Lanterns' huge twist puts a daring new spin on a notoriously tricky franchise
Unlike other heroes who fight using tech or magic, the Green Lanterns are powered solely by their imagination. Yet HBO's new show Lanterns is so imaginative that many fans have pushed back against it, outraged by the shocking changes it's made to the Green Lantern mythos. And that was before the premiere ended with an even more surprising twist that's sure to rile people up further.
The controversy started early on when it was revealed that Lanterns would be more grounded in its approach. Eschewing most of the space-led antics, this version of the story was sold as a True Detective-style buddy cop show where Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) teaches John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) what it means to be a Green Lantern.
Much of the first episode unfolds exactly like that. There's very little action to speak of, especially of the superhero variety. When the ring is used, it's only to make a bottle opener or a protective bubble. Even when Jordan flies, there's no signature green aura that fans are familiar with from the comics.
None of that is necessarily a bad thing, however. 2011's atrocious Green Lantern film served as a strong warning against anyone who might lean too far into the cosmic elements of this franchise without considering the humanity that underpins it. Lanterns simply swings super far the other way, putting a new spin on this decades-old story.
Such an approach worked extremely well for HBO's adaptation of Watchmen, which Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof also worked on. And just like that acclaimed series, the first episode of this new DC show also makes some significant changes, especially when it comes to the fate of its central character.
Note: major spoilers for Lanterns episode 1 follow.
Hal on Earth
After Jordan and Stewart spend most of the premiere hunting for aliens in Rushville, Nebraska, the final scenes jump from 2016 to 2026, where we meet an older version of John as he returns to the town 10 years later. Or, what's left of the town.
Driving past wreckage in the dead of night, Stewart reunites with Kerry (Kelly Macdonald), who still appears to be working as the Sheriff of Rushville. The pair briefly exchange small talk, and then John asks Kerry if anyone else knows… That's when we see Hal frozen outside, and it's clear that he's actually dead.
Yep, Hal Jordan, Earth's first Green Lantern (in the DCU), is already killed off by the end of episode one.
As shocking as this might be, it won't have come as a surprise to everyone.
When it comes to source material this long-lived, isn't this exactly what we want from new adaptations?
Prior to the release of Lanterns, some major leaks predicted this exactly, even citing the two timelines and Hal's different involvement in them. It didn't help that HBO's legal team asked various people reporting on the leak to stop sharing it and take the information down, which seemed to confirm that the leak was indeed true.
The news enraged a lot of fans at the time, and it will undoubtedly enrage them further now that Jordan's death in the show has played out for real. And honestly, it's easy to see why.
Hal Jordan hasn't exactly fared well on screen up until this point. Unlike other DC stalwarts, Green Lantern was skipped over by Zack Snyder's Justice League, presumably because of budgetary concerns and just how poorly Jordan's live-action debut in 2011 fared.
Finally giving Hal a chance to shine on screen, only to kill him off so quickly doesn't feel fair for fans who have loved this character over the decades. In many ways, Jordan is the definitive Green Lantern, which makes his sudden death even more surprising.
Green Light
However, there is something to be said for just how ballsy this twist is. If it weren't for that leak, no one would have expected this in a million years. And when it comes to source material this long-lived, isn't this exactly what we want from new adaptations? A fresh new perspective to shake things up?
By reframing a galactic superhero story into a murder mystery of sorts, Lanterns refuses to play it safe, tackling a notoriously tricky franchise with a daring new spin. It's also gratifying to see John Stewart take the spotlight he's long deserved. The character, one of the most prominent Black superheroes ever created, was first introduced all the way back in 1971, yet aside from his role in the noughties Justice League cartoon, he's often still sidelined when it comes to adaptations onscreen.
And crucially, it's not like we've been robbed of Jordan completely. With so much of this first season taking place in the past, Hal will still be extremely prominent throughout the main noughties arc, not to mention the "Halogram" who channels his essence still (presumably beyond death).
It's also worth noting that superheroes rarely stay dead for long. Hal himself was actually killed off in the comics after he became the villain Parallax and ended up sacrificing himself to save the galaxy. It took a few years for him to eventually return and resume the mantle of Green Lantern in the comics.
That's not to say Chandler's live-action Hal will have necessarily died so heroically. The point is we still don't know what's actually happened to him just yet. And therein lies the real mystery of the show. Stewart isn't just investigating an extraterrestrial case alongside Jordan. He's also investigating what happened to Jordan to cause his death, ten years on.
It's an unusual setup for a Green Lantern show, and an extremely imaginative one at that. What remains to be seen is whether Lanterns can stick the landing and justify such a cataclysmic twist, not just to the fans who instantly balk at such a choice, but for those of us who are actually open to seeing where this adventurous spin on the show might take us.
Lanterns episode 1 is streaming now on HBO Max in the US and UK, and also on NOW in the UK. For more, check out our Lanterns review, and never miss an episode with our Lanterns release schedule.