This article contains spoilers for Lanterns Episode 7, as well as mentions of suicide and depression.
The DCU is only a few projects old, but it's already repeatedly proven that it is not afraid to shake things up from the source material in some surprising and controversial ways. Superman revealed that Clark Kent's Kryptonian parents were evil, Supergirl depicted Kara Zor-El as much messier and less heroic than her comic book counterpart, and Lanterns has received some flak for its portrayal of Hal Jordan as a washed-up has-been.
The decision to kill Hal off in the present-day timeline, as unveiled in the show's opening episode, has resulted in a lot of fan criticism, but that hasn't stopped Lanterns from dropping another huge Hal bombshell in its penultimate episode. This time, instead of concerning how he dies, the twist concerns Hal's origin story, which is given a major recontextualization from the comics that makes the character much more nuanced, tragic, and darker in the process.
As every comic book fan knows, a superhero's origin story often involves them losing a parent (or parental figure) in some tragic way that goes on to define why they become a costumed hero. In Hal Jordan's case, it is the loss of his test pilot father in a plane crash, which he witnessed as a boy. Lanterns Episode 1 confirmed that this backstory was part of the DCU canon, too. Episode 7, "The Jordan Boys' Legacy," reveals that there's more to his father's death than meets the eye.
Flashbacks revisit Hal's childhood, and it becomes clear that he idolized his father, Martin Jordan, and they are very much two peas in a pod. In one scene, Martin discusses what he calls "the Jordan boys' legacy" with Hal. When Martin's father, Hal's grandfather, died, he left his son a key to a safe which had precious and private items inside. Martin tells Hal that he'll one day do the same and, eventually, Hal might repeat the legacy with his own child.
Meanwhile, in the present-day timeline of 2026, John Stewart teams up with the "Halogram" — Hal's Power Ring data backup — to find Hal's killer. The Halogram is a copy of a younger Hal from 2006 and is more open than the grizzled version John knew. In one emotionally raw moment, the Halogram reveals the truth about his father's death: Martin deliberately killed himself by crashing his plane, and he left his suicide note in his safe for Hal to find.
Hal explains that his grandfather did the same thing, and just like Hal, Martin was the only one who knew that his father had taken his own life. Hal tells John that this is the real "Jordan boys' legacy"; they struggle with their mental health and literally lock up their troubles in a box until it's too late. Hal Jordan has always been fearless, but the Halogram admits that he's not fearless because he's brave, but because he's 'broken'. He even suggests that maybe he wasn't murdered at all. Maybe he took his own life, like his father and grandfather before him.
Episode 7 stops short of confirming that the Halogram's speculation is correct — and given that this is a high-concept mystery series, there is bound to be more to the truth of Hal's death than that. However, his admission about Hal's true mental state still packs a huge punch. Hal Jordan is one of the most popular characters in the DC universe, so revealing that his most famous, ostensibly heroic trait — his fearlessness — is rooted in a life of depression might just be this franchise's darkest, most daring tweak to canon so far.
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