The biggest suspects, strangest clues, and wildest Lanterns theories so far.
HBO’s Lanterns has proven to be one of the best new additions to James Gunn’s DC Universe. The series brings together Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and drops them into a decade-hopping murder mystery set in a small rural town where nothing seems right. Series creators Tom King, Damon Lindelof, and Chris Mundy tastefully plucked subtle elements from Green Lanterns comic book mythology and imbued them into what feels like a grounded noir with True Detective vibes.
At the center of it all is a mysterious Manhunter. Not to be confused with the DC hero of the same name, the Manhunters are an army of artificial police created by the Guardians of the Universe long before the Green Lantern Corps. After going rogue, their mission of maintaining order violently devolved into a genocidal crusade. Lanterns shifts that history ever so slightly by turning the live-action Manhunters into synthetic shapeshifters capable of deep-cover infiltration, making the secret identity of the one hiding out in Rushville the core tension of the show.
Given Lanterns is a murder mystery wrapped in a superhero story, no one is above suspicion. Before the next episode airs, let’s take a look at some of the most compelling theories as to who might be the Manhunter, and what that might say about their ultimate goal in Lanterns.
While there are quite a few potential suspects, the most likely candidate feels like Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan). Fans have reason to be suspicious of her. From the moment she’s introduced, Zoe provokes a relationship with John Stewart and begins to insert her way into seemingly mundane moments. There's something too convenient about her proximity to the Lantern investigation. It often feels like she’s keeping tabs on Hal Jordan, allowing her access to both of the show’s central Lanterns. If the Manhunter’s goal is to gain the trust of the heroes and undermine them from the inside, Zoe’s in a fairly perfect position to make that happen.
However, that perfection also makes her setup as the Manhunter a little too obvious, and there’s an even deeper DC theory to the character that makes her potential reveal considerably more interesting. Rather than being the Manhunter, Zoe could actually be Sinestro’s daughter, Soranik Natu, acting as an informant for her imprisoned father on Earth. Her relationship with John would still be steeped in deception, but it would tie her directly into the larger Green Lantern mythology without making her the ultimate antagonist. Perhaps that’s exactly the kind of misdirection Lanterns wants us to fall for, but Sinestro’s apparent interest in John is quite telling.
If Lanterns aims to convince us that someone is the Manhunter, William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) might be the easiest sell. He leads an anti-alien militia, lives on an enormous compound that’s armed to the teeth, and owns alien-detection technology advanced enough to surprise even Hal Jordan. More importantly, William’s hatred of extraterrestrials feels almost too extreme. What better explanation than a Manhunter’s programming turning its obsession with eliminating threats into a human crusade?
One thing that doesn’t add up, though, is that Manhunters are often portrayed more as stealth operatives in the comics, yet William Macon is as loud as it gets. By aggressively recruiting and heavily arming a militia, he's broadcasting his awareness of extraterrestrials to anyone who will listen. The more intriguing angle positions him as the DCU’s William Hand (Black Hand). Under this theory, Macon's operation is just a front, and his mysterious financial benefactor is the actual Manhunter (which we’ll get to shortly). Macon ultimately might not be the mastermind, but he could very well be a mere pawn in a larger scheme.
Sometimes the most suspicious character in a mystery is the person we haven’t actually met yet. William Macon repeatedly references a wealthy benefactor funding his compound and operations, providing the town advanced surveillance technology and likely other high-grade gadgets we haven’t seen yet. If Macon is being positioned as a red herring, his benefactor could be the real answer to everything.
While some suggest this benefactor character could be Lex Luthor, given his well-established interest in alien technology, the Manhunter theory adds a bit more weight behind the mystery. The theory posits that the Manhunter could be hiding somewhere on Macon’s property, while using his wealth, resources, and anti-alien obsession as camouflage. Macon thinks he’s preparing humanity for an alien invasion, but In reality, he may already be playing into the Manhunter's hands. The theory makes the mysterious benefactor far scarier than a mere human with deep pockets.
Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) has one of the strangest backstories in Lanterns. Coming from the mean streets of Gotham City, she should be a total fish-out-of-water character, but somehow seems right at home in rural Nebraska. Serving as sheriff of Rushville, she has incredible access to the town and several resources that could make it easier for her to blend in. Moving from Batman’s backyard to a small town like Rushville also gives Kane the perfect cover when trying to disappear into an unsuspecting community. The Manhunter theory takes that one step further. As an outsider, Kane could have arrived in town specifically to observe the people around her while quietly embedding herself in local law enforcement.
Others suggest Kerry’s connection to Gotham means something entirely different. She could actually be tied to Batman in some capacity or may even be related to Katherine Kane, aka Batwoman. Her suspicious history might be simply a DC deep cut rather than evidence of alien infiltration. The other major problem with this theory is that the show’s flash-forward to 2026 seems to suggest Kane is genuinely human, but Lanterns has already taught us not to trust everything we see.
I'll be the first to admit it: Billy Macon (Jason Ritter) is a wild curve ball, but he may be the best example of a character most easily hiding in plain sight. Not only is Billy the son of William Macon, but he’s also married to Sheriff Kane and serves as the town’s lawyer. Although he might appear aggressively ordinary on paper, if the Manhunter is looking for the perfect human identity to embody without any potential hiccups, that mundanity makes him almost invisible.
Taking Billy’s form would give the Manhunter access to nearly every important corner of Rushville. Through Kerry alone, the alien would have a direct connection to local law enforcement, plus his father already nets him significant manpower if ever needed, not to mention the aforementioned alien-detection technology. His job as an attorney also gives him a perfectly believable reason to know nearly everyone in town without seeming suspicious.
The problem is that Billy hasn’t been central enough to the story for the reveal to really devastate us. A Manhunter twist should ideally make viewers rethink a relationship we’ve become invested in, but Billy hasn’t had the same kind of build-up in the story yet. Unless Lanterns has deliberately kept him in the background, he may be a little too obvious a vessel for a twist this big.
Source: Read the original article on www.polygon.com
Written by https://futureknowledge.in/
