HBO Lanterns performer J. Alphonse Nicholson, who portrays John Senior, told Fantastic Frankey on a Sunday edition of DC Studios Showcase The Official Podcast that Kamala Harris failed in the 2024 presidential race because the public lacks confidence in African American women. He said a female character of color on the series is what steers a young male figure toward his destination.

He invited listeners to picture a different present had Harris taken office and argued the country now lives with the results of that skepticism. Nicholson added that the series can illustrate the upside of placing confidence in such a figure and of building an exceptional costumed hero around her.