The Green Lantern Corps, introduced in DC Studios' Lanterns, seems unstoppable, but Episode 4 just introduced their greatest-ever threat. The series, which airs on HBO and HBO Max, has been gripping right from the premiere, introducing a weathered, grumpy old Lantern, Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, and Aaron Pierre's rookie-in-training, John Stewart, as they investigate a murder in the rural town of Nabresca.
Lanterns Episode 4, titled "The Weenie," just introduced the Black Lanterns, arguably the greatest enemy the Green Lanterns have ever faced. The episode continues where the previous one left off, as Hal and John try to figure out who the Manhunter in town is.
Suspicious of Garrett Dillahunt's William Macon, they infiltrate a secret chamber on his massive ranch property, which Stewart refers to as a "weenie." The term, borrowed from Walt Disney's design vocabulary, refers to a visual landmark used to capture attention.
Stewart theorizes that the ranch's design is deliberate misdirection, with the obvious parts drawing the eye to distract from the structure where Macon conducts his shady dealings. The theory proves correct as the duo tunnels underground to get inside the compound.
They discover an edifice housing all sorts of alien technology that even Hal has never come across, despite traveling to several planets over the course of his career. While checking it out, Hal accidentally triggers an alarm, and Macon's men come rushing in.
At this point, Stewart has the ring, but as he tries to fight off the goons, they deploy a weapon that catches both Lanterns off guard: a gun that shoots a black mist capable of nullifying the ring's power.
The mist blinds both heroes, with John unable to use the ring's power regardless of his efforts. The pair get captured and brought before Macon, who has Stewart draw a nude portrait of him. Hal is spooked by the weapons in the compound, lamenting that "those guns seem tailor-made for disabling Green Lanterns."
A dark mist that nullifies a Green Lantern power ring automatically points in the direction of the Black Lantern Corps from the comics. In DC lore, the Black Lantern Corps serves Nekron, the Lord of the Unliving, with William Hand, aka Black Hand, acting as his herald and the first Black Lantern.
This gives legs to the theories that made the rounds early on about Dillahunt playing Black Hand. The actor has also teased that Macon "might be a front for some other kind of character that's very familiar to you all," which all but confirms he's a Black Lantern.
The Black Lanterns are the Green Lanterns' greatest threat because of how their powers work. The black rings symbolize a lack of emotion and exist outside the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum, nullifying the power of other rings, including the Green Lanterns'.
Besides being emotionless, what makes them even more dangerous is that their wielders are dead and can recruit the unliving as well, basically functioning like a zombie apocalypse. Their most memorable storyline is the Blackest Night event, where they kill several Green Lanterns, and it takes the White Light of creation to defeat them.
The Black Lanterns Are a Bigger Threat Than the Yellow Lanterns
From the show's inception, Sinestro's presence was confirmed, leading fans to believe the Yellow Lantern Corps, which he eventually forms in the comics, would be the Green Lanterns' biggest enemy. However, with the introduction of the Black Lanterns, the Sinestro Corps is the least of their worries.
The Yellow Lanterns have traditionally been the Green Lanterns' most popular foes, since fear and willpower are natural opposites on the Emotional Spectrum. But the Black Lanterns are far deadlier, because, as mentioned, black doesn't exist on the spectrum at all, and the rings feed off the emotions of other power ring users.
They also can't be killed, since they're already dead. Even worse, they can raise the deceased as soldiers, which means they can swell in number at an incredible rate. In Blackest Night, they killed popular DC heroes like Hawkman and Hawkgirl and turned them into Black Lanterns.
Lanterns may even be teeing up its darkest twist through its leading man. The show's present-day timeline already revealed Hal Jordan dead, with his ring missing.
In DC's New 52 era, Black Hand uncovered a prophecy that Hal Jordan would become the greatest Black Lantern, and Hal briefly did. If the DCU follows that path, the darkness guns in Macon's armory could be the setup for a much bigger twist. However, other theories suggest Hal could become Parallax.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
