Major spoilers for Lanterns’ Season 1 finale, “Dirt and Stars” lie ahead, so read on at your own discretion.
HBO and DC’s Lanterns has come to a close on the 2026 TV schedule and, with that, the show wrapped up the vast majority of the plot threads viewers have been following for weeks now. To put it simply, the series ends with John Stewart forging a firm path for himself within the DCU moving forward. There are a few developments in this episode that could have major ramifications on the shared universe as a whole down the road. However, there’s one specific detail I can’t help but keep thinking about, and it’s related to a single comment.
John Stewart’s Conversation With Sinestro Includes A Massive Claim I’m Still Pondering
After the finale’s prologue (which chronicles Hal Jordan and Kerry Kane’s romance) the show flashes back to where the previous installment left off – John confronting Sinestro on that decimated planet. It’s during their conversation that viewers learn Kerry’s son, Noah Macon, is a manhunter (which partially aligned with fans’ theories about Hal’s death). What’s more, Noah broke Sinestro out of prison and ordered him to forge a fear-tinged Lantern for him, which he’d use to get revenge on the GL Corps for his grandmother, Zoe.
That information is incredibly important, but what really strikes me is a comment Sinestro makes. He claims to John and the “Halogram” (Hal’s archived consciousness) that he can use the power of the Lantern to bring the real Hal back from the dead. Naturally, both John and Hal are skeptical, but Sinestro asserts that he’s telling the truth. Ultimately, Stewart and Jordan leave the ex-Green Lantern restrained on the planet, which is populated with toxic, fear-inducing water.
What I’m still wondering is whether or not Sinestro was really telling the truth at that moment. I mean, on the one hand, he could’ve simply said that as a way to try to persuade his captors to let him go. But, on the other hand, he could’ve very well been honest when making that claim about the lantern’s power. The show has already shown machines that can revive people, so I don’t think it’s totally out of the question for a ring with extraterrestrial origins to do it as well. And, if that’s the case, it could be big for the DCU moving forward.
What Could That Lantern’s Power Mean For The DCU?
Those who finished Lanterns’ finale surely know that it ends with John Stewart choosing to wield the late Hal Jordan’s ring and use Sinestro’s fear-forged lantern as its source. Not only that, but Stewart also tells (the returning) Guy Gardner that he intends to operate independently of the GL Corps. What I’m wondering is with John now operating the Lantern, will he discover any kind of resurrection powers and use them himself?
It’s known that the newly minted Green Lantern is returning in Man of Tomorrow (which is part of the 2027 movie schedule). That film will see Superman, Lex Luthor and more take on the threat of Brainiac and, if the battle gets too tense, might John use his ring to revive a fallen hero, if he’s discovered any kind of power by that point?
There’s also the notion of what this could mean for a future season of Lanterns. Despite John’s rocky relationship with Hal, he eventually gained a considerable amount of respect for his unconventional mentor, especially after finding out why he died. A scene in the finale also shows John reaching out to the now-deleted Halogram for advice but to no avail. Stewart surely has more challenges ahead of him, and it’s hard not to consider whether he’d revive Jordan to assist him.
Of course, these are all just massive theories on my part but, regardless of whether John’s lantern can revive the dead, the power paradigm in the DCU could shift a bit. Sinestro’s lantern could prove to be a very powerful tool, and the notion of a Green lantern wielding something like that in this universe is intriguing to say the least. I’m curious as to how he’ll wield that power moving forward – and whether he’ll end up raising the dead at some point.
Lanterns’ first season is available to stream in its entirety with an HBO Max subscription. Fans should also read up on upcoming DC shows that are in various stages of development.
