For the first six episodes of Lanterns, things have been a little busy. Even after the first episode ended with the tease of a major mystery in the form of Hal Jordan’s apparent death, the series spent little time digging into it in a meaningful way for more than half of the show itself, with the Manhunter storyline taking precedence. Even with that narrative unfolding, fans were still thinking back to that shocking reveal that the Green Lantern comic readers had come to love was dead immediately after his debut in the DCU and after waiting more than a decade for a new take on the character in live-action.
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As the mystery got deeper, fan theories began to pop up, with some wondering if the Hal that we see in the first body was some kind of alien copy (a line of dialogue in Episode 1 revealed some extraterrestrials can replicate human anatomy without being detected), while others have become convinced by the “Hal clone” theory that has popped up. This week’s episode of Lanterns didn’t really offer an answer one way or the other, though, but it did make a reveal about Hal Jordan’s early family life that makes his death very, very complicated, on top of being a big change from what comic book readers know about his history. Spoilers for Lanterns follow as well as talk about suicide.
Hal Jordan’s Family History Complicates His Death
Though details of Hal’s early life before he was Green Lantern have been hinted at in the series, this week’s Lanterns flashes things back some to show us Hal Jordan as a young man and how his relationship with his own father put him on a path toward becoming the guardian for sector 2814. We see not only a headstrong Hal as a kid, but a dad whose take-no-crap attitude was clearly passed down to his son. That said, there’s also something of a dark side.
In a moment late in the episode, the construct of Hal that comes from the Power Ring confides in John Stewart about how his father died, revealing that he took his own life. Jordan says that his dad’s death came while acting as a test pilot, so it was assumed that it was just an accident, but that Hal had information that made it clear to him that it was something more. Hal revealed that his father told him a month before he died about a safe in the house that he should open if anything happened to him, and inside he found a note.
For DC Comics readers, this is something of a change. In the pages of comics, Martin Jordan, yes, died in an accident while acting as a test pilot, but the idea that there might have secretly been a plan to commit suicide while performing his job has never been touched at all over the years. It’s a pretty drastic change, and one with even more details, but it begs the question if the reveal from this week’s legacy is actually an answer for Hal’s death or is the show offering a major misdirect ahead of the finale?
Is The Jordan Boy’s Legacy a Red Herring?
As Hal is recounting the tragic story of his Father’s death, he reveals that inside the box left behind for him by his father was a note. In the message from his dad, Martin Jordan revealed a depressive attitude. He believed his family would be better off without him. Not only could he not hide it anymore, but it was getting worse with time. To make it even more bizarre, though, it apparently runs in the family, and the same circumstances happened with Martin Jordan and his father.
Hal reveals that this depressive feeling has been passed down from generation to generation and even has a name, “The Jordan Boys Legacy.” He notes that this generational cycle of depression might actually be the reason he’s Green Lantern, revealing, “I’m not fearless because I’m brave; I’m fearless because I’m broken.”
The result of this reveal is that it puts everything about this episode into perspective. After John learns that Hal has died, one of the first things he discovers is a key (with a bird on it) to a box that has led him to this moment. It’s the series pointing toward the potential for the reveal that Hal actually killed himself and the circumstances of this entire episode have been about finding whatever his “note” is, buried in a box like his dad.
There’s just one problem with this red herring in Lanterns, though, and it’s that Hal Jordan’s death was caused by a single gunshot to the forehead. Sure, in theory, one could do this on their own, but it’s pretty uncommon, and it fits the pattern of one assailant murdering Jordan with a shot to the head. On top of that, the closest thing that Jordan and Stewart find to a note is…Sinestro, fresh from his captivity and hiding on a dead planet. All of this seems to be pointing to the idea that this episode was throwing cold water on the theories about Hal’s death, be it clone or otherwise, but the truth is that it just made things even more interesting for theory crafting ahead of the season finale.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “home” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. A list of international suicide hotlines can be found here.
