Lanterns‘ debut episode ended with a major mystery that fans are hoping will be cleared up soon. One of the show’s creators, Tom King, addressed the confusion during the latest episode of the official podcast.
The first episode of Lanterns, which premiered on Aug. 16, ends with a flash-forward to 2026. John Stewart finds his former mentor, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, frozen and dead, with his ring missing.
Addressing the mystery of the missing ring, King said, “Because at the end of this episode, Hal is dead. But also, you see John’s hand. He’s not wearing that ring. Guy has the ring.” He added, “So why does Guy end up with the ring? And where do we go after this? Because this moves us forward.”
Despite the explanation, fans are still confused. Since Hal died in 2026, many are wondering how Guy got the ring since we already saw him using one in 2025 in James Gunn’s Superman. This raises the question of whether there are two rings in the current timeline.
However, that would be unusual since there is only one Lantern on Earth at a time in the show, as confirmed by John. Another theory suggests that Hal could have been dead for over a year, which could then explain how we saw Guy using the ring in Superman.
@loganhoward2001 wrote, “That doesn’t make sense if Guy is already Green Lantern in Superman(2025) with a power ring. Unless he has TWO rings and he’s just maybe keeping it safe until he gives it to someone else?” Another fan, @ked_smith said, “Did the ring instinctively choose Guy and the Guardians chose John??? I thought Guy was like the very first lantern tho? I’m confused on the lineage rn.” @KingJuness commented, “I mean, Guy had a ring in Superman (2025) and Hal dies in 2026.”
The remaining questions will hopefully be answered in the coming episodes
What’s coming up next in HBO Max’s Lanterns show?
The upcoming episodes of Lanterns will presumably continue the 2016 timeline where Hal and John get to the bottom of their cryptic conversation with the alien. There’s no information on why the creature was hiding in Rushville or who it was working for. The show is also expected to delve deeper into Hal and John’s strained dynamic and what led to the former’s death.
The second episode of Lanterns arrives on HBO Max next Sunday, August 23. The show stars Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, and Nathan Fillion.
