The Guardians of the Universe in Lanterns explained: who are they, what do they want with John Stewart, and who plays Lianna in the new HBO Max show?

Lanterns episode 3 has been released on HBO Max — and, after two weeks of teasing, it finally pulls back the veil on the mysterious extraterrestrials known as the Guardians of the Universe.

Until now, the Guardians have been something of an enigma in the HBO TV Original.

However, its latest chapter, titled 'OutKast', gives us a much clearer picture of these beings and why they want John Stewart to succeed Hal Jordan as Earth's Green Lantern .

So, who are they? Where did they come from? Do they have powers? What's their connection to the Green Lantern Corps? And why are they obsessed with Stewart replacing Jordan? Let's take a closer look at the Guardians' comic book history and role in this HBO Max sci-fi crime drama.

Who are the Guardians of the Universe in DC Comics? The Guardians of the Universe first appeared in July 1960 via Green Lantern Vol.

2 #1 (Image credit: DC Comics) Created by DC icons Gil Kane and Jeff Broome during the Silver Age of Comic Books, the Guardians of the Universe are an immortal alien race depicted as blue-skinned humanoids originally from the planet Maltus.

However, after a time-bending experiment — one that leads to the birth of the DC Multiverse and the anti-matter universe — goes awry, the Maltusians relocated to a new world named Oa and rebranded themselves as the Guardians of the Universe.

The Guardians gave themselves a new objective following the aforementioned and ill-fated time-based test: combat evil and create an orderly universe.

With this goal in mind, they created sentient androids known as the Manhunters to patrol the universe and combat any threats they encounter.

However, the Manhunters soon came to resent their creators, committed mass genocide in a harrowing event known as the Massacre of Sector-666, and later attempted a coup, which the Guardians quelled.

For more on the Manhunters and their role in this show, read my Manhunters in Lanterns explained piece.

Laura Linney's Lianna is the only Guardian we've met so far (Image credit: DC Studios/HBO) In the wake of the Manhunters' uprising, the Guardians started afresh and created the Green Lantern Corps.

A new interstellar police agency, its members carry out the Manhunters' former duties of watching over the universe and tackling anyone who threatens the peace.

Two Green Lanterns guard each of the 3,600 sectors that make up the known universe, meaning there are 7,200 space cops in total.