Lanterns Confirms Who Killed Hal Jordan and the Real Reason Why

Most of the events of Lanterns have been about two major plot threads. The first, who is the Manhunter hiding in Rushville, Nebraska, and what are they planning? This became one of the biggest pieces of real estate in the DCU’s latest TV show, culminating in an explosive episode that not only saw the Manhunter identified but also killed, and revealed why John Stewart wasn’t the Green Lantern during the events of Superman. Stewart’s role in the larger DCU was the second major storyline that captured the focus of Lanterns as well as DC fans, but there was still demand to know the answer to its biggest question: Who killed Hal Jordan?

DC fans were shocked when the first episode of Lanterns revealed that Kyle Chandler’s version of the character was dead. This was partially because the wait for a new live-action version of the character had stretched to over a decade now (and the only one to date was Ryan Reynolds’ version), but also because it seemed to kneecap the character’s place in the larger DCU before he’d even gotten started. With the Season 1 finale officially out in the world, though, now we know the answer to the question “Who killed Hal Jordan?” and it’s an answer no one predicted. Naturally, Spoilers follow.

Hal Jordan’s Killer and Motive Revealed

Lanterns has been great at giving fans the chance to develop fan theories across its storytelling, with the identity of Hal Jordan’s killer being just one. Ahead of the Season 1 finale, fans thought that the person who took Hal’s life might be Noah Macon, or maybe his father, or even the Guardians of the Universe. There was even a theory that Hal wasn’t dead and it was a clone or alien taking on his appearance that was dead, but no, Lanterns confirmed this week that Hal Jordan was killed by Kelly Macdonald’s Sheriff Kerry Kane.

The circumstances around this require some explanation, but it’s worth nothing that Kerry taking out her gun and firing a single shot into Hal’s head wasn’t something she was planning to do at the start of the scene. Instead, it happens because she’s having a pretty visceral reaction to realizing that Hal has figured out that her son, Noah, isn’t a gifted young man at all, but a Manhunter. This reveal, though, shows that the two characters are on different sides.

Hal, to his credit, is convinced that they need to flee and get away, either to protect Noah or everyone else, while Kerry is still trying to cling to the life they’ve built. In a fit of emotional rage, suddenly facing a reality where her child, whom she’s grown to love, will have his biggest secret exposed and their lives ruined, she draws her gun and shoots Hal. Even more tragic is that the gunfire drowns out his final words, “I love you.”

This naturally brings up the question that even fans at home are going to wonder: Why would Kerry call John about Hal’s death, knowing that he would be the one who could put all the pieces together? The truth isn’t that she was counting on John figuring out what happened to Hal, but that he would figure out what’s going on with Noah’s status as a Manhunter, and whether there was some part of him that was redeemable in the end.

With the mystery solved, though, fans may very well assume that Hal Jordan’s place in the DCU is officially done, but that said, the episode teases a way out. In an early scene, Sinestro hints that he can bring Hal back to life, and all he needs is his ring, going on to tell John that if he charges Hal’s ring and claims it for his own, the chance disappears. Comics and their adaptations are a funny thing, though, and even though Stewart does just that by the episode’s end, it’s tough to say if Hal Jordan will never, ever return in the DCU (despite James Gunn’s rule about death).

What do you think about the mystery of Hal Jordan’s murder? Was it a satisfying conclusion? Did you suspect someone else? Sound off in the comments below.