Lanterns star Garret Dillahunt is portraying William Macon in the upcoming HBO Max superhero drama, but a long-running fan theory is that he's secretly playing Black Hand, a Green Lantern comic book villain William Hand aka Black Hand.
Originally an obscure Silver Age character from the '60s, Black Hand rose to greater prominence under Geoff Johns' pen, during the Blackest Night crossover event of the late-2000s.
Black Hand became a herald of Nekron, the cosmic manifestation of Death, and led a cosmic uprising across the entire DC Universe where dead heroes and villains returned as the undead to form the Black Lantern Corps.
Speaking on a previous social media post where he shared a fan edit of himself as Black Hand, Dillahunt told Nerd Reactor, "I just thought it was cool that someone was out there with some theories. I wasn't trying to confirm or deny anything at all. I just thought, 'Oh, that's interesting...'Cool theory, bro [wink].'"
He continued, "But I can't say anything and I think it's good that people are trying to solve it...I can't come out and be like, 'Hey, let me ruin the show for you.'"
Elsewhere, Aaron Pierre appeared on The CBS Morning Show, where he recited the Green Lantern Oath and shared why he's excited to bring the character of John Stewart to life.
"This character is so celebrated and championed and beloved internationally… I love how his complexity is detailed. I love how he has seemingly juxtaposed things coexisting in one individual."
Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. Fans will also see Nathan Fillion reprise his role as the abrasive Guy Gardner, connecting Lanterns to his appearance in Superman.
The stellar cast also includes Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, a pivotal character in the local mystery, while Ulrich Thomsen will portray the iconic rogue Sinestro, Hal Jordan's former mentor.
Other key cast members include Garret Dillahunt as the conspiracy-minded William Macon, Jason Ritter as his charming son Billy, and Nicole Ari Parker as John Stewart's mother, Bernadette.
Back in July 2025, the 8-episode HBO superhero drama wrapped filming are kicking off principal photography in February. The lengthy post-production time is another strong indicator that the series will eventually visit places other than Rushville, Nebraska.
The official synopsis for the series states that the plot centers on a seemingly isolated murder in the American heartland, specifically Nebraska. This local crime will draw the veteran Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his new recruit, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), into deeper, more sinister revelations.
Lanterns is set to premiere on HBOMax on August 16.
Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) is on board as a co-creator of the HBO drama, putting him right at the center of the show’s creative direction. He’s joined by Chris Mundy (Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun) and Tom King.
Mundy serves as the showrunner for the production while King supplied the initial pitch. Lindelof wrote the pilot and is in charge of overall story development.