: Randy Shropshire/Deadline via Getty -

Damon Lindelof is clearing the air after feedback from the Green Lantern fandom

The Lanterns co-creator and DC fan offered "an explanation and a genuine reflection of my actual feelings" this week, over a year after joking on a podcast about the color green

"I was sloppy and careless with my words, ironic considering I care so much about Hal, John and the entire Corps," he wrote

Damon Lindelof, co-creator of HBO's Lanterns, is shining light on his past comments after making a Green Lantern joke he calls "sloppy and careless."

On Tuesday, March 17, the screenwriter shared a letter on Instagram addressing backlash to a statement he made on a podcast over a year ago.

While appearing on the Lovett or Leave It podcast in September 2024, after the announcement of Lanterns, Lindelof joked that "it's called Lanterns because we all agreed that the green was stupid."

The comment, which was later clipped and resurfaced after the show's teaser trailer dropped, also got a response from Green Lantern comic book writer Grant Morrison, who questioned the "jockish dismissal of superhero conventions" on his Substack.

Now, Lindelof is addressing the feedback after having, as he put it, "pissed off MOST of the brilliant British/Scottish comics writers that I grew up idolizing."

In an Instagram post featuring an image of him rocking a Green Lantern T-shirt over 20 years ago, the Lost co-creator wrote in a caption that he "made a dumb joke on a comedy podcast" and owed the Green Lantern fandom "an explanation and a genuine reflection of my actual feelings."

Aaron Pierre in HBO's 'Lanterns'Credit: HBO Max

"The very first time I appeared on a ComicCon panel was for the Lost pilot, back in the summer of 2004. I wore my favorite T-shirt as I had long grown out of my favorite underoos, those being the uniform of Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2814," he wrote. "For a quiet, uncoordinated kid, there was nothing cooler than a hero whose superpower was his imagination. And green is not stupid, it is my lifelong favorite color and I have a questionnaire that I filled out in third grade to prove it. Green is f---ing awesome."

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"More importantly, it would be a betrayal to everyone I worked for and alongside to say anything other than I was absolutely honored to be a part of the team that manifested the incredible construct that is Lanterns… because it was," Lindelof added. "I was sloppy and careless with my words, ironic considering I care so much about Hal, John and the entire Corps."

Lindelof, who was also behind HBO's 2019 Watchmen series inspired by DC comics, concluded his post by emphasizing he "can and will do better to be worthy of the oath." "Until then, I’ll let the show speak for itself and I can’t wait for you all to hear what it has to say," he wrote.

The Lanterns teaser dropped earlier this month, giving fans an early glimpse at John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) in action.

Per a logline from HBO, the show will follow the "two intergalactic cops" into a "dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland." Kelly Macdonald also stars, with Chris Mundy and Tom King also co-writing and co-creating.

Speaking with Esquire in October, Pierre called Lanterns an "enormous shoot" and "a grand scale in every sense of the word."

"I’ve been so fortunate to be surrounded by extraordinary collaborators and directors and crew and cast and just people who care," he said. "People who are fundamentally grateful. People who want to put the best work out that they physically can. We’re all very proud of this and very excited. It’s been a long time coming for many fans and supporters. And I truly hope with all my heart that we make everybody proud and we make everybody thrilled that we did this, because we’re thrilled and we’re proud.”

Lanterns is set to arrive in August 2026 on HBO.

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