DC's Major Hal Jordan Twist Changes Everything: Lanterns Episode 1 Ending Explained

Published Aug 16, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for HBO's Lanterns episode 1.Lanterns is finally here, as the next chapter of the new DC Universe arrives, and this Green Lantern show already ends its first episode with a shocking twist that completely changes the game for the remaining seven episodes. The Lanterns premiere plays with a few different timelines, adding to the overall history of James Gunn's DCU, and making its characters layered. In 1996, the new HBO series showcases how John Stewart had a hard upbringing. While he looked up at Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan, who had already been the DCU's sole Green Lantern from Earth for a decade at that point, it was clear that his father did not approve. In fact, it seems like he actively trained John to be a Green Lantern in the future, judging by two key elements. When his dad shot the apple on John's head, several similar bullet holes could be seen on the wall behind the young character, and they grew with time, indicating that John had gone through the same drill over and over during his upbringing. Additionally, after Hal reveals that he was only asked one question to become Green Lantern, John's father asks him the same — "Are you afraid?" Sector 2814 · Ring Active How Well Do You Know Lanterns? “In brightest day, in blackest night...” 💍The RingPowered by will 🔦The Corps3,600 sectors 🌌OaThe Guardians 👮Earth BeatSector 2814 ⚠YellowPerilThe fear entity ACTIVATE RING → 01 Lanterns is one of the tentpole TV series launching James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. On which streaming platform does it air? ANetflix BHBO Max CDisney+ DApple TV+ ✓ Correct! HBO Max — Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streamer and the natural home for DCU prestige TV alongside Peacemaker and The Penguin. Lanterns is positioned as the DCU’s high-end serialised drama counterpart to Gunn’s theatrical Superman relaunch, sharing canon with the films. Disney+ runs Marvel; Netflix and Apple are rival streamers. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is HBO Max. Netflix has had various superhero shows but not DCU. Disney+ is Marvel’s home. Apple TV+ doesn’t house DC. HBO Max is Warner Bros. Discovery’s streamer and the TV home of the Gunn/Safran DCU — Lanterns joins Peacemaker and upcoming DCU series there. NEXT → 02 Unlike most Green Lantern adaptations, Lanterns pairs two Earth-based ring-bearers in a buddy-cop framework — a weathered veteran and a newer recruit partnered together on Sector 2814 duty. Which two Lanterns lead the show? AHal Jordan & Guy Gardner BHal Jordan & John Stewart CJohn Stewart & Kyle Rayner DHal Jordan & Kyle Rayner ✓ Correct! Hal Jordan and John Stewart — two of the most beloved Earth-assigned Lanterns — are paired as the show’s central duo. Hal is the hot-shot test-pilot veteran, John the disciplined ex-Marine architect with a sharper sense of justice. The pairing draws heavily from the Geoff Johns comics era and lets the show explore two very different philosophies of what a Green Lantern should be. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Guy Gardner (played by Nathan Fillion) is a separate DCU character who appears in the 2025 Superman film. Kyle Rayner is a beloved Lantern but not part of this show. The Lanterns duo is the Hal/John pairing — a pointedly contrasting veteran and recruit on Sector 2814 duty together. NEXT → 03 The role of Hal Jordan — the weathered, test-pilot-turned-space-cop original Earth Lantern — went to a veteran actor best known as Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights and for leading Bloodline. Who plays Hal? ARyan Reynolds (reprising) BKyle Chandler CNathan Fillion DChris Pine ✓ Correct! Kyle Chandler — Emmy winner for Friday Night Lights, star of Bloodline, and part of the Monsterverse (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) — plays an older, weathered Hal Jordan. James Gunn wanted a seasoned, grounded presence rather than a rookie. Ryan Reynolds played Hal in 2011’s widely-mocked Green Lantern film (a different continuity); Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Kyle Chandler. Ryan Reynolds’ Hal was the 2011 film (a separate, mostly-disowned continuity). Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film — not Hal. Chris Pine isn’t in the DCU. Chandler’s weathered, Friday-Night-Lights gravitas is exactly the mature Hal energy Gunn wanted for the show. NEXT → 04 John Stewart — ex-Marine sniper, architect, and one of DC’s most iconic Black heroes — is played by a British actor who broke out in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge. Who is he? AAaron Pierre BWinston Duke CSterling K. Brown DJohn Boyega ✓ Correct! Aaron Pierre — the British actor who earned raves as Caesar in The Underground Railroad (2021) and carried Netflix’s Rebel Ridge (2024) with a performance frequently compared to early Denzel Washington. Gunn called his casting “a no-brainer.” Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown and John Boyega are all great actors but not in the role. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Aaron Pierre. Winston Duke is M’Baku in the Marvel universe. Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, American Fiction) is Marvel-adjacent too. John Boyega famously played Finn in Star Wars. Pierre’s Rebel Ridge performance — playing a disciplined ex-Marine — is essentially his audition for John Stewart, and Gunn’s team cast him off it. NEXT → 05 James Gunn has repeatedly pitched Lanterns as a grounded, small-town murder-mystery thriller — where the space-cop rings are secondary to a detective case on Earth. Which acclaimed HBO series is his go-to tonal comparison? ATrue Detective BThe Wire CWestworld DWatchmen ✓ Correct! Gunn has explicitly called Lanterns his “True Detective in the DCU” — a slow-burn, atmospheric, character-driven case with superhero elements layered over a grounded murder mystery. Showrunner Chris Mundy actually did True Detective: Night Country duties, bringing that DNA directly. Watchmen (Damon Lindelof) was also cited, and Lindelof has consulting writer credits, but True Detective is the primary comp. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is True Detective. Gunn has named it as the explicit tonal blueprint — a slow-burn, character-driven murder mystery with superhero elements layered over it. Chris Mundy, the show’s runner, worked on True Detective: Night Country, bringing the DNA directly. Watchmen was a secondary comp (Damon Lindelof consults), but True Detective is the primary pitch. NEXT → 06 When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as DC Studios co-CEOs in 2022, they announced a rebooted slate of interconnected films and TV shows — with Lanterns among the launch titles. What is this first DCU phase officially called? AChapter 1: Gods and Monsters BCrisis on Infinite Earths CThe Flashpoint Initiative DDark Knights Rising ✓ Correct! Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters — announced in January 2023 as the Gunn/Safran DCU’s opening slate. It includes Superman (2025), The Authority, Supergirl, The Brave and the Bold, Paradise Lost, Waller, Creature Commandos, and of course Lanterns. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a comics event; Flashpoint and Dark Knights are other DC storylines, not the chapter branding. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a famous DC comics crossover event (and Arrowverse crossover) but not a DCU chapter label. Flashpoint was referenced in The Flash (2023) from the now-defunct DCEU. The Gunn/Safran era officially named its launch phase Gods and Monsters — Superman 2025, Lanterns, and related titles. NEXT → 07 Green Lanterns serve the Guardians of the Universe, an ancient race who created the Corps’ 3,600-sector peacekeeping force and charge the Lantern rings from a central Power Battery on their home planet. What is the Guardians’ homeworld called? AKrypton BOa CThemyscira DApokolips ✓ Correct! Oa — the small blue-skinned Guardians’ home at the centre of the universe. It houses the Central Power Battery from which all Green Lantern rings draw their energy, and serves as the Corps’ academy and operational base. Krypton is Superman’s destroyed homeworld; Themyscira is Wonder Woman’s hidden Amazon island; Apokolips is Darkseid’s hellscape. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Oa. Krypton is Superman’s homeworld. Themyscira is Paradise Island where Wonder Woman was raised. Apokolips is Darkseid’s grim world in the Fourth World mythos. Oa is specifically the Guardians of the Universe’s planet — home to the Central Power Battery that fuels every Green Lantern ring in all 3,600 sectors. NEXT → 08 Every Green Lantern recites the same oath when charging their ring — a four-line rhyming incantation that’s become one of the most famous pieces of verse in comic-book history. How does it famously begin? A“In the darkest hour, a light shall rise...” B“In brightest day, in blackest night...” C“By the power of Oa, I serve...” D“Ring of willpower, heed my call...” ✓ Correct! “In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” The oath dates back to 1940’s All-American Comics #16, was refined through the Silver Age, and is considered one of DC’s most sacred bits of verse. Every canonical adaptation includes some version of it. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is “In brightest day, in blackest night...” The full oath: “No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” It’s been canon since 1940 and remains one of comics’ most instantly recognisable pieces of verse — recited in every major Green Lantern adaptation. REVEAL MY SCORE → Ring Depowered · Report to Oa Your Corps Rank 💍 / 8 Honor Guard veteran — or still in Corps training? ⤴ RECHARGE RING The other two timelines in Lanterns episode 1 are 2016, which is when the main Rushville mystery takes place, with Chandler's Hal reluctantly training Aaron Pierre's John as they investigate an alien presence in the Nebraska city, and 2026. The latter introduces a major plot twist, with a mystery that shakes the DCU to its core. Hal Jordan Is Dead - What's Going On? That mystery would be what happened to Earth's first Green Lantern, as John Stewart is called back to Rushville by Kelly Macdonald's Sheriff Kerry, only to find Hal, who is dead, sitting under snow in the bleachers of the stadium where they first looked into the Rushville murders a decade prior. The 2026 timeline is barely explored in Lanterns episode 1, leaving no real clues as to what led to Hal's death, which will no doubt become one of the live-action DC show's main storylines moving forward. However, John makes a major discovery, as he notices Hal does not have his ring. As such, there are two possibilities in play here. Either someone killed Hal Jordan and took his Green Lantern ring, or Hal did not have it on for some reason and ended up being murdered with no chance to defend himself. Thinking about the former, Lanterns' trailers have confirmed that Ulrich Thomsem's Sinestro is in prison in the show. As such, there is a chance that he could be the one to kill Hal and take his Green Lantern ring, given that he would not have access to one himself and might hold a grudge against his former mentee. That said, Sinestro is not the only one who could be behind Hal's death. Lanterns episode 1 showed how Hal managed to sniff out an alien conspiracy in Rushville, as the alien who exploded himself mentioned he was there for vengeance and to start a war. Whatever happens in the 2016 timeline could lead to an alien character murdering Hal Jordan 10 years later. Finally, in the brief amount of time spent in 2026, it is worth noting that Pierre's John Stewart sports the Green Lantern's iconic goatee from the animated Justice League Unlimited and other projects. Lanterns' Rushville Mystery Explained When they get to the small town of Rushville, Nebraska, Hal has been training John for two months. The latter does not have his own ring, as he borrows Hal's when they are to have a "lesson," like surviving being thrown off a cliff inside a car. Upon hearing a message about Rushville, Hal flies faster than the speed of sound to the small town. There, Hal catches John up to speed about a mass shooting, which he believes is related to aliens, though the local sheriff, Kerry, thinks that is inaccurate. Throughout the episode, we learn about how Garret Dillahunt's William Macon apparently runs the town, that Zoe, his wife, cheated on him with John Stewart, who did not know she was married, and how his son, Billy, is a lawyer married to Kerry. Additionally, Hal's hunch about the mass shooting suspect being alien is proven right by the end of the episode, with the alien triggering a self-destruct explosion that is somewhat contained by Hal creating a green bubble with his Green Lantern ring around him. Additionally, Hal is connected to the mystery because he met Abin Sur and became a Green Lantern in Nebraska. Who Is Garret Dillahunt's William Macon? Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max William Macon is being set up as a powerful player in Rushville. The character is shown to be rich and have an influence on the city's dealings, though he appears to work for a secret person. In addition to that, he knows that John hooked up with his wife, which Hal makes fun of to a shocked Stewart when they are alone. Before Lanterns was released, several theories about who Macon could be popped up. The biggest of them was that Dillahunt was secretly playing one of the Green Lanterns' major villains, Black Hand. In DC Comics, the villain's real name is William Hand, thus sharing a first name with Dillahunt's character in Lanterns. Black Hand is the leader of the Black Lantern Corps and was behind the iconic Blackest Night event, which ended with many heroes being resurrected. As such, William Macon is a character to watch in Lanterns now that Hal Jordan is dead in 2026. Everything We Learn About Hal Jordan And John Stewart In Lanterns Episode 1 Another way in which Hal Jordan could return to life was seemingly set up at the start of the Lanterns premiere. When John is alone with the ring after he survived the car explosion, a backup of Hal's consciousness pops out of the ring. This is a younger version of Chandler's Green Lantern, who reveals that all members of the Green Lantern Corps are required to be uploaded weekly in case anything happens. Lanterns episode 1 reveals that Hal has been active since 1986, he is a fan-favorite celebrity, and only wears the Green Lantern suit on special occasions. Additionally, Hal was brought by a green bubble to the middle of Nebraska, where he met a dying Abin Sur, who gave him his Green Lantern ring. Hal is cocky, confident, and an experienced hero with impressive detective skills, if unusual methods. As for Pierre's John Stewart, not only has he been training with Hal for two months to be a Green Lantern, but his rigid father seems to have been training him for that role his entire life. John is stoic, physically imposing, smart, and has a military past. How John deals with Hal's death in Lanterns will be interesting to follow. Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Chris Mundy Directors James Hawes Writers Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart Franchise(s) DC Universe Creator(s) Tom King, Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof