James Gunn’s DCU Officially Retcons Hal Jordan's Green Lantern Origin Story

Image credit: John Johnson/HBO Max Published Sep 27, 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 7.Lanterns episode 7 comes with some major reveals for the DC Universe series, a shocking ending, and a dark twist to Hal Jordan's origin story, making it an episode packed with new information. In Lanterns episode 6's ending, the live-action DC TV show saw Aaron Pierre's John Stewart bring Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan back from the dead, kinda, through the use of the Hal-o-gram that was stored in Hal's ring, which Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner got from Oa, alongside Hal's Green Lantern suit. That is followed up in episode 7 as Lanterns sees the Hal-o-gram and John try to solve Hal's murder. Another major Lanterns episode 6 reveal was related to Sinestro. While the character spent years in prison after Hal stopped his coup, Sinestro managed to escape, as confirmed by Guy. In Lanterns episode 7, that specific thread is picked back up in an exciting way that not only sets up the DC villain to play a major role in the Lanterns season 1 finale, but also teases how Sinestro might have already had a hand in the most important element of the show, which is the fact that someone mysteriously murdered Hal Jordan. Could Sinestro have done it somehow? Maybe. 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 One of the most interesting aspects of the hit HBO series is how Lanterns takes time to explore who Hal and John are as characters, using the many decades the show spans in terms of DCU lore. Just like John had an entire episode focused on his backstory earlier in the season, Hal now gets the time to see the DCU show fans the veteran Green Lantern's origin story, which plays out in parallel to John and the Hal-o-gram's investigation of Hal's death. It turns out that DC had a dark change made to Hal's origin, and might connect to his death. Did Hal Jordan Kill Himself? The main mystery that Lanterns has yet to answer is that of the identity of Hal Jordan's killer. Back when the Green Lantern legend was shown frozen and dead in the bleachers in Rushville, details like the absence of his Green Lantern ring and Hal's broken nose drew attention. However, both elements were since explained in Lanterns episode 6. After the Manhunter was killed in 2016, the Guardians of the Universe locked away Hal's ring and forged a new one for Fillion's Guy Gardner to wear, so Hal was never supposed to have the ring with him when he died. As for the broken nose, that came directly from Pierre's John Stewart, who punched Hal in the face after Chandler's character mocked John, saying he was afraid. John obviously did not kill Hal, so that was not connected to the murderer. While there are a few candidates for whom the murderer could be, such as Billy Macon, his son Noah, Sheriff Kerry, and Sinestro, Lanterns episode 7 poses the question of whether the culprit might be someone DC fans would never have suspected. As they investigate Hal's death, the Hal-o-gram suggests that the Green Lantern veteran might have killed himself. At face value, this makes no sense, as Hal was a character who was full of life and kept telling John that he would have to pry the ring from his lifeless body to replace him. However, the reveal that Hal lived his life thinking that his dad did not die in a plane accident, but rather used that to commit suicide, really put things in a new light. The Hal-o-gram's explanation of Sheriff Kerry's possible involvement, with her realizing what Hal did and making it look like a murder to preserve his image, would also track. This tragic route might have some merit to it. What Is Going On With Sinestro? One of the final moments of Lanterns episode 7 is the reveal that Sinestro is hiding on the planet John and the Hal-o-gram were exploring. This comes after Guy Gardner revealed to John that Sinestro had escaped prison in episode 6. Given how it was Hal who had the portal to travel to this planet hidden in his stash, there is a huge chance that Chandler's character was responsible for breaking Sinestro out of prison and helping him hide. Interestingly, by the timing of the events, Hal would not have had his Green Lantern ring to do so. That is where the Yellow Lantern Corps could come in to explain what is going on in the Lanterns season 1 finale. When John and the Hal-o-gram were talking about all the death and loss on that planet, they commented on how a fear gas of sorts made the citizens lose their minds and turn on each other. The fact that Sinestro, who is known as the creator of the Yellow Lantern Corps, which uses fear as its source of power, rather than willpower like the Green Lanterns do, was found hiding on that planet specifically feels like too much of a coincidence. If Hal had access to the planet, and knowing how he would never have been fine with Guy becoming Green Lantern in his place, Chandler's character could have turned to forging a Yellow Lantern Corps' power ring for himself on this planet, drawing on residual fear, perhaps. Then, Hal could have managed to break Sinestro out of prison. Given how Sinestro and Hal are said to have a father-son relationship in the DCU, having Hal save him from prison after spending a decade himself in one on Earth would be on-brand for Hal. What Hal Jordan's Origin Story Tweak Changes About Lanterns The tweak to Hal Jordan's origin story in Lanterns episode 7 was the addition that Hal thought his father killed himself instead of dying in a tragic accident. This explains a lot of how Chandler's Hal Jordan turned out to be in the DCU, especially related to how he keeps almost everyone at arm's length and had such a tight bond with Sinestro as the Guardians of the Universe claimed he had. The Lanterns episode 7 flashbacks showed how much Hal was like his dad and looked up to him. Replacing that role model in his life with Sinestro would make sense. The origin story tweak also explains why Hal might have killed himself, as he came to his lowest point in life, having spent a decade in prison and no longer a Green Lantern, possibly choosing to repeat the example set by his father, which is a really dark way of looking at the situation. Lanterns episode 7 explains what makes Hal Jordan tick, and that could be the clue that was left to realize how the DC hero really died. Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Chris Mundy Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart Directors Alik Sakharov, James Hawes, Stephen Williams, Geeta Patel Writers Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy, Tom King, Vanessa Baden Kelly, Justin Britt-Gibson, Breannah Gibson Franchise(s) DC Universe Creator(s) Tom King, Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof