Lanterns Episode 1's DCU-Changing Ending, Explained

This article contains spoilers for Lanterns Episode 1.

Lanterns is the latest DCU project to leave fans divided. Coming hot on the heels of Supergirl suffering a rough time at the box office, the HBO Max series has borne the brunt of negative fan reactions in the run-up to its release, as the choice to remake the Green Lantern mythos in the image of prestige cop dramas like True Detective has unsurprisingly rubbed a lot of comic book fans the wrong way. Whether the show's unique slant on the GL Corps will win people over in the long run is still to be determined, but Episode 1 certainly hits the ground running and intends to grab the audience's attention from the off.

In Lanterns, from showrunners Chris Mundy (Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen), and Tom King (DC Comics), the two most popular Green Lanterns from the comics — Hal Jordan and John Stewart — have been reimagined as a freewheeling veteran Lantern (or "space cop," as they are often dubbed) and his by-the-book protégé. As the show begins, a deeply reluctant Jordan has been assigned by his bosses — the Guardians of the Universe — to train Stewart up to act as his substitute, although he believes this is code for "replacement." In Episode 1, the pair discover a sinister alien plot based in rural Nebraska, one which has shocking consequences come the hour's end.

Does Hal Really Die At The End of Lanterns Episode 1?

In Lanterns Episode 1, Hal and Jordan head to Rushville, Nebraska to investigate a possible extraterrestrial incident. A mass shooting at a football game has left four dead, but nobody seems to personally know any of the victims, despite them supposedly being locals. Sheriff Kerry Kane arrests the main suspect, and Hal manages to get him to confess to being an alien. Upon being discovered, the alien activates a biometric bomb implanted in his body. Hal manages to contain the bomb using an energy construct just in time to save the town.

At the beginning of the episode, a title card reveals this is all happening in 2016. The final scene of the episode, however, takes place in 2026. At the call of Sheriff Kane, a now-bearded John Stewart returns not just to Rushville but to the exact same football field where the mass shooting happened a decade ago. The reason for his summons is that a body has been found in the heavily snowed-under stadium. It is Hal Jordan, his corpse frozen in the sub-zero temperature, with a bullet hole in his forehead. What's more, the Lantern ring is missing from his finger.

What Does Hal's Death Mean For Lanterns And The Future of the DCU?

The fact that DC cast an older Hal Jordan than usual, and was introducing a younger John Stewart alongside him, has always had fans expecting that Hal was not long for this franchise and would not be the main Green Lantern of the DCU going forward. That said, few would have expected Lanterns to confirm this development so quickly and to kill Hal off by the end of its first episode.

It seems that the rest of the eight-part series will split its narrative between two timelines— 2016, in which both Hal and John investigate the aliens operating in Rushville and 2026, in which John is investigating Hal's murder. Thankfully, this means there will be much more from Kyle Chandler's complex yet charismatic Hal over the course of the season, but it does seem to confirm that fans will not be seeing him in any other DCU projects after this. At least in those set in the present-day. Lanterns establishes that Hal has been a world-famous superhero since the 1990s, so he could still conceivably cameo in a prequel project set during his 30-year Green Lantern career. However, there are no movies or shows known to be set in the past coming in the franchise's immediate future.

Of course, death is rarely permanent in the DC universe, so some fans will likely be suspecting that Hal may not be gone for good. After all, Hal was resurrected following his heel turn as Parallax in the comics. That said, what is known about the DCU's next summer blockbuster does suggest his demise isn't going to be undone. Among the many cameos already revealed for the sequel movie, Aaron Pierre has been confirmed to reprise his role as John in 2027's Man of Tomorrow. This does heavily imply that he will be the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 from now on.

It's currently unclear how Guy Gardner fits into the Green Lantern hierarchy, but Lanterns is confirmed to feature an explanation for this discrepancy in an upcoming episode.

Hal Jordan Dying is Proof the DCU Isn't Playing it Safe

The fact that Lanterns has unveiled Hal's death so soon may prove to be an extremely smart move on the writers' part. The result of this twist is that the big fan theory going into the show has already been proven, meaning fans are no longer one step ahead of the characters. Now the big question is not the obvious "Will Hal Jordan die?" but the much more interesting and layered "Who killed Hal Jordan, and what happened to his ring?" Murdering a hero who is traditionally a founding member of the Justice League is a bold way to introduce Green Lantern lore into the DCU, but it's undoubtedly the most ambitious way to kick off this series.

Lanterns may not have the cosmic scope of the dream Green Lantern reboot that fans have been awaiting ever since Ryan Reynolds wore a CGI suit in 2011, but clearly it will result in some major repercussions for the DC cosmos all the same. The premature death of Hal has got to be an even more controversial twist than the truth about Clark's parents in Superman, so you have to give the architects of the DCU props for never taking the expected, safer route. Just like Hal Jordan himself. Lanterns has already proven within just one episode that it is completely fearless.