The internet has found a new favorite way to talk about the 2026 Lanterns TV show: by turning its two stars into everyone else.
The “Thoughts On Lanterns” meme is an exploitable format based on a promotional image from the Green Lantern series. The photo shows the protagonists, John Stewart and Hal Jordan, played by Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler, walking down a street. In the meme, that image is edited or redrawn so the pair resemble other popular characters, with the caption tweaked to reference whatever franchise they have been dropped into.
The format went viral on X / Twitter in early September 2026.
Origin of the Format
The first post came from X user @fmjiggy on September 4th, 2026. They shared the image with a question about the show. It earned about 35 likes in six days. A modest start.
The format took off four days later. On September 8th, X user @jadeladeljadel posted an identical tweet, but with clothes badly edited onto Chandler and Pierre. That version performed far better, gathering over 53,000 likes and 3,700 reposts in two days.
The meme then spread rapidly as users produced their own variants.
The Big Edits
The most popular versions leaned on well-known pairings. On September 8th, X user @DaisyHugging posted an edit depicting the characters as the protagonists from Cuphead. It drew over 47,000 likes in two days.
The next day, September 9th, X user @OfficixlGrug posted a version that turned Chandler and Pierre into SpongeBob and Patrick. That one pulled in over 34,000 likes in a single day.
Later that same day, X user @DiscussingFish_ posted a version casting the pair as Walt and Jesse from Breaking Bad. It earned over 35,000 likes in a day.
| Edit | Creator | Likes (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Cuphead protagonists | @DaisyHugging | 47,000 |
| SpongeBob and Patrick | @OfficixlGrug | 34,000 |
| Walt and Jesse (Breaking Bad) | @DiscussingFish_ | 35,000 |
Spread and Timing
The timeline is clear. The original post earned modest attention on September 4th. The edited version arrived on September 8th and outperformed it dramatically. The variants followed within days.
| Original | Edited To | Franchise |
|---|---|---|
| John Stewart and Hal Jordan | Cuphead protagonists | Cuphead |
| John Stewart and Hal Jordan | SpongeBob and Patrick | SpongeBob |
| John Stewart and Hal Jordan | Walt and Jesse | Breaking Bad |
The visual gag is straightforward. Two actors walk down a street. Dropping familiar characters into that frame creates a contrast between the grounded, live-action tone of the Lanterns image and the cartoon or television characters superimposed onto it. The captions follow the same rule: a simple question that lets the image carry the joke.
The known examples are images. The entry is still being documented, with users continuing to contribute examples of the meme’s mutation.
That is the state of the format so far.
The Lanterns series itself is set for 2026, with Pierre and Chandler in the lead roles. The meme has already given the show a visible presence on social media.
Whether the edits will outlast the show’s release remains to be seen. For now, the format is simple, fast and endlessly repeatable.
That is usually enough.
Source: knowyourmeme.com
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