Spoilers follow for Lanterns Episodes 1 through 6.
When Lanterns, the latest DC Universe show, debuted on HBO last month, it immediately hit many fans where it hurts with the revelation that Hal Jordan – the Green Lantern that so many of us grew up with – was being killed off. It was the first episode of his show, and there he was with a hole in his head, half frozen. What the heck!
Which isn’t to say that Kyle Chandler’s take on the character was a one and done. No, thanks to Lanterns being set across multiple time periods, we’ve been able to zero in on his relationship with his successor, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), in the 2016 era, plus we’ve seen some of the character’s earlier exploits as well, albeit briefly. But, of course, the 2026 time period features a dead Hal, including his funeral in Episode 6, “Bad Optics.”
But here’s the thing: Are we really sure Hal Jordan is dead? This is a superhero show, after all, albeit one gussied up like a rural crime thriller. We’ve still got two episodes left, and there are some clues that Hal maybe, just maybe, isn’t gone yet. Let’s take a look…
Think about it: Everyone from Poorna Jagannathan’s Zoe Macon to Paul Ben-Victor’s Antaan to freaking Laura Linney’s character are aliens (or alien constructs) disguised as humans. And they’re just the examples who are played by noteworthy actors!
Usually we’ve only seen these extraterrestrials in their human forms, with the exception of Linney’s Lianna – who’s one of the Guardians of the Universe who created the Manhunters and the Green Lantern Corps, by the way – when she briefly shape-shifted into her true form earlier in the season.
The point is, Lanterns is full of characters walking around looking like and pretending to be something they are not. Is it so far-fetched to think that Hal’s dead body isn’t the real Hal? The last time we saw him alive was right after John punched him out in the diner, and Hal was clearly scared of something at that point, a state of mind we’ve never really seen him in on this show before. This worse- for-wear version of Hal pleaded with John to not reveal to anyone that his former mentee had been there, so there was obviously something going on that had Hal worried. Did he know he was about to face certain death, and he didn’t want John to be implicated in it? Or perhaps Hal knew there was some kind of bigger plan afoot that would involve the faking of his death, and he still didn’t want John to be connected to it?
The bottom line is someone like Hal, with his decades of experience and otherworldly connections, could surely figure out a way to fake his own death with a duplicate alien body if he wanted to. And speaking of friends in high places…
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/lanterns-could-hal-jordan-still-be-alive
