Lanterns will be making its way to HBO next year. The show stars Aaron PIerre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan as they investigate a murder in a small town. The series will be the first live-action representation of Hal Jordan in 15 years, since the release of 2011's Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds. The project is making a big change to Green Lantern lore, depicting Hal as an older experienced hero in his late 50s-early 60s. Given the actor's age, many have wondered whether Lanterns will feature his character's death, thus making John Stewart the main Lantern of the DCU.
Now, we may (emphasis on "may") have gotten a clue as to what will be Hal Jordan's fate come the end of the series. Men's Health recently did a profile on John Stewart actor Aaron Pierre (where he discussed Lanterns and his former involvement in Marvel Studios' Blade). For the piece, the outlet also sat down with Lanterns creator and showrunner Chris Mundy (Ozark, Criminal Minds), and he was asked whether or not the show would use Hal and John's initial antagonistic dynamic from the comics. Mundy offered an interesting response, stating the show was about "replacement," and the idea of a character needing to "step aside", possibly hinting at Hal Jordan not dying by the end of the show, but retiring:
"Our show is in a lot of ways about replacement—when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins? That push and pull between those two characters is really important."
Mundy further explained that an important character trait of John Stewart is that he knows he belongs in the Corps., allowing him to feel confident, and most importantly for a hero who can create he can possibly dream of, keep his composure in situations of stress:
"So much of the power that John has is by not taking the bait, understanding that you lose your power if you're yelling and screaming. That's what we're trying to convey: that he knows he belongs, so he doesn't have to overcompensate. There's a real balance there that’s just innately inside of Aaron. He's big. He's an intimidating presence just physically. But there's a softness to him too. There's a thoughtfulness. You can't teach that."
That last part may further emphasize the idea that John will indeed replace Hal in the Corps., given how he feels confident about stepping up to be a Green Lantern. It's a fascinating story point, especially for a character like John, who—similar to how he will be portrayed on the show—is known for being calm and collected.
Now, it's important to remember this is just speculation. Yes, Mundy's comments seem to reveal that Hal will not be a Green Lantern past Lanterns. but he could have also misspoken, or have been refering to the overall idea that Hal is grappling with having a new, younger partner that will eventually replace him. With that said, what makes the showrunner's response so seemingly revealing is the fact that he never mentioned death; he specifically talked about the show being about passing the baton to the next generation.
When Kyle Chandler was announed to be playing Hal, the concern was, as previously mentioned, that the hero would not be a prominent figure in the DCU due to his age. As such, the show has long been theorized to be a bit of a swan song for the character. Now, with Mundy's comments (again, with the caveat that this is speculation), it's looking increasingly likely that that may be the case.
Passing the baton is an interesting story setup in superhero stories. It worked wonders in 2015's Ant-Man, for example, and for all we know, may fit perfectly in Lanterns as well. After all, both Hal and John are great characters. However, it is somewhat disappointing to think there's potential to only get live-action Hal for a single season of television. Such prospect is particularly disappointing when, firstly, we are only just getting to know this version of the character, and secondly, when the only other live-action interpretation of him happened nearly 15 years ago in a film pretty much nobody liked (expect for some... and there are dozens of us!).
Lanterns is expected to release sometime in 2026.
What do you think about Chris Mundy's comments? Do you believe Hal will actually retire at the end of Lanterns? Let us know in the comments!