Lanterns: Top 5 Characters Who Are Most Likely the Manhunter

Lanterns is off to a strong start, impressing both casual viewers checking the show as HBO appointment viewing and diehard DC fans alike. The decision to marry the lore of a sci-fi superhero like Green Lantern to a True Detective-style police procedural is paying off, allowing every viewer to latch onto the show’s central mysteries. Episode 2 of Lanterns made it very clear that there is one question viewers should be asking right now: “Who is the Manhunter?”

The show is borrowing a big chunk of DC lore by introducing the Manhunters, the precursors to the Green Lantern Corps. The “synthetic” beings went rogue, decimating entire forms of organic life as their twisted form of “Justice.” The Guardians allegedly annihilated all of the Manhunters, but Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) learn that one of the artificial beings is still alive and hiding out on Earth in human guise.

Who is Lanterns‘ Manhunter? The Top 5 Suspects

So who is the Manhunter? There are 5 prime suspects we have right now. As you’ll see in our list below, the suspect list boils down to just one family: the Macon family. However, some members of that family look more suspicious than others…

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5. William Macon

The patriarch of the Macon family likes to ride around his fortified ranch, shooting anyone who “trespasses” through his gate. In secret, Macon is researching and developing technology far beyond Earth’s capabilities in a bunker under his home, while seemingly implementing alien detection devices all over the town of. He walks around spouting a mantra about not being colonized, which we assume is about being anti-aliens, but could be something else entirely. William Macon’s initial characterization as a fringe-right allegory could be a big misdirect: all in all, he does have some serious Manhunter vibes and tendencies.

Likelihood? LOW. William Macon is such an obvious suspect being placed right in our faces that it’s hard to believe he’s the one that will be revealed to be the Manhunter. There is still a concurrent theory that William Macon will be the DCU’s version of another classic Green Lantern villain, Black Hand (aka “William Hand”), who counters the Lanterns’ rings by wielding an alien energy-absorption rod.

4. Billy Macon

Billy Macon (Jason Ritter) is William Macon’s dutiful son and errand boy. In his professional life, Billy is a lawyer, and in Episode 2, he helps Hal Jordan get off the hook for his bar fight and subsequent arrest. So far, Billy hasn’t made too much of a strong impression, appearing at a few points in the first two episodes to provide key exposition or keep the narrative ball rolling.

Likelihood? MODERATE. Billy Macon appears, seems mildly useful and interesting, and then disappears again. That’s a very purposeful pacing of his presence and screen time, and the more you think about it, Billy really is in the center of it all, helping to keep the various players on the board (his dad, Hal, his wife, the sheriff) in motion. As long as they’re all looking at each other, no one is looking too hard at him. It would be a great case of hiding in plain sight, and few would ever suspect Jason Ritter being the nefarious character in the group. Definite maybe.

3. Noah Macon

Sheriff Kerry Macon and Billy Macon’s son Noah (Cary Christopher) is a gifted and smart kid, whose only highlight moment in the show was during Episode 1, when John Stewart teaches him how to throw a football. By 2026, we know that Noah has grown “tall” and taken those football instructions to heart, going all-state as Rushville’s starting quarterback. Otherwise, he’s been in the background as a whole lot of adult weirdness and alien carnage is taking place around him.

Likelihood? WTF TWIST. If Lanterns really wanted to throw viewers for a loop, this would be the way, by revealing Noah is actually the “benefactor” William mentions. A Manhunter staying in deep cover for more than a decade would be diabolical, and having the entire Macon family and its resources would be a major advantage. Although appearing to be a child, strategically speaking, Noah is in a position to exploit both his parents, his grandparents, and their militia. Noah being the Manhunter could also explain why Hal Jordan ended up dead in the stands where the Rushville Pioneers play football (he confronted Noah after a game). This would be a sick twist, and using the kid from Weapons to do it would be icing on the cake.

2. Kerry Kane

The lovable sheriff of Rushville (Kelly McDonald) seems very put-upon, and yet she’s also just as savvy as Hal Jordan when it comes to the investigation. A small-town sheriff being such a good cop is already suspicious; her clearly strained relationship with her in-laws needs more explanation, and we also have to wonder what she was up to in 2026 that put her in a position to be the first to know that Hal Jordan was dead.

Likelihood? Hard MAYBE. The small town sheriff turning out to be the killer would be a wonderful subversion of traditional tropes, as would seeing Hal Jordan realizing that his enemy was hiding in front of his eyes. However, a lot of DC fans are in an uproar after Lanterns Episode 2, when Kane mentioned she was from Gotham City. Now, Batwoman theories are hanging over “Kerry Kane” just as much as a Manhunter reveal is.

1. Zoey Macon

In just two episodes, Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan) has proven to be a very complex and layered character. Zoe sleeps with John Stewart, but loves her family and husband fiercely, and besides being a clear matriarch and every bit the equal to her husband, there is precious little we know about Zoe, what she does, or why she always seems to be in place to catch John at a lonely moment.

Likelihood: Pretty Strong. Zoe has already said any number of things that could be looked back on as a Manhunter talking in double-speak. In Episode 2, her talk with John in the diner about being an outsider and how the Macon Family’s resources and status work for her was especially curious; it would fit the kind of strategy a Manhunter would use to blend in with a population while still exerting influence. It would also make things very complicated for John, who is clearly forming a bond with Zoe. Zoe is also the least problematic character to reveal as the Manhunter, and it would be sick socio-political humor on the showrunners’ part to have William Macon find out that the biggest alien plot against Earth is coming from within his own house.

Lanterns is streaming on HBO Max. New Episodes air Sundays on HBO.

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