James Gunn addresses Hal Jordan’s ‘Lanterns’ fate and hints there’s more to the story
Hal Jordan’s (Kyle Chandler) death has been one of the most contentious twists since ‘Lanterns’ first revealed it, and now his onscreen fate has pulled DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn into fan debate. Responding to backlash on Threads, Gunn has argued that the HBO Max show does not disrespect Hal by killing him. Instead, he emphasized that Hal remains central to each episode released so far. The backlash began with the pilot of ‘Lanterns,’ where viewers learned Hal had died in the show’s 2026 timeline, a mystery John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) has been following since. The thread unraveled in full in Episode 6, ‘Bad Optics,’ which jumped ahead ten years in the timeline to confirm his death. However, one fan on Threads accused the series of disrespecting a character fans had eagerly awaited for fifteen years, only for him to die so soon.
Gunn did not agree with this view. He emphasized that Hal has already appeared in more live-action scenes in ‘Lanterns’ than he ever did in his entire film and TV history combined. “We more than respect him. We love him, despite his imperfections. Us knowing the time of his death, if that’s exactly what that is, is absolutely not the same thing as killing him off right away. Hal is a big reason why the show is so popular with fans & non-fans alike; sorry if you don’t like it,” Gunn wrote. Notably, the timeline Gunn is defending goes further than just death.
‘Lanterns’ Episode 6 also introduced the idea of a preserved version of Hal inside of his own Green Lantern ring, a concept referred to as the Halogram that John uses to investigate what actually happened to his former partner. This means that two versions of Hal are technically present in the story: the one who died in 2026, and a past digital imprint of him who helps investigate from inside of the ring. Fan theories have exploded from there, with some viewers pointing to a brief, obscured figure in the Episode 7 preview and postulating that it actually belongs to Hal himself rather than the hologram or some other entity like Sinestro. ‘Lanterns’ is created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, and also features Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, who joined the series’ timeline beginning with Episode 6 after previously appearing in ‘Superman’ and ‘Peacemaker.’ New episodes of ‘Lanterns’ continue to air weekly on HBO Max, with the finale set to air on October 4.
