The Season 1 finale of Lanterns offered a ton of material to unpack, with several major revelations throughout this conclusive hour of television. This episode might be confusing for TV viewers and long-term comic experts alike, as it strays far off course from the Green Lantern mythos. It’s bound to be divisive, but this deconstruction of character lore seems to be exactly what James Gunn’s DCU is going for, with Supergirl being a killer and now John Stuart forming his own renegade Lantern ethos.
What’s Different About Sinestro’s Lantern?
Using Manhunter technology, Noah broke Sinestro out of his prison and took him to forge a new lantern, hoping to protect himself from the Guardians. Sinestro, having been the only person to have killed a Guardian, made for a perfect candidate, and the ex-Green Lantern even added his own special flair to it: fear. In the comics, the Green Lanterns rely on willpower, and the Yellow Lanterns, also known as the Sinestro Corps, utilize fear.
The lantern Sinestro builds still seems to power up John’s Green Lantern ring, but it may also have some side effects. It’s possible John could possess something similar to Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber from the Star Wars prequels, which channels both the light side and the dark.
What Will Happen to Sinestro?
John and Hal abandoned Sinestro at the forge, and while he seemed to be in distress, it’s very likely this will work to his advantage. Rather than forging a Green Lantern ring that utilizes fear, Sinestro may be able to have a breakthrough and create the first genuine Yellow Lantern, making him more powerful and dangerous for future seasons of Lanterns or other DCU media. Sinestro is the greatest villain of the Green Lanterns, and it’d be shocking if he didn’t return to fulfill that role.
Who Were Antaan & His Species?
Antaan and his companions were aliens who sought revenge on the Manhunters for the destruction of their planet. There weren’t many details about them, their species, or their planet, but clues from the comics indicate this could be the planet Qward, the location where the Yellow Lantern ring was forged in the DC Comics universe. Regardless, this species seems to be extinct, and their planet is now the birthplace of one of the most sinister organizations in the galaxy.
Who Burned Down Hal’s House?
The Lanterns finale never actually reveals who attacked Hal Jordan’s house with Molotovs, but it’s safe to assume it was a group of angry Rushville folk. Noah claims it wasn’t him, and that he only arrived to help Hal, but this does demonstrate a parallel between him and Zoe, as she waited for John to burn before saving his life. There’s no specific reason to assume Noah lied, as he did regarding Hal’s murder; in that case, he did so to protect his mother. The motives would be inconsistent.
How Did Noah Become a Manhunter?
The Manhunters seem to possess programming and technology that allow for transformation and generation, which Zoe used to remain alive in different forms for millennia. Zoe chopped off Kerry’s finger as penance, but audiences may have noticed Kerry wasn’t missing a finger in the series. When Zoe used her technology to heal Kerry, she somehow also made her pregnant. Kerry claimed that Zoe produced a “miracle” in a previous episode, implying that Noah’s birth was an extraordinary occurrence.
Why Doesn’t John Kill Noah?
John decides not to kill Noah, but this isn’t purely an act of simple mercy. John relates to Noah in their conversation about nature versus nurture. Noah was programmed to be a Manhunter, just as John was “programmed” to be a Green Lantern. Both men now desire to be more, and if Noah can be a good person living a normal life, John Stuart can choose his own destiny, no longer shackled to the programming of wanting to please his parents.
What Will Happen to Kerry and Noah?
All Kerry wants is to keep being a mother and hope that Noah lives a good, normal life. As much as she may have loved Hal, her true loyalty is to her son, and she would do anything to protect him. Noah, on the other hand, will live the rest of his life wrestling with his programming, resisting his urges to pursue power and inflict harm upon the human race.
Is John Stuart Officially a Green Lantern?
At the end of Lanterns Season 1, John Stuart charges his ring and swears his oath, but it’s not the typical Green Lantern oath. Unlike Guy, who’s a member of the Green Lantern Corps, John has chosen his own path and refuses to abide by their inhuman rules. He’s seen what the Corps did to Hal, and he doesn’t want to experience that fate. For the time being, he’s an unofficial member who will protect Earth, leaving the remainder of Sector 2814 to Guy Gardner.
This is an important element that connects to the Green Lantern comics of the 1970s. In Green Lantern #76, Green Arrow shows Hal Jordan that, while his work in space has been effective, he’s been ignorant of problems back on his home planet, and the two set out on a journey across America where they explore everyday issues like racism and poverty. John is being built not as an intergalactic space cop like Hal, but as a Green Lantern who will get involved in the day-to-day problems of regular human beings.
John Stuart’s Lantern Oath, Explained
John Stuart’s oath transforms the original Green Lantern words beyond the opening. His words are centered around understanding his human capacity for fear and choosing to do the right thing anyway, reflecting his arc and upbringing in Lanterns and how it differs from his comic portrayal. Other notable changes include shifting “Blackest” to “Darkest,” likely to avoid racial connotations. He also says “this lantern” instead of “Green Lantern,” suggesting his deviation.
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Green Lantern Oath |
John Stuart’s Oath |
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“In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!” |
“In Brightest Day. In Darkest Night. I’ll embrace my fear. I’ll do what’s right. I choose this ring. I choose this fight. In service to this lantern’s light.” |
In the comics, John doesn’t have his own oath. This was made up entirely for Lanterns and was written to reflect his arc in the TV series. According to showrunner Chris Mundy (via ScreenRant), the oath symbolizes that “John’s path was not the normal path. The ring didn’t choose him; he was interviewed, he was raised for it.”
What John Reuniting With His Mother Means
After ignoring her calls for multiple episodes, John finally reunites with his family. While he’s still fully aware of the abuse he suffered as a child, it seems that his arc in Lanterns has allowed him to realize who he is finally, and he recognizes his parents’ part in that. Bernadette raised him out of fear, knowing that she was risking everything in her treatment of him, but also wanting to push him as hard as possible for him to reach his full potential, worrying that if she didn’t, he would struggle with the unfairness of the world.
John learned many terrible lessons from her and John Sr., but they’re still an essential part of the foundation of him as a hero. Now, having realized what he’s capable of, he’s able to finally accept his parents for who they are and return home. He brings back the Green Lantern ring they always wanted him to wear, and he’s able to be proud to present it to them because he got it his way. He wasn’t programmed for it; he earned it.
