Warning: contains spoilers for Green Lantern Corps Annual #1!

DC just let loose an awesome Justice League Unlimited Easter Egg you may have missed. The Justice League Unlimited cartoon ranks as a highmark of the DC Animated Universe, and its depictions of the publisher’s greatest heroes influenced a generation of fans. Now, in Green Lantern Corps Annual #1, DC invokes the time-honored cartoon with a deep cut Easter Egg that will leave fans of the show breathless.

Green Lantern Corps Annual co-writer Jeremy Adams also writes Flash Gordon for Mad Cave Studios.

Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 was written by Morgan Hampton and Jeremy Adams and drawn by Fernando Pasarin. The Green Lantern Corps, now free from the control of Thaaros and the United Planets, is in the process of rebuilding. Jessica Cruz, the new head of the Corps, tells John Stewart she has a diplomatic mission for him, one involving the remnants of Thanagar, which was recently destroyed. Cruz tells him the surviving Thanagarians have asked for Stewart by name. Stewart is then surprised to learn his partner is none other than Hawkwoman.

Justice League Unlimited Made Stars Out of Green Lantern John Stewart and Hawkgirl

John Stewart and Hawkgirl Became One of the Best Parts of Justice League Unlimited

For fans of Justice League Unlimited, this was an amazing Easter Egg. The cartoon, which ran for three seasons, was a spin-off of the previous Justice League show. When the producers began assembling the team, they opted to use John Stewart for Green Lantern. They also phased out Aquaman, replacing him with Hawkgirl. While fans were generally OK with Stewart as Green Lantern, the use of Hawkgirl was greeted with confusion. Creatively, however, it turned out to be one of the best decisions the producers made. Hawkgirl’s addition shook up the tried and true Justice League formula.

Hawkgirl was hot-headed and brash, and watching her come into her own as a hero was one of the most satisfying to watch character arcs in the entire DC Animated Universe.

Hawkgirl and John Stewart’s presences in Justice League Unlimited not only ingrained them in the hearts and minds of fans, but also gave them interesting character arcs. Hawkgirl was torn between her loyalties to her home of Thanagar and the Justice League, and this conflict fed directly into the reformation of the League seen in Justice League Unlimited. Hawkgirl was hot-headed and brash, and watching her come into her own as a hero was one of the most satisfying to watch character arcs in the entire DC Animated Universe. And if that was not enough, she developed feelings for Stewart.

Hawkgirl and Green Lantern Were One of DC's Best Pairings That Never Happened in the Comics

Will John Stewart and Hawkwoman Rekindle the Spark Between Them?

The pairing of Green Lantern John Stewart and Hawkgirl would have seemed outlandish just a few years prior to the show’s premiere, but in a testament to the producers of Justice League Unlimited’s talent, it worked beautifully. Hawgirl and John Stewart shared a common bond: war. Both had been in the militaries of their respective worlds before becoming heroes, and saw horrific, traumatic sights, Hawkgirl in particular. This common ground enabled them to bond and help each other heal from the traumas of the past. Justice League Unlimited gave both characters some of their best stories ever.

And now DC is giving John Stewart and Hawkgirl (here going by Hawkwoman) a chance to bring their animated Justice League Unlimited romance to the comic. Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 makes it clear the two have met before, but ends before fans get the specifics, meaning they must wait for future issues of Green Lantern to learn how it played out in the DC Universe. While some fans may have missed this amazing Easter Egg, for many others it was a most welcome sight, harkening back to one of DC’s greatest cartoons.

Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 is on sale now from DC Comics!