Warning: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of "Lanterns."
The HBO series "Lanterns" dropped a bombshell in its premiere that left fans reeling. The episode, which aired Sunday night, introduced Kyle Chandler as legendary Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as his trainee John Stewart.【0†L196-L197】 But in its final moments, the show flashed forward from 2016 to 2026 — and revealed that Hal Jordan is dead.
A Murder Mystery Across Time
The premiere establishes a murder investigation in Rushville, Nebraska, that Hal suspects involves aliens.【0†L197-L198】 The twist comes when the episode jumps a decade forward: John Stewart, now apparently no longer a Green Lantern, is summoned by Rushville's sheriff after Hal's body is found at the local football stadium — the same location where their investigation began ten years earlier.【0†L200-L202】
"The whole search is to find out what happened to him," Chandler told Deadline. "I like the fact that the show is non-linear and they've layered it like that."【0†L206】
Playing Three-Dimensional Chess
The reveal introduces audiences to the fact that there are two murder mysteries being solved across the series — one in 2016 and one in 2026 — with the events of the past clearly influencing the present.【0†L208】 Chandler likened the experience of telling a non-linear story to "three-dimensional chess" because of the emotional layers involved.
"Once you get all your pages taped on the wall and you know where all your scenes are, then you can take this page in the script and this page in the script, and figure out how to play with the material to reveal things differently, or to lay Easter eggs as the actor," he said.【0†L211-L213】
What the Twist Means for the DC Universe
The premiere also provided key context for the larger DC Universe. A "60 Minutes" segment set in 1996 confirmed that Hal Jordan had been operating as Green Lantern for years before Superman emerged.【0†L241-L245】 This helps clarify where Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner — who appears as a Lantern in "Superman" — fits into the timeline.【0†L240】
John Stewart notes in the episode that "Earth has one Lantern," raising questions about how and when Gardner received his ring.【0†L259-L260】
What Comes Next
"Lanterns" is created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King. New episodes air Sunday nights at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on HBO and are available simultaneously on HBO Max.【0†L215】 The series takes a grounded approach, drawing inspiration from prestige dramas like "True Detective" and "Slow Horses,"【0†L272-L273】 and the mystery of who killed Hal Jordan — and why his Power Ring is missing — will likely drive the season forward.