Lanterns has successfully turned one of DC’s most fantastical superheroes and lore into a grounded detective mystery show, and you can tell by the way fans have been left buzzing after every episode. The premiere threw some pretty big questions on the table (who killed Hal Jordan? Why doesn’t John Stewart have the Power Ring ten years after being trained? What is really going on in the town of Rushville?). A lot of viewers thought Lanterns Episode 2 would dig into those big questions, not double down by throwing even deeper questions onto the table.
However, after the events of Episode 2, “Trust Fall”, DC Universe fans have many new questions about the story that Lanterns is telling, and it doesn’t even matter if you were a diehard fan of DC comic books: the show is creating some bold new lore that has everybody coming up with their best theories and guesses. These are the top 3 theories we think you should have in mind before you sit down for Lanterns Episode 3.
Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) came to Rushville, Nebraska, to investigate a mass shooting involving alien suspects. They (and the audience) assume Rushville is a human town being infiltrated by aliens, but what if that premise is totally backwards?
THEORY: After Hal discovered the alien detection technology being used around Rushville, some fans started to theorize that the metal detector-style machines were being used for the opposite of what most fans assumed: Instead of trying to screen for alien infiltrators, the machines are there to confirm that every person passing through is an alien. The theory splits from there: some people think that Rushville’s inhabitants are alien survivors of the Manhunters’ massacre, who took refuge on Earth, and are now being targeted for destruction. Other fans think the town became a secret refuge for an entire cabal of surviving Manhunters, who are trying to consolidate weapons and manpower to lay siege to the Guardians and their homeworld of Oa.
Episode 2 had Hal give John a sensei-style challenge. John accidentally creates a bird construct with the Power Ring, instead of flying himself. Hal assigns John to use his willpower to maintain the bird construct for the entire time he’s on an errand to retrieve Hal’s Power Battery to recharge the ring. John does this, even while being attacked, abducted, and knocked unconscious. Both he and Hal learn (independently) that the bird’s existence means something significant about John’s connection to the power of the Green Lantern’s ring.
THEORY: The theory that’s going around now is that John Stewart is the proverbial “chosen one” who represents a milestone shift no one expected from a human: the ability to channel the energy of the emotional spectrum directly. If John doesn’t need the ring, he doesn’t need Hal Jordan, which would explain how he’s operating in 2026 without it. John proving that humans (or any being) can channel the power without the rings would also break the controlling leash the Guardians have on the power, via the rings, and could arguably open the door for others to also channel powers (or entities) from other parts of the emotional spectrum (fear, love, hope, etc.). That would be a massive development for the DCU, possibly leading to a big crossover (the “Blackest Night” prophecy).
Thaal Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) was once one of the greatest Green Lanterns and served as Hal Jordan’s mentor. So far, we’ve heard that Sinestro “went rogue” and “killed one of the bosses” (a Guardian), but we don’t know why.
THEORY: The most popular theory right now is that Sinestro isn’t a villain who betrayed the Green Lantern Corps out of corruption. It’s theorized that DCU Sinestro was an idealistic cop who found out that not only was his police force built on a dark past and a lie, but that the powers behind the entire justice system (the Guardians) were hiding dark secrets of their failures and misdeeds, and maybe also hiding truths about the emotional spectrum and its power that could lead to calamity (again, the Blackest Night prophecy). Sinestro’s critical mind would’ve investigated any hints he had about the Guardians’ deceptions, and being the cop he was, he would’ve uncovered the answers. It would not only make sense that the Guardians tossed him in a cell – especially if he started seeking out an alternate power that could oppose the Green Lanterns.
Needless to say, fans are on the edge of their collective seat to see Hal and Sinestro’s full conversation take place in Episode 3.
Lanterns airs new episodes Sunday nights on HBO, before they stream on HBO Max.
