DC Studios and HBO have released a midseason trailer for Lanterns, and for fans disappointed by the lack of cosmic action in the first five instalments, it seems the best—and blackest night—is yet to come in the remaining three instalments.
The big twist is that, after what happened in Rushville in 2016, Hal Jordan was arrested and imprisoned for his role in the deaths of the townspeople. It appears he took the fall for John Stewart, and when they unexpectedly reunite (before Hal's death), the former Green Lantern quickly reminds him of that.
What happens between this meeting and the moment that John and Sheriff Kerry Kane discover Hal's frozen body remains to be seen, and all signs in this sneak peek point to him really being dead.
However, there are some very intriguing space-set moments here, including a meeting between John and Sinestro and the 2026 Hal waking up a prisoner somewhere. If we had to guess, this is likely before his body is left in the football stadium, but there's always a slim chance a shapeshifting alien has taken his place to throw John, Kerry, and Guy Gardner—who also appears in the trailer—off the scent.
The trailer also confirms that the series will explore Hal's childhood, which hopefully means the series plans to at least touch on his early days as Green Lantern.
"I saw the description as not a symbiotic relationship with her in that town. I think of it more parasitically," Kyle Chandler recently said of Hal's actions and his clash with the Manhunter, Zoe. "The only reason she's doing what she's doing is so she can keep her safety. She's still a threat, and she's still a danger."
"It's like a really bad guy settling in, saying, 'Hey, I'm gonna hang out here. Don't tell anyone, and until I leave, I'll let you have free dinners,'" the actor continued. "Once she's gone, she's not gonna care about whether [Rushville's citizens] starve or not. So I say the hell with her, and I'm glad she's gone! As a person, I love Poorna – she's great. But as a character, nah, I could care less [for Zoe]. I did my job."
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Alongside Kyle Chander and Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones round out the cast.
Four episodes of Lanterns are now streaming on HBO Max.