HBO's Lanterns came out of the gate swinging. At the end of the very first episode, the show jumped forward to the present day and revealed that Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, had been murdered in Rushville, Nebraska. The shocking development set the stage for the mystery that would hang over Lanterns' first season like a dark cloud. But many viewers always expected the skies to clear and for a hopeful green light to emerge.
Episode 8, "Dirt and Stars," finally unveiled the real circumstances of Hal's death, flashing back to that fateful night in Rushville. Hal discovered that Sheriff Kerry Kane's son, Noah Macon, is a Manhunter and confronted her, begging her to leave town with him and get somewhere safe. Running wasn't an option for her, so she did what she thought she had to and shot her beloved. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for fans who thought Lanterns had done Hal dirty.
DC Studios certainly took a unique approach with Hal. During the casting process, the powers that be sought an older actor for the role because they wanted the character to mentor a much younger hero, John Stewart. That was the first indication that James Gunn and Co. didn't see a long-term future for DC Comics' most iconic Green Lantern.
And the hits kept coming when the first look at Hal's costume dropped. Instead of the green look he has in the source material, he got a mostly brown outfit whose only saving grace was an accurate Green Lantern Corps logo. Lanterns' marketing also decided to focus on Hal's negative attitude toward John, making him seem unlikeable ahead of the series' premiere. However, despite fighting an uphill battle, Chandler delivered a performance for the ages.
Throughout Lanterns' eight-episode run, the actor explored all the different sides of Hal, including the one that truly cared for John and wanted the best for him. But seeing Hal flourish made it even harder to say goodbye at the end of the finale.
Unless DC Studios reverses course, the DCU will be worse off without Hal. From a story perspective, he played a major role in the Sinestro Corps War comic event, which Lanterns seemingly set up by leaving Ulrich Thomsen's villain marooned on a planet literally covered in fear. And then there are the iconic relationships he'll never develop with heroes like The Flash and Green Arrow.
The fanbase will also be riled up heading into Lanterns Season 2. So far, the series hasn't proven it can work without Hal, since he served as an emotional anchor. Work will need to be done to get people back on board. And all the pressure lands on Aaron Pierre's shoulders. Fortunately, he looks ready to fill the massive shoes Chandler left behind while also doing things his own way.
John Stewart's DCU Legacy Should Be Defined by Who He Is, Not Who He Replaced
DC Studios may take the backlash to heart and bring Hal back in some way, shape, or form. After all, Sinestro teased a way to resurrect the fallen Green Lantern in Lanterns' finale, and the Halogram is always there as a fallback. However, Hal returning to the fold shouldn't have any bearing on John Stewart's story.
Lanterns spent eight episodes explaining why John is better suited to be a Green Lantern than Hal. The Halogram itself confirms that it believes John will be better at the gig than his real self ever was. Those aren't empty words, especially because John has an oppurtunity to show what he's made of in Gunn's upcoming film Man of Tomorrow.
If Guy Gardner's scenes in Superman were any indication, the 2027 movie is sure to feature its fair share of constructs, which some fans felt were severely lacking in Lanterns. A new costume that runs circles around Hal's old one is also a foregone conclusion; Gunn can't have John flying around with the Man of Steel and Co. in a leather jacket and boots.
All that to say, there's still time for John to reach the heights that some felt Hal reached in a single season of television. Lanterns is but a small part of a larger tapestry. And while losing Hal so early is a tough pill to swallow, more worthwhile characters and stories are going to arrive and make all this hoopla feel like a distant memory.
