The Expanding Manhunter Mystery
HBO's Lanterns has introduced a detective-thriller twist to the Green Lantern mythos, and as episode 2 airs, the question of who—or what—the shapeshifting Manhunter is has only grown more complex. GamesRadar+ notes that the pool of candidates has deepened, with suspicious townsfolk and a Green Lantern who doesn't seem himself among the possibilities. The show's writers, Damon Lindelof, Tom King, and Chris Mundy, are known for narrative misdirection, which only fuels speculation.
In DC comics, Manhunters are an alien race created by the Guardians of the Universe, first appearing in Justice League of America in the 1970s. They were initially conceived as a proto-Green Lantern Corps but wiped out an entire sector, as reported by GamesRadar+. In the show, however, they appear as shapeshifting aliens, a departure from the comics' cyborg-like versions—a change that seems to invoke comparisons to Martian Manhunter, though the show's take is distinct.
The suspect list includes Hal Jordan himself. GamesRadar+ points out that 'Hal Jordan' is dead in 2026, but that might be a ruse, especially given some out-of-character outbursts. In episode 2, Hal visits Sinestro in a Guardians prison, adding another layer to his behavior. Other suspects include Sheriff Kane (Kelly Macdonald), who handled the mass shooting scene with suspicion and pursued a separate alien species, and William Macon, played by Garret Dillahunt, who isolates himself on his ranch with armed guards. Dillahunt told SyFy that Macon's identity might be a front for another character, though the actor's age—early 60s—contrasts with his son and daughter-in-law, played by actors in their mid-40s and early 50s, which could be a clue or a red herring.
Zoe Macon had a car hook-up with John Stewart in the premiere, which could place her in the orbit of the investigation, while Billy Macon, a folksy small-town lawyer, is seen as least likely to be the Manhunter, paradoxically making him a prime suspect, as GamesRadar+ notes.
The killings in episode 2 take on greater importance, with the fate of the world, galaxy, and universe hanging on the identity of the last Manhunter, according to Slate. This raises the stakes beyond a simple procedural, hinting at cosmic consequences.
John Stewart's Unprecedented Feat
While the Manhunter mystery drives the plot, episode 2 also delivers a moment that challenges a fundamental rule of Green Lantern lore. Polygon reports that in the 2014 animated film Justice League: War, Batman steals Hal Jordan's ring, demonstrating that a Lantern must wear the ring to use its powers. The film, adapted from Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League #1, establishes this rule through Hal's powers disappearing when the ring is taken.
In Lanterns episode 2, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) maintains an intricate, autonomous construct while separated from his ring and after losing consciousness—twice, nearly dying in the process. This would be impressive even for a veteran Lantern, but John has only been training for two months and still can't fly, as reported by Polygon. The episode opens with John's first flight lesson, where Hal tells him to 'Think flight,' but John conjures a small bird instead, shocking Hal.
The bird construct persists even when John is unconscious, which Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) calls 'wildly impressive,' noting it's done without a ring. John himself says that creating a living thing while not wearing the ring is 'practically impossible,' and Hal gives him a 'hoo-rah.' Afterward, John crushes the bird, turning it to cosmic green dust, after saying it's 'just a bird.'
The show hasn't presented John as an architect, contrary to DC's official description of the character, which states that John creates constructs that are never hollow, building from the inside out due to his architectural mind. Instead, the show gives him artistic inclinations, shown through his detailed sketch of an alien. In the comics, John's most advanced construct is a sentient being called Ellie, created after absorbing the Godstorm, which elevated him to cosmic god status. Polygon suggests that the show may be setting John up to become a prodigy among the Corps, potentially the most powerful Green Lantern in the DC Universe.
A Detective Story in the Heartland
Beyond the lore, Lanterns has been widely described as 'True Detective with power rings,' a tagline that Polygon attributes to creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. The series follows Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) investigating a shooting in Nebraska, with Jordan convinced of an alien connection. This rural detective story marks a departure from the space-faring adventures typically associated with Green Lantern, and Polygon recommends the original True Detective as a perfect weekend binge for fans.
True Detective, created by Nic Pizzolatto in 2014, stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as detectives investigating a murder with satanic elements across multiple timelines (1995, 2002, 2012). The show is praised for its moody, bleak atmosphere and strong performances, and Polygon notes that Lanterns aims for a similar Odd Couple dynamic between Hal and John as True Detective has between its leads. Slate also draws comparisons to Ozark, given Mundy's work on both shows, reinforcing the small-town noir tone.
Earth's Hidden Secret
The mystery extends beyond the Manhunter to why Earth is so significant. Screen Rant reports that Hal tells John at a bar that the Guardians have convinced the galaxy Earth is a backwater planet, making Hal the first human Green Lantern. But Hal believes the Guardians are lying, and Screen Rant suggests the answer may lie in comic book lore: the Life Entity, a being buried 230 meters under Earth's surface, representing the beginning of the universe. The Life Entity battled the Black and sent its power out, forming the Emotional Spectrum entities, and Earth sits at the center of the Cosmic Nexus, where dimensional boundaries are thinnest.
This could explain why Earth is ignored by the galaxy—and why the Guardians might want to keep it secret. Screen Rant also references James Gunn's statement that Lanterns is an important piece of his DCU puzzle, hinting at a larger narrative involving an invasion event, as seen in the comics' 'Invasion!' crossover, where the Dominators, Khunds, and Thanagarians sought to eliminate the metagene on Earth.
Perspectives
GamesRadar+: Focuses on the Manhunter suspect list, weighing each character's likelihood and acknowledging the writers' penchant for misdirection, while noting Dillahunt's own hints about his character's identity.
Polygon: Emphasizes the show's departure from superhero conventions and its debt to True Detective, and separately highlights John Stewart's feat as breaking a canon rule, positioning him as a prodigy.
Screen Rant: Argues that the Guardians' secrecy is tied to Earth's hidden cosmic significance, specifically the Life Entity, and suggests the show is setting up a larger invasion narrative.
Slate: Approaches the series with witty skepticism, critiquing the silliness of the Green Lantern concept while praising the modernization of characters like John Stewart, and noting the show's improvement on comic-book tropes.