The third episode of HBO’s superhero series Lanterns has quietly introduced a significant piece of Batman mythology into James Gunn’s newly formed DC Universe. During a brief flashback sequence, the show prominently features a background storefront for Janus Cosmetics, a company deeply tied to classic Gotham City villains.
The scene unfolds roughly two months prior to the show’s main 2016 storyline. Viewers watch prospective Green Lantern John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, plummet into an abandoned shopping mall before attending a high-stakes job interview with a Guardian of the Universe, portrayed by Laura Linney. As Stewart walks toward a former shoe store for his meeting, he passes right by a massive sign displaying the Janus Cosmetics logo.
For DC Comics readers, Janus Cosmetics carries rich historical weight. In the source material, the company belongs to the Sionis family. After Roman Sionis inherits the business, he rushes an untested product to market that severely disfigures hundreds of customers. The resulting financial collapse forces Roman to accept a humiliating buyout from Bruce Wayne. Consumed by anger toward Wayne, Roman turns to a life of crime as Black Mask, a kingpin first introduced by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake in 1985's Batman #386.
Although Ewan McGregor previously brought Roman Sionis to the big screen in 2020’s Birds of Prey, that project belonged to the previous DC Extended Universe. Consequently, those events are not considered part of the current DCU continuity. The inclusion of the Janus logo in Lanterns does not explicitly mean McGregor or Black Mask will appear on screen, but it formally cements the existence of Sionis family enterprises within the revamped universe.
The presence of a cosmetic firm might also quietly set the stage for another upcoming DC project. A new Clayface film, directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan, is slated to arrive in theaters this October. Centering on actor Matt Hagen, the movie adapts an origin story where a disfigured performer relies on an experimental treatment that transforms his body into clay. In past comic and animated iterations, such experimental drugs often overlapped with rogue corporate laboratories like Janus.
This easter egg marks another step in how Lanterns connects to the broader comic realm. Despite its central narrative being grounded in Rushville, Nebraska—where Stewart works alongside veteran hero Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler—the series continues to drop Gotham lore. Earlier in the season, Sheriff Kerry Kane, played by Kelly Macdonald, revealed her roots in Gotham City. Through these subtle worldbuilding details, the series demonstrates that the expanded DC Universe is already interconnected.
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