Lanterns Episode 5 delivered a major hint about a hidden Manhunter remaining in Rushville that could be the key to solving Hal Jordan's death in the 2026 timeline. The latest episode of the DC Studios series was dubbed the "midseason finale" by fans because it fully resolved the series's 2016 timeline with a slew of revelations about the true Manhunter, Antaan's self-destructive nature, and John's game-changing choice regarding Hal Jordan's ring at the end. Amid all these reveals, there was one twist that fans might have overlooked, and it involved a member of the Macon family.
Part of what made Lanterns exciting is the search for the Manhunter in Rushville. It was a crucial storytelling tool that hooked viewers, leading to a plethora of theories about which character is an alien hiding in plain sight. The prevailing theory is that the Manhunter is from the Macon family, and Episode 4's ending confirmed this after revealing that Zoe was the invader Hal Jordan and John Stewart were looking for.
Lanterns Episode 5 Sneakily Revealed Another Potential Manhunter
Following the huge revelation about Zoe Macon being a Manhunter, Lanterns Episode 5 built up to the show's final confrontation between her, Hal Jordan, and John Stewart. Before blowing up certain parts of the town to drain the energy of Hal's Green Lantern ring and cause chaos on the sidelines, Zoe had a heartfelt conversation with her "grandson," Noah Macon, telling him that a lot of people are going to die in Rushville today, including the ones he loved. She ended the statement with an ominous message, telling Noah, "But no matter what happens, don't forget everything I've told you." This message clearly did not sound as a goodbye; instead it was seemingly a directive for when she was gone.
It's pretty telling that Zoe was willing to sacrifice her supposed husband, William Macon, to Antaan during the pivotal confrontation, but not Noah. William was not blindsided. He called her, thanked her for the extra years she gave him, and walked straight to certain death during his confrontation with Antaan. She also ordered Billy off the line and told him his only job was to protect Noah, clearly suggesting that Noah was the only person in Rushville who was more important than her own life and being treated as the one life she was building to groom as a powerful successor.
This could explain why Zoe was seemingly willing to die at any given moment during the final clash with Hal and John, meaning that she knew that another Manhunter would take her place if she did perish, and that is in the form of Noah Macon.
Sheriff Kerry Kane (the 10th DCU character from Gotham) also had to do something for Zoe for helping her out. In the show's cold open, Zoe killed one of the Gotham thugs hunting Kerry, making Kerry cut off her own pinky as fake proof of death and grow it back in exchange for future protection. It's possible that part of the deal is creating life in the form of Noah, which Kerry described to Hal as a "miracle." Zoe might have used Kerry as a surrogate, or she directly created Noah to become another Manhunter (or a half-human-Manhunter hybrid) and assigned Kerry and Billy Macon as his parents as cover.
Having Noah as a backup Manhunter could also explain why Zoe readily accepted death. Zoe looked directly at John's scope, and she knew that she was targeted, but she didn't move an inch, implying that she was inclined to die.
If Zoe were truly the last of her kind, she would have dodged, made a move, or threatened Hal Jordan's life in front of John. She did nothing and took the bullet like a champ. Zoe accepted her death because she knew deep down that Noah understood the assignment and was willing to get the job done in the future when no one else suspected anything.
Why Noah Macon Killed Hal Jordan in the 2026 Timeline Is Due to His Final Directive from Zoe
There are still missing pieces in the puzzle in the grand scheme of things in Lanterns, but the revelation that Noah might be a Manhunter has narrowed down the choices about who killed Hal Jordan in the 2026 timeline. Lanterns Episode 1 confirmed that Noah is still alive in the present-day timeline after Sheriff Kerry Kane (who is still active) told John Stewart that he was now an all-state Quarterback for Rushville.
There was a strong chance that Zoe's final order for Noah was to "wait and see," as she had all these years before exacting revenge against the Green Lantern, hiding in plain sight in Rushville. She could've told him to live his life in the best way he knew how before delivering the final strike. It is unknown how Noah would've lured Hal Jordan back in Rushville, but it's possible that he may have used her mom (whom everyone knows Hal has a slight crush on), or he might have set up some sort of alien beacon to drag him out.
Zoe could also have spent years teaching Noah about the true nature of Hal Jordan, telling him that the Green Lantern Corps is the enemy and they need to be destroyed at any means possible. Given that Hal doesn't have the ring anymore in the 2026 timeline, this should be an easy kill for Noah, with or without his Manhunter technology.
Hal's death is only half the job, since Kerry also managed to lure John Stewart back to Rushville. There is a chance that this is part of the plan, and their end goal is to kill him as well. The first clip (via DC) of Guy Gardner's visit to Lanterns showed Nathan Fillion's DCU character visiting John Stewart in prison, meaning John will end up locked in a defenseless state, ready to be killed.
There is strong evidence pointing to Noah's potential involvement in Hal Jordan's death. With three episodes left, however, anyone (outside of the three Green Lanterns) can be a suspect, indicating that the job is not finished for both John Stewart and the Manhunter. Hopefully, the answer arrives sooner rather than later.
