The Manhunter Threat and John Stewart’s Mysterious New Power

Welcome back to Lanterns, where the big reveal of Episode 1 was the death of Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), the former Green Lantern, whose body was discovered in Rushville, Nebraska by his former trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). In a story that spans several timelines and several mysteries, the question isn’t just who killed Hal in 2026, or why there were four dead aliens on a football field in 2016, but what happened between him and John in the years leading up to his death and what Hal may have uncovered before he died. Warning: Spoilers for Lanterns Episode 2 “Trust Fall” ahead!

In 2016, John Stewart finally gets his flying lesson from Hal Jordan, but things take an unexpected turn when John manifests a little green birdie. With it seemingly alive and sentient, Hal is immediately intrigued, especially because John’s ring isn’t even charged. He tells John they need to retrieve the lantern, then sends him to feed Earl and, more importantly, keep the bird alive.

Back in Rushville, Hal discovers the entire town is meeting to discuss his presence, and the general consensus is clear: They want the Green Lanterns gone.

Hal takes John to his mansion, a massive home that was apparently gifted to him by a wealthy benefactor despite being almost completely empty. John is in awe when he discovers Hal’s collection of Green Lantern uniforms, but they’re really there to find the box containing Hal’s lantern. The clue to opening it? “Mogo doesn’t socialize” (a reference to the famous 1985 Green Lantern short story by comic gurus Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons that introduced Mogo, the sentient living planet and Green Lantern). John also discovers meals in the freezer for Earl Jordan, Hal’s half-sentient, man-eating plant. Because every superhero needs a fun sidekick.

When John steps outside, he’s nabbed by a mysterious group of men.

Meanwhile, Hal has dug up several bodies from the morgue and dragged them through what appears to be a metal detector but is actually alien-detection technology. Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) knows what he’s doing and warns him against taking the bodies to William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), saying it won’t end well. It raises another question: Whose side is Kerry actually on?

Courtesy of HBO Max

Hal heads to Macon’s ranch anyway with four dead bodies in his car. William makes it clear that Hal is no longer welcome, but Hal wants answers about the technology being used around Rushville. William believes the land was once colonized by aliens and says he refuses to be caught off guard again. The alien-detection technology at the stadium came from a mysterious benefactor, prompting Hal to wonder what other technology William has hidden on the compound.

John, meanwhile, has been taken by a being named Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) and a group of aliens who want information about the Manhunters. They initially believe John is close to Hal and want to recruit him.

Antaan tells John that the Manhunters can take the form of other species and adopt their technology, and they have a brutal history of genocide. To make John understand exactly what they’re capable of, the aliens inject him with the memories and experiences of a Manhunter destroying an entire population of people. The scale of that tragedy eventually drew the attention of the Green Lanterns, who helped stop them.

But Antaan believes that a Manhunter is still alive and hiding in Rushville.

When Hal arrives, the aliens suspect he may actually be protecting it. They want John to identify the Manhunter, and John’s ability to manifest the bird proves he may be powerful enough to do it. Because Antaan’s people can’t enter Rushville without being detected, John has 48 hours to find the Manhunter before they take matters into their own hands.

Hal later lands in the Rushville Hospital after being shot for trespassing, where Kerry starts asking him about Sinestro. Hal explains that Sinestro attempted a coup, and he took him down. Kerry is also furious with Hal for repeatedly undercutting her authority and strengthening the perception that Macon is the real seat of power in Rushville. “This is my town,” she makes clear, warning that something is brewing and Hal isn’t helping.

Hal notices something strange about the hospital, too: Nobody is there. No sick people, no visitors, everything looks brand new, and the whole place feels suspicious. We also learn that Kerry is originally from Gotham, so she is a bit of an outsider.

After Hal runs into Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan), they return to the motel, where Hal finally charges his ring with the Green Lantern oath.

John then tells Hal everything about his kidnapping and the Manhunters. Antaan’s people believe the Guardians brought the surviving Manhunter to Earth and that it’s now somewhere in Rushville. They have no idea what form it has taken — it could be anyone or anything — and they don’t trust Hal enough to wait. If John doesn’t identify it within 48 hours, they’re prepared to blow up half of Nebraska.

There is another major mystery surrounding John. Manifesting a living creature and keeping it alive is incredibly advanced Green Lantern magic. Almost impossible, in fact. Yet John managed to create the bird while the ring wasn’t even charged. Hal hasn’t told the Guardians what John can do.

Hal finally puts on his suit and flies off Earth to Oa, where his former mentor and current enemy of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), is incarcerated. He asks his former teacher about the Manhunters, but Sinestro turns the conversation back on him.

“If one still existed, that would be the second greatest threat you are currently facing.” But that isn’t as fascinating to Sinestro as another figure. “So, why don’t you tell me about John Stewart?”

Lanterns, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO Max