Lanterns, the new HBO series about the Green Lantern superheroes, hit HBO last month. But while most viewers loved it (it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92 percent at the time of writing), some DCU loyalists were a little taken aback by changes to the lore.
Not only does the series have just as much of a cop-show vibe as a superhero one, but John Stewart’s story and character have also changed somewhat from the original comics. Now, his entire Green Lantern journey is shaped by his father, generational trauma, and discipline. Oh, and he’s vegan.
Stewart (played by Aaron Pierre) is introduced as a vegan in the very first episode, when he attends a barbecue and is given tofu steaks instead of meat. “That’s very kind,” Stewart says. “I appreciate it.”
While some were surprised by the decision to make Stewart vegan, many were fans of the choice. “I like it, it makes sense for a protector of justice,” wrote one fan in the subreddit r/John_Stewart.
“It’s actually kind of jarring that more superheroes aren’t vegan,” they added. “In particular, those whose identity strongly revolves around protecting the innocent. It’s strange to do that, but make an exception if the innocent being happens to be tasty.”
Animal rights organization PETA also praised the Lanterns writers. “This is the future we all need,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post about the series. “In the first episode of Lanterns, [Aaron Pierre’s] John Stewart is vegan, so when the grill fires up, the tofu steaks come out. It really is that easy.”
HBO
Why is John Stewart vegan?
While some fans speculated that discipline was the biggest driver behind Stewart’s diet, episode four reveals another motivation: animal rights.
If you haven’t caught up yet, here’s your spoiler alert.
In the episode, the Lanterns become trapped inside William Macon’s compound. There’s a nude drawing scene, and then we see a cow killed with a laser in a slaughterhouse. “That’s why I’m vegan,” Stewart says.
Pierre plays one of the first live-action vegan superheroes, but there have been other vegan and vegetarian superheroes in animation and comic books.
Beast Boy, for example, from the animated Teen Titans series, can turn into animals, so he doesn’t eat meat for empathetic reasons. Scarlet Witch from Marvel Comics also avoids meat, while Damian Wayne from Batman Inc decides to go vegetarian after rescuing a cow from a slaughterhouse.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
