From Mashable · Belen Edwards · · 2m
Lanterns just blew up its own premise
Episode 5 killed the Manhunter, wrecked Rushville, and left the show with no Green Lantern and three episodes to fill.
In brief
Episode 5 killed the Manhunter, wrecked Rushville, and left the show with no Green Lantern and three episodes to fill. The Manhunter mystery is closed, so the real story was always the one from episode 1: who killed Hal Jordan. Originally reported by Mashable.
Quick answers
- Who killed Hal Jordan?
- Episode 1 opened on Hal's corpse on the Rushville football field. Episode 6 likely jumps to 2026 and follows John's life after quitting, and his hunt for Hal's killer.
- What is the key takeaway from Lanterns just blew up its own premise?
- The Manhunter mystery is closed, so the real story was always the one from episode 1: who killed Hal Jordan.
An episode that ate a season
Episode 5 put Hal Jordan and John Stewart against Manhunter Zoe Macon, flattened Rushville, and turned the two Lanterns on each other. It plays like a finale with three episodes still to go.
“Between these game-changing confrontations and a number of key character deaths, episode 5 truly felt like a season finale.”
Zoe turns a town into a weapon
She heals John, then puts a town-wide kill order on Hal so Rushville's citizens arm up to protect her. The laser satellite from episode 4 starts carving pieces out of the town.
Hal's frame job backfires
Hal points Antaan and his alien crew at William Macon's compound, calling Macon the Manhunter. Macon sells it with Zoe's coaching, but Antaan sees through it and kills him anyway.
“RIP to Lanterns' resident exhibitionist wife guy.”
Antaan goes out mid-air
Antaan turns on Zoe next, and Hal throws him clear of her, leaving him to explode in the air. One popular fan theory dies with him.
“RIP to the "Antaan is Atrocitus" theory.”
The motel fight
Hal and John brawl over the power ring, spilling months of resentment, until Zoe levels the motel. Hal still bubbles John inside his shield to keep him alive.
John uses Hal as bait
In the wreckage, John lays out Hal's prone body to draw Zoe in, then snipes her. The Manhunter mystery the show has been running on is over.
The ring feels like nothing
John takes the ring and the lantern, then tells Guardian Lianna he wants out. After a childhood of brutal training and years of sacrifice, wearing it lands flat.
“To answer the question Hal poses after their fight: No, it wasn't worth it.”
Who killed Hal Jordan?
Episode 1 opened on Hal's corpse on the Rushville football field. Episode 6 likely jumps to 2026 and follows John's life after quitting, and his hunt for Hal's killer.
“Now, Lanterns is both Lantern-less and Manhunter-less.”
Guy Gardner is out there
In 2026, Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner holds this sector's ring. Whether he shows up for a gag or joins the murder investigation is one of three episodes' worth of open questions, alongside Sinestro and Parallax.
The big picture
The Manhunter mystery is closed, so the real story was always the one from episode 1: who killed Hal Jordan.
