John Stewart (character)

John Marshall Stewart is one of the superheroes known as Green Lantern that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. One of the first African-American superheroes to appear in DC Comics, the character was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, and first appeared in Green Lantern (Volume 2) #87 (December 1971/January 1972). The concept for the character came from Adams' idea of a substitute Green Lantern that better reflected the racial makeup of the world's population. John Stewart, a college graduate and architect, was conceived by Adams to portray a better representation of black people in America, with Adams also diverging from the usual lighter coloring of black characters to depict him as dark-skinned, basing Stewart's design on actor Sidney Poitier. Stewart was introduced in his debut issue and origin story as an anti-authority figure symbolizing Black Power politics. He notably refused to wear a mask, breaking superhero tradition. The early 1980s saw Stewart become the main Green Lantern. In 2007, Geoff Johns changed the character to be a former U.S. Marine in Green Lantern (Volume 4) #26 following his 2001 Justice League cartoon depiction, with which Bruce Timm removed Stewart's original "militant", "Black Panther Party"-esque characterization in favor of a military background.

Today John Stewart is one of the most popular and high-profile black characters in American comic books. Although a starring character in Green Lantern comics since the 1970s, he had a relatively low profile in mainstream popular culture until his adaptation for the 2000s animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Phil LaMarr. This led to an increase in the character's profile in comics, including a starring role in Justice League comics, and a massive expansion in the character's availability in DC Comics toys and merchandise. Wayne T. Carr was cast as John Stewart in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) director's cut Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) but his role was ultimately cut from the film. Aaron Pierre will portray the character in the DC Universe, beginning with the TV series Lanterns (2026).