Accomplished character actor Paul Ben-Victor is joining the DCU in the upcoming HBO series Lanterns, and he might be secretly playing a fan-favorite DC villain. Lanterns is currently filming, aiming for a 2026 premiere date that will likely come before the release of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Even though Lanterns has been described as an Earth-bound mystery involving Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), that doesn’t mean intergalactic threats won’t find their way into the series.
Deadline reports that actor Paul Ben-Victor has signed on for a recurring role in the DCU’s Lanterns. Ben-Victor is best known for his roles on hit television shows like The Wire, Entourage, and Nobody Wants This, as well as a memorable role in the 2003 film Daredevil. Ben-Victor will play an alien named Antaan, who is described as “devoted to exposing the truth and exacting vengeance against those who wronged his people. Consumed by a deep and unrelenting hatred for the law, he is determined to deliver justice on his own terms.” Based on that description, fans speculate that Antaan is a placeholder name to hide his true identity from audiences before the show premieres in 2026. The most popular guess is that Ben-Victor is actually playing Atrocitus, a major Green Lantern foe that shares an original story similar to Antaan’s.
Is Paul Ben-Victor Actually Playing Atrocitus in the DCU?

HBO

The idea of an alien looking to expose corruption and exact vengeance on those who wronged his people, consumed by hatred, sounds eerily similar to that of a popular Green Lantern villain, Atrocitus, also known as the leader of the Red Lanterns. Created by writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan Van Sciver, Atrocitus first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 4 #25 in January 2008 and has become one of the most popular DC villains. Atrocitus witnessed his wife and child murdered at the hands of the Manhunters, the alien police force the Guardians of the Universe used before the Green Lanterns. Following this moment, he vowed vengeance and founded the Red Lantern Corps, a group that harnesses the power of rage.

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There is a good chance that Paul Ben-Victor’s character, Antaan, is a code name or alias used to conceal Atrocitus’s identity. Even Atrocitus’ pre-Lantern name, Atros, is somewhat similar to Antaan. Atrocitus would even fit the grounded, Earth-bound story of Lanterns, as the character played a part in Green Lantern: Secret Origins, which retconned him into being part of Hal Jordan’s origin story. Ulrich Thomsen is already confirmed to be playing Sinestro, the most famous Green Lantern villain, so even more iconic cosmic threats could be coming to Earth.
If Paul Ben-Victor is playing Atrocitus, it is entirely possible that Lanterns could be setting up either the emergence of various other Lantern Corps or possibly an adaptation of Blackest Night, a high-profile crossover event that featured the zombie-like Black Lantern Corps. While Ben-Victor may be playing an original character created specifically for Lanterns, it would be great to see an accomplished, talented actor playing one of DC’s best modern villains.
Source: Deadline

Lanterns (DCU)

Network

HBO

Directors

James Hawes

Writers

Tom King, Chris Munday

Franchise(s)

DC Universe