The first season of Lanterns has officially concluded, marking the end of the DC Universe’s first live-action series created specifically for the new franchise. Unlike Peacemaker, which carried over from the DC Extended Universe, Lanterns was built as a DCU original from the outset. The season followed John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as they investigated a cosmic conspiracy in Rushville, Nebraska, introducing audiences to new faces alongside live-action versions of major Green Lantern characters, including Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen). Yet, as our video above explains, much of the pre-release speculation surrounding the series proved to be completely wrong.
Although Lanterns earned a strong reception and was widely praised as the mystery thriller the DCU needed, many theories about HBO’s series never materialized. One of the most persistent predictions involved the Red Lanterns, particularly because the storyline involving the Manhunters and Anataan (Paul Ben-Victor) appeared to hint that he might secretly be Atrocitus—the first Red Lantern. Instead, the series directed its attention toward the original drama surrounding Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) and her son, Noah (Shea Pritchard).
The absence of a Red Lantern storyline was only one part of the show’s many unanswered rumors. With decades of Green Lantern comics providing an enormous mythology to draw from, Lanterns became the subject of countless fan theories—and most of them remained theories by the time the first season ended.
No time for Black Hand or Parallax
HBO
Two particularly prominent rumors suggested that major Green Lantern villains would play central roles in the series. In the comics, Hal Jordan is eventually overtaken by Parallax and transformed into a villain, leading some viewers to interpret his harsh, combative behavior in Lanterns as a possible setup for that storyline. The show took a different path. Hal’s darker instincts were portrayed as part of his own character and history, with no indication that Parallax was influencing him.
Black Hand was another heavily discussed possibility. Many fans believed Garret Dillahunt was secretly playing the iconic DC villain rather than William Macon. The series could have turned the rancher into a surprise comic-book antagonist, but Macon remained exactly who he appeared to be during the opening episodes. The real deception came from his wife, Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), who was revealed to be a Manhunter in disguise. Ironically, speculation about Black Hand and Parallax overshadowed any serious predictions that the Manhunters themselves would appear, making their arrival one of the season’s biggest surprises.
Other theories also failed to pan out, including the idea that Sinestro was secretly orchestrating the entire conflict and the prediction that Hal Jordan would be resurrected during the finale. Ultimately, the vast scale of Green Lantern mythology left fans with nearly limitless possibilities—and, as our video explores, Lanterns inspired speculation just as expansive as the universe it inhabits.