- Primary Subject: Lanterns
- Key Update: A new trailer highlights upcoming threats, fresh DC comic characters, and deeper mysteries for the Green Lanterns.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: August 19, 2026
- Quick Answer: HBO's new Lanterns trailer offers a fresh look at incoming allies, major villains, and the central mystery driving the series forward.
HBO has released a new trailer for Lanterns, teasing not only the arrival of Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) but also a hidden Manhunter and more of Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler).
The DC Universe series kicked off with a major twist, featuring the unexpected death of a key character. However, it looks like there is still much more for fans to discover in the remaining seven episodes.
WARNING: LANTERNS EPISODE 1 SPOILERS AHEAD.
New Lanterns Trailer Explored
Lanterns Episode 1 saw the mysterious death of Hal after John (Aaron Pierre) and Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) found him frozen with a gunshot wound to his head on the football field in Rushville, Nebraska.
But if fans think this would be the last time the veteran Green Lantern would appear in the series, the new Lanterns trailer reveals that there is still more of Hal to come.
Titled Weeks Ahead Trailer, the clip teases what led to Hal’s death as the investigation into the shooting continues.
“Something is off here,” Hal says as he observes the field.
John reveals that there are four dead aliens, while another one blows up the sheriff’s station.
The scene then shifts to William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) questioning Hal about his stay at the ranch, to which Hal retorts by accusing him of hiding something on the property.
A super-advanced weapon is then revealed, and it's so high-tech that it’s surprising to see it in a small town.
Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) then warns the Green Lanterns that they have 48 hours to find the Manhunter, with Kerry finally allowing Hal to start the investigation.
Fans then get their first look at award-winning actress Laura Linney’s Guardian. An alien who transforms in front of a woman and her child then appears, seemingly taking place in the garage where John’s father shot the apple in his head.
The trailer also gives fans their first glimpses of Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner and Hal’s archnemesis and the series’ ultimate villain, Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen).
As the events become increasingly intense, with Hal and John eventually ending up in a fight, it looks like John is poised to replace Hal after all.
Why Hal Died in Lanterns Episode 1?
Lanterns surprised everyone when it ended with Hal’s death, kicking off a major mystery surrounding how and why he was killed, and it's even bigger than the mystery surrounding the aliens in the series.
So, why does Hal die? According to co-showrunner Chris Mundy, it was done to “infuse the entire story with a lot of emotionality,” especially now that the new trailer reveals that Hal and John “were not in a good place.”
Damon Lindelof explained that while these characters typically can’t die in the comics, the creators are “doing something that’s supposed to be grounded.”
“We gradually started kind of coming around to it, and I think because we were so reluctant to do it, and because we’re fans, at the same time we get our turn to run with the baton of these amazing characters, but also just as fans, Hal means something to us too,” he told Collider.
Lindelof understands that fans would be upset after Hal was killed 15 years after his previous live-action appearance in Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern, especially after viewers had only 50 minutes to fall in love with Kyle Chandler’s version of the character.
However, he teased that fans should watch the final episode of Lanterns to understand why Hal needed to die.
“Let’s see how you feel at the end of Episode 8. And if you still feel like it was exploitative or unnecessary or that it wasn’t exactly what had to happen in order for this story to get told, then we deserve it,” he continued.
Lanterns Episode 1 is now available on HBO Max, with new episodes dropping every Sunday.
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