A new rumor suggests that HBO‘s Lanterns could feature a shocking death. Should it come true, it would be a big mistake for the blossoming DC Universe.
In the two trailers of Lanterns we’ve seen so far, the struggle for Hal Jordan’s ring of power seems to be a central theme. The show looks like it will revolve around Jordan (played by Kyle Chandler) being unwilling to hand over his ring to the young John Stewart (Aaron Pierre).
In a recent episode of the Hot Mic podcast, insider Jeff Sneider threw out an interesting rumor about how this could resolve. Speaking about the upcoming show, Sneider brought up the latest Lanterns trailer. In it, Chandler’s Jordan tells Stewart that he’s been a Green Lantern since Stewart was a baby, and that he’d only give it up over his dead body. Sneider theorized that this could be where the show was going.
“They’re kind of starting to give away the big thing about this show. A character on anything says the words over my dead body, that character usually winds up dead,” said Sneider. Should this come to fruition, it would be a bold move, but a severe mistake.
Killing off Hal Jordan in Lanterns could be huge mistake
For starters, and most obviously, the move would be a wildly controversial one due to how popular Jordan is. Arguably one of the two most recognizable members of the Green Lanterns, Jordan is often held in high regard by fans. The decision to have Jordan already appear in the DCU as an older, more gruff veteran of the Green Lantern Corps has drawn some criticism.
While John Stewart is also an incredibly popular member of the Lanterns, fans were hoping to see both appear throughout the DCU, and eventually build up a larger Green Lantern Corps that would eventually gon its own adventures. Killing off Jordan wouldn’t make that impossible, but would take away one of the best characters from any future stories. Jordan’s character could always return in some way if he does die in the show, but it would still be an odd move.
Of course, if the show does go the way of killing Jordan, it could be done well. Jordan’s death could be the emotional charge that pushes John Stewart forward in his own journey as a Green Lantern. The show seems to be teasing a classic “young cop learning from the grizzled veteran” storyline for the show, so Jordan dying by the end isn’t entirely unlikely. However, with the DCU just starting and Jordan being one of the biggest names in the world of DC Comics, not letting him stick around for more than one season of a show would feel like a massive letdown.
