Lanterns is airing now on HBO Max and, well, we still can't believe they killed off Hal Jordan that quickly.
The new DC series follows Green Lantern Hal (Kyle Chandler) and his mentee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they find themselves embroiled in an intergalactic mystery in a rural Nebraskan town. The show has been well-received by critics and fans alike thus far, with many praising the fact that it isn't afraid to get a little dark... so much so, that they killed off the lead character in episode 1 (though it was in a flash-forward).
So... whodunnit? Well, we're only three episodes in, with the third being a flashback that clued us in to John's origins (something that surprisingly doesn't happen in the comics). That being said, we've got a few ideas as to killed Hal, but be warned: there are major spoilers for Lanterns episodes 1 and 2 below! For more, check out the current lineup of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, plus a fuller look at the upcoming DC movies in the works.
Who killed Hal Jordan?
Not everybody is a fan of Hal Jordan. In fact, Lanterns episode 1 taught us that most people can barely stand him. But is Hal hated so much that someone would put a gun to his forehead and end his life? It does seem that way. At the end of the episode, we fast-forward 10 years to 2026, where John appears to be returning to Rushville after some time away. He meets up with Sheriff Kane, who takes him out to the football field where a dead Hal Jordan is sitting upright, frozen, and with a bullet in his head.
Sheriff Kane
Sheriff Kane definitely has some secrets, though we don't know if those are related to her ties to Gotham City. She's not the biggest fan of Hal Jordan, who keeps undermining her authority, and doesn't understand why he just won't leave and let her do her job. We, the audience, know that this is because this intergalactic war that's brewing is well above her pay grade, but we can also understand where she's coming from. As Hal continues to stir things up in Rushville, resentment from various townsfolk continues to build.
It's possible that Hal returned to Rushville in 2026, and Sheriff Kane, with hatred for Hal still in her heart, pulled the trigger. And as for why she would possibly dispose of the gun and call John to come all the way back and investigate... it could all be part of some bigger, more complex plot.
John Stewart
I'd argue that John has an actual reason to kill Hal, especially after Hal tried to kill him as a test of sorts via a car crash. He doesn't seem too keen on handing over the ring to John, even though that's quite literally what he's supposed to do and why he's training him in the first place. It's possible that John later becomes the new Green Lantern, but only after killing his reluctant mentor.
William Macon
To quote John Stewart, William Macon is pretty weird. He's the head honcho of Rushville, and lives on an estate that just so happens to be filled with both horses and high-tech alien technology. Hal is pretty suspicious of Macon, who, in turn, is not a big fan of Hal... and he had no problem getting his men to shoot him in the arm. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Macon was capable of murder, too.
We still don't know why Hal would return to Rushville some 10 years later, but we can see why it might prove to be an annoyance for the townspeople... including Macon. Hal has already inadvertently caused some destruction, and there's probably a lot more to come.
The Manhunter
We don't know who the Manhunter is just yet, but we do have some ideas. In the comics, Manhunters are an alien race created by the Guardians of the Universe who eventually turned on their creators and became evil as all get out. As we learned in Lanterns episode 2, the Manhunter, who is currently hiding out in Rushville, Nebraska of all places, committed a particularly twisted type of massacre against a specific alien race. Who's to say they wouldn't kill Hal Jordan for getting in the way of future genocidal plans?
Sinestro
If anyone has a true bone to pick with Hal Jordan, beyond just general annoyance, it's Sinestro. In the comics, it's Hal who puts an end to Sinestro's tyrannical rule over his home planet (as he uses his Green Lantern status for evil). Because of this, we can assume that Hal is also the reason that Sinestro is behind bars at the end of Lanterns episode 2. And given that he's escaped several times throughout the comics, who's to say he can't escape and finally take revenge against Hal? Although a simple bullet to the head seems a little too clean for a genocidal maniac like Sinestro.
Lanterns is airing now on HBO Max. For more, check out our Lanterns review and Lanterns release schedule.
