James Gunn's DCU Officially Kills Off A Founding Member Of The Justice League

DC's Major Hal Jordan Twist Changes Everything: Lanterns Episode 1 Ending Explained

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for HBO's Lanterns episode 1.Lanterns is finally here, as the next chapter of the new DC Universe arrives, and this Green Lantern show already ends its first episode with a shocking twist that completely changes the game for the remaining seven episodes. The Lanterns premiere plays with a few different timelines, adding to the overall history of James Gunn's DCU, and making its characters layered.

In 1996, the new HBO series showcases how John Stewart had a hard upbringing. While he looked up at Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan, who had already been the DCU's sole Green Lantern from Earth for a decade at that point, it was clear that his father did not approve. In fact, it seems like he actively trained John to be a Green Lantern in the future, judging by two key elements.

When his dad shot the apple on John's head, several similar bullet holes could be seen on the wall behind the young character, and they grew with time, indicating that John had gone through the same drill over and over during his upbringing. Additionally, after Hal reveals that he was only asked one question to become Green Lantern, John's father asks him the same — "Are you afraid?"

The other two timelines in Lanterns episode 1 are 2016, which is when the main Rushville mystery takes place, with Chandler's Hal reluctantly training Aaron Pierre's John as they investigate an alien presence in the Nebraska city, and 2026. The latter introduces a major plot twist, with a mystery that shakes the DCU to its core.

Hal Jordan Is Dead - What's Going On?

That mystery would be what happened to Earth's first Green Lantern, as John Stewart is called back to Rushville by Kelly Macdonald's Sheriff Kerry, only to find Hal, who is dead, sitting under snow in the bleachers of the stadium where they first looked into the Rushville murders a decade prior. The 2026 timeline is barely explored in Lanterns episode 1, leaving no real clues as to what led to Hal's death, which will no doubt become one of the live-action DC show's main storylines moving forward. However, John makes a major discovery, as he notices Hal does not have his ring.

As such, there are two possibilities in play here. Either someone killed Hal Jordan and took his Green Lantern ring, or Hal did not have it on for some reason and ended up being murdered with no chance to defend himself. Thinking about the former, Lanterns' trailers have confirmed that Ulrich Thomsem's Sinestro is in prison in the show. As such, there is a chance that he could be the one to kill Hal and take his Green Lantern ring, given that he would not have access to one himself and might hold a grudge against his former mentee.

That said, Sinestro is not the only one who could be behind Hal's death. Lanterns episode 1 showed how Hal managed to sniff out an alien conspiracy in Rushville, as the alien who exploded himself mentioned he was there for vengeance and to start a war. Whatever happens in the 2016 timeline could lead to an alien character murdering Hal Jordan 10 years later. Finally, in the brief amount of time spent in 2026, it is worth noting that Pierre's John Stewart sports the Green Lantern's iconic goatee from the animated Justice League Unlimited and other projects.

Lanterns' Rushville Mystery Explained

When they get to the small town of Rushville, Nebraska, Hal has been training John for two months. The latter does not have his own ring, as he borrows Hal's when they are to have a "lesson," like surviving being thrown off a cliff inside a car. Upon hearing a message about Rushville, Hal flies faster than the speed of sound to the small town. There, Hal catches John up to speed about a mass shooting, which he believes is related to aliens, though the local sheriff, Kerry, thinks that is inaccurate.

Throughout the episode, we learn about how Garret Dillahunt's William Macon apparently runs the town, that Zoe, his wife, cheated on him with John Stewart, who did not know she was married, and how his son, Billy, is a lawyer married to Kerry. Additionally, Hal's hunch about the mass shooting suspect being alien is proven right by the end of the episode, with the alien triggering a self-destruct explosion that is somewhat contained by Hal creating a green bubble with his Green Lantern ring around him. Additionally, Hal is connected to the mystery because he met Abin Sur and became a Green Lantern in Nebraska.

Who Is Garret Dillahunt's William Macon?

William Macon is being set up as a powerful player in Rushville. The character is shown to be rich and have an influence on the city's dealings, though he appears to work for a secret person. In addition to that, he knows that John hooked up with his wife, which Hal makes fun of to a shocked Stewart when they are alone. Before Lanterns was released, several theories about who Macon could be popped up.

The biggest of them was that Dillahunt was secretly playing one of the Green Lanterns' major villains, Black Hand. In DC Comics, the villain's real name is William Hand, thus sharing a first name with Dillahunt's character in Lanterns. Black Hand is the leader of the Black Lantern Corps and was behind the iconic Blackest Night event, which ended with many heroes being resurrected. As such, William Macon is a character to watch in Lanterns now that Hal Jordan is dead in 2026.

Everything We Learn About Hal Jordan And John Stewart In Lanterns Episode 1

Another way in which Hal Jordan could return to life was seemingly set up at the start of the Lanterns premiere. When John is alone with the ring after he survived the car explosion, a backup of Hal's consciousness pops out of the ring. This is a younger version of Chandler's Green Lantern, who reveals that all members of the Green Lantern Corps are required to be uploaded weekly in case anything happens. Lanterns episode 1 reveals that Hal has been active since 1986, he is a fan-favorite celebrity, and only wears the Green Lantern suit on special occasions.

Additionally, Hal was brought by a green bubble to the middle of Nebraska, where he met a dying Abin Sur, who gave him his Green Lantern ring. Hal is cocky, confident, and an experienced hero with impressive detective skills, if unusual methods. As for Pierre's John Stewart, not only has he been training with Hal for two months to be a Green Lantern, but his rigid father seems to have been training him for that role his entire life. John is stoic, physically imposing, smart, and has a military past. How John deals with Hal's death in Lanterns will be interesting to follow.