Lanterns Finale: 6 Things It Did Right & 2 Things It Should’ve Done Better

Lanterns‘ Season Finale has certainly left fans debating the merit of the show and its seasonal story. The finale episode didn’t involve the usual superhero vs. supervillain showdown, or even the kind of big twist reveals and investigative resolutions we typically get with police detective mysteries. Instead, we got a series of one-on-one character conversations that revealed some key points of the story (like who killed Hal Jordan), fully exposed and explored the deeper themes of the show.

That doesn’t seem to be enough for many viewers: Lanterns is getting its fair share of criticism, for sure. However, before the finale aired, we put out a list of at least 8 things that Episode 8 had to accomplish to “land the plane” and provide a satisfying, worthwhile conclusion. And it nailed almost every one of them. So respectfully, we must disagree that it was a lackluster ending. On the contrary: Lanterns ended on a good note for one of the greatest superhero origin stories ever told onscreen.

8. It Resolved Hal & John’s Relationship

The heart of Lanterns was the relationship between aging Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his young replacement, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Each episode of Lanterns peeled back layers of both men to better inform us why they were such a contentious pair. The fact that it did so much character work after killing one major character (Hal) in Episode 1 was even more impressive.

As predicted, the “Halogram” became a powerful ghost metaphor that helped John Stewart work through his grief while getting the emotional catharsis he never got from the real Hal. By the time the episode was giving an ode to the ending of the movie Ghost (Hal and John’s “I love you” exchange), it was undeniable that this was one of the most dynamic pairings in any superhero project that ended on a heartfelt note.

7. It Resolved John’s Identity

It took several episodes for most viewers to accept that Lanterns was John Stewart’s story, not Hal Jordan’s. That’s largely because the beginning half of the series made Kyle Chandler’s Hal a much more fun and dynamic character who felt like he was drowning Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart in a tidal wave of charisma. Things started to change in the final episodes, but John had a lot to carry in the finale to prove he’s a capable protagonist.

The finale put John Stewart in the spotlight and illustrated all the ways he has grown and changed over the course of the series. In short: John became a little bit more like Hal, breaking from the mold his parents set for him, and the mold of a Green Lantern Corps member, to become his own version of a superhero. It was the core goal the show needed to reach, for its own benefit and to benefit the larger DCU franchise. It met both.

6. John Did NOT Suit Up (But Did Fly)

Lanterns didn’t meet every obligation that we set for it – and this one seems to be a big deal to a lot of fans. Superhero TV series typically do a whole lot of buildup to a moment when the hero dons their full costume and has to flex their full powers in a boss battle. Lanterns decided to skip all of that.

We didn’t get John Stewart’s official Green Lantern costume (that’s coming in the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow), and a lot of fans are being critical of the “first flight” sequence, comparing it to something from The CW’s Arrowverse. Lanterns and Superman both proved how cool the DCU Green Lanterns can look in battle – now let’s see it done with John.

5. It Revealed Who Killed Hal

We called it early that Lanterns would approach Hal’s murder reveal in a way where the “Who?” wouldn’t be more important than the “Why?” And we were right about that.

Sheriff Kerry (Kelly McDonald) killing Hal, and son Noah (Shea Pritchard) covering for her, echoed many of Lanterns’ core themes about generational trauma and the struggle to rise above it (our “programming”). It also created a deep moral gray that John Stewart now exists in, having decided to allow Noah (a Manhunter) to remain hidden on Earth, while Kerry was spared from facing justice over Hal’s murder.

4. It Revealed What Sinestro’s Role Was (& What It Could Become)

Thaal Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) is one of the most pivotal figures in Green Lantern lore, and one of the most formidable DC villains out there. Fans were thrilled to see him in Lanterns, but mainstream viewers had no idea why he was so important to the show and its lore. In one of its boldest moves, Lanterns pushed the mystery of Sinestro’s involvement all the way to the finale.

Lanterns Episode 8 managed to pull off the unlikely feat of making Sinestro the pivotal character he was supposed to be. We know he can forge bootleg Lantern batteries (the “Dark Lantern”) and is experimenting with weaponizing fear as a rival power to the Green Lanterns. Sinestro was left stranded on the dead planet where Noah Macon left him, but if he gets free, it will be because he mastered fear and has become a new kind of threat to the galaxy.

3. It Revealed the Threat Hiding In Plain Sight

There were many theories that Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan) wasn’t the only Manhunter hiding out on Earth, and those who bet on Noah Macon being the culprit bet correctly. However, Lanterns subverted all expectations by not pushing things into a fight between Noah and John. Instead, we got a deep conversation about “nature vs. nurture” that made Noah seem like more of a tragic figure of circumstance, rather than a nefarious mastermind.

Again, this reveal wasn’t startling: many fans bet on Noah being a secret antagonist. However, the way that story detail was utilized was thought-provoking and powerful. It also leaves Noah Macon in play in a way that keeps tensions high, as we don’t know where the young Manhunter could end up, or if his alien nature will win out over his human nurturing.

2. It Did NOT Reveal The Guardians or Green Lantern Corps

Lanterns took a slow-roll approach to introducing all the fantastical sci-fi lore related to Green Lantern, and it worked to the show’s benefit. Newcomers found an accessible way into the character and lore, while longtime fans were kept guessing at the novel approach showrunners Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy, and Tom King took with the series.

However, Lanterns may have held back a little too much when it comes to the fantastical aspects of the character. We never saw the Green Lanterns’ homeworld of Oa; we never saw any of the alien Lanterns make an appearance or even cameo; we didn’t even get a full look at the Guardians of the Universe, just a single teaser look at one from behind. After all the work done establishing the human Lanterns, their personalities and backstories, it feels like a big miss not to give us any look at the full Green Lantern Corps in all its glory.

1. It Established Green Lantern’s New Status Quo Before Man of Tomorrow

Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) appeared in Superman (2025) and is also set to return for the sequel film, Man of Tomorrow. However, Lanterns star Aaron Pierre is also confirmed to be in Man of Tomorrow. That raised a lot of important questions, heading into the finale.

After “Dirt and Sand,” the answer is now very clear: when Man of Tomorrow begins, John Stewart will be operating independently as a Green Lantern, with just Earth as his jurisdiction. Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) will still serve as the “official” Green Lantern sanctioned by the Corps, protecting Earth’s sector of space off-world. We can only imagine both Lanterns will face a massive challenge when Brainiac comes to invade Earth.

Lanterns is now streaming all episodes on HBO Max. Let us know if you liked or hated the finale over on our forum discussion!

Lanterns Season Finale Is a Muted Conclusion, But With Satisfying Storytelling [REVIEW]