We've reached the halfway point in Lanterns—you can read our episode 4 recap here—and James Gunn has just revealed a new poster for the DC Studios/HBO series.
After "The Weenie," Hal Jordan doesn't trust John Stewart any more than John trusts him, and he appears to be taking Sinestro's advice by discrediting his trainee and stopping the Manhunter threat alone. This will lead to the duo clashing, but could it also be what eventually brings them closer together?
We know that John decides not to take Hal's ring in 2016, and as we get closer to learning more about the veteran Green Lantern's apparent death in 2026, the Manhunter, Zoe, looks set to step into the spotlight.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actress Poorna Jagannathan described Zoe as "a victim of what the Guardians have created, a victim of her programming, a victim of perception."
She added that Lanterns' creative team "really wanted this Manhunter to feel human emotions, and yet her programming will always get the better of her, even at times that she doesn’t want it. So I was struck by how much humanity they imbued in even the character that’s supposed to be the most evil."
It turns out that programming included having sex with John. Jagannathan explains that Zoe's "MO" is "[identifying] her biggest threat and [having] sex with them" because "she will initiate the most intimate relationship with a person who has anything to do with her extinction, and she will flip them."
Zoe has now seduced John twice and faked her death after leaving his motel room. We learn throughout the episode that the Manhunter is responsible for Rushville's populace being so healthy, and that she cured William Macon's cancer. So, is she really all bad?
Addressing the motel tryst, Jagannathan said, "That’s her way of showing John that it is me and there’s nothing to be afraid of, and I’m not a threat, so just go home. So, yeah, it reframed everything for me." In the comics, the Guardians of the Universe aren't exactly known for their honesty, so it stands to reason that all is not as it seems with the Manhunter or Lianna.
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.