- Primary Subject: Lanterns Season 1, Episode 5
- Key Update: Cast members break down the latest major character twist and tactical reveal from the new episode.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: September 14, 2026
- Quick Answer: The stars of Lanterns discuss the latest episode's massive character shift and how the series pulled off its biggest deception yet.
Lanterns Episode 5, “Lights Out,” has finally confirmed the identity of the Manhunter, and stars Poorna Jagannathan and Garrett Dillahunt, who play the couple Zoe and William Macon, talk about how the show fooled fans with its major Manhunter twist.
The latest episode made several big revelations, from the Manhunter's true identity to what happened to Hal Jordan’s (Kyle Chandler) ring.
Now that the real enemy has been revealed, here’s how Lanterns managed to pull off the major twist.
WARNING: MAJOR LANTERNS EPISODE 5 SPOILERS AHEAD. DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED IT YET.
How Did Lanterns Pull Off Its Major Manhunter Twist?
Just when everyone thought that Will was the Manhunter, it was revealed to be his wife, Zoe. Episode 4, “The Weenie,” hinted at who the real enemy was after Zoe was blasted by a laser from the sky, and John (Aaron Pierre) was convinced that she was still alive.
As Hal told Antaan that Will was the Manhunter, the former and his team assaulted Will’s ranch. Zoe coached her husband to pretend that he was the Manhunter.
True enough, Antaan was caught off guard when he cut out Will’s heart, proving that he was human.
“I did my job well. That was Macon’s job,” Garret Dillahunt told ScreenRant about his role in pretending to be the Manhunter.
“Decoy!” Poorna Jagannathan teased.
The Indian-American actress explained that if there was one thing that made Zoe different, it was her “inner machine.”
“Her inner engine to survive is much stronger than most people,” she said. “She will survive at all costs, and to do that, she will make contracts with each and every person.”
Episode 5 started by revealing how the Manhunter held so much power over the people of Rushville when Zoe saved Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) from the gangsters to whom her father owed money.
“[Co-creator] Chris [Mundy] and Geeta Patel, the director of that episode, wanted a sense that that scene is emblematic of the contract Zoe has made with every single person in the town,” Jagannathan told Variety. “Her survival depends on you agreeing to your survival. It’s a Faustian play she makes.”
What Happened to John and Zoe’s Relationship in Lanterns?
John and Zoe shared a complex relationship in Lanterns after they developed an affair, which was actually part of Zoe’s tactical manipulation.
After Hal left John trapped in their car, which crashed in the previous episode, Episode 5 revealed that it was his plan to let Antaan and Will’s militia shoot it out while he went after Zoe to turn her over to the Guardians.
But Zoe managed to track down John as the car began to burn. Instead of saving him, she waited for it to explode and offered him a deal to use her powers to heal his injuries if he let Hal die and told the Guardians everything was well.
“What you understand is she waits for people to be at their most vulnerable point, near death, and she comes in to save them,” Poorna Jagannathan said about her character.
But the 53-year-old star was convinced that Zoe would never let John die, wanting the gratitude and protection of a Green Lantern as “her crown jewel.”
“She quickly assessed who could be her strongest protector, and it wasn’t Hal, it was John,” she continued. “She sees something in John where she knows that he is going to be the better Green Lantern.”
In fact, this even helped Zoe show her real self to John after the big revelation.
“Now that John knows who she is, can she be more in her body, in her element, in her true nature? I had that conversation with Chris [Mundy], and he's like, ‘No, she is human. She has adopted this form. She has adopted the emotions. She's adopted everything,’” she explained.
Lanterns Episodes 1-5 are available to stream on HBO Max, while new episodes drop every Sunday.
Keep it locked on Epicstream, your go-to source for film, TV, and celebrity news!