James Gunn: Green Lantern Could Beat Superman — Langston Fleury Doesn’t Stand a Chance
James Gunn said Green Lantern could beat Superman in a one-on-one fight, and he made the comment while responding to a question about Langston Fleury on the Peacemaker podcast.
- Gunn said he’s “not sure Superman would beat Green Lantern.”
- The exchange happened on episode four of Peacemaker: The Official Podcast.
- Gunn also teased that Langston Fleury wouldn’t stand a chance against Green Lantern.
What Gunn actually said
During the mailbag section of episode four of the podcast, Tim Meadows suggested his character Langston Fleury should fight Green Lantern. In response, James Gunn said, “Wow, you’re going to get killed, dude.”
Gunn followed up with more context: “I’m not sure Superman would beat Green Lantern. I definitely don’t think Langston Fleury’s going to beat Green Lantern,” Gunn explained. “He’s Superman, but it’s still a fight. It’s a real fight.”
Why this matters
At the start of Gunn’s Superman, the film establishes that the Man of Steel is the most powerful known metahuman — at least initially. However, Gunn’s comments suggest Green Lantern is a contender who could change that ranking.
Also, the podcast exchange makes a clear distinction: Gunn thinks Superman is very powerful, but he treats a Green Lantern matchup as a plausible, serious fight rather than a guaranteed Superman win.
How comics have handled Green Lantern vs. Superman
Historically, the matchup has gone different ways depending on the story. For example, in Red Son, the Soviet Superman defeated a group of Green Lanterns.
By contrast, Hal Jordan did knock out Superman in a 1995 Green Lantern issue, but that story involved Jordan being possessed by the parasitic entity Parallax. More details on that issue are available on this fandom page.
Bottom line
In short, James Gunn framed Green Lantern as a real threat to Superman and specifically ruled out Langston Fleury as having any realistic chance in such a fight.
Other podcast highlights
The cast offered a few other comments on the show. Jennifer Holland said she wanted Emilia Harcourt to fight Rick Flagg Sr., though Gunn noted Frank Grillo’s ego might not take it well. Harcourt suggested they might team up instead.
Steve Agee joked that John Economos couldn’t beat anyone but could attempt a pie-eating contest with Matter-Eater Lad. Gunn also confirmed that the time-traveling hero is canon in the DCU, leaving open the possibility of future appearances by 31st-century characters.
