- Primary Subject: Lanterns Season 1, Episode 3
- Key Update: Tensions rise between John Stewart and Hal Jordan as a new directive from the Guardians tests their partnership.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: August 31, 2026
- Quick Answer: Episode 3 tests the dynamic between John Stewart and Hal Jordan as a classified directive from the Guardians complicates the mission and forces John to navigate a difficult situation with his veteran mentor.
Lanterns Episode 3, “OutKast,” may have focused on John Stewart’s (Aaron Pierre) backstory, but it also unveiled the Guardians of the Universe’s shocking plan for Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler).
While Hal is training John to become the next Green Lantern, it appears the Guardians have something very different in store for the veteran space police.
WARNING: MAJOR LANTERNS EPISODE 3 SPOILERS AHEAD. DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE NEW EPISODE YET.
What Is the Guardians’ Plan for Hal Jordan?
Lanterns Episode 3 briefly touched on Sinestro’s (Ulrich Thomsen) backstory, explaining how he ended up incarcerated after attempting a coup and nearly killing one of the Guardians before being stopped by Hal.
And while John and Hal find themselves in a nearly similar scenario – only with different dynamics – it looks like the Guardians have been pitting John against Hal all along.
A Guardian (Laura Linney) interviewed John for the Green Lantern role, resulting in several flashbacks to his childhood.
At the end, the Guardian told John he was the right man for the job, revealing that the two of them had only been pretending to Hal that he was supposed to train John as another Green Lantern rather than replace him.
In the first two episodes, Hal already felt that John was being positioned to replace him and didn’t want to give up the role, which explains their conflicted relationship.
So, by the looks of it, John has known all along that he is set to replace Hal, but he can’t tell him the truth.
What Is Laura Linney’s Guardians’ Role in Lanterns?
Laura Linney finally debuted as a Guardian of the Universe in Lanterns Episode 3. The Guardians are responsible for creating both the Manhunters and the Green Lantern Corps.
In DC Comics, there are several female Guardians, but the DC Universe series has yet to identify which character Linney is playing.
That said, there are theories that she may be playing Sayd, who was in a relationship with another Guardian named Ganthet and eventually helped create the Blue Lantern Corps.
So, if Linney is indeed playing Sayd, this could prove that DC Studios is planning to expand the Green Lantern mythology in the DCU.
As immortal beings living on Oa – and with the show revealing that they can shapeshift – there’s likely much more to be revealed about the Guardians in Lanterns.
Lanterns Episodes 1 to 3 are available to stream on HBO Max, while new episodes drop every Sunday.
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