“Lanterns” has destroyed a number of fan theories throughout this season, but one major theory is still in play.
HBO
Every week, Lanterns comes and goes, destroying a number of fan theories in its wake. But now, as we head toward the finale, which even the critics haven’t seen, there’s really only one left after Sunday night.
We can call this the Parallax theory, because even though this name is not mentioned in LanternsEvents seem to be coming together that could replicate at least some facets of that infamous Green Lantern Hal Jordan storyline. To start, what we know for sure now:
- Hal has something to do with Sinestro’s release from prison, given that he currently has a literal portal to where Sinestro is hiding on a dead planet.
- This population, which we now know has been ravaged by fear gas, now directly creates a bridge between Sinestro and the Manhunters.
- The Halogram doesn’t seem to understand how Hal has changed so much since his “save” period.
- Sinestro appears to have been deposited in some sort of forge or factory on the planet.
Now you should know the background of Parallax from the comic storyline. This is from my post about the theory about six weeks ago, when it was already starting to take shape:
“Hal Jordan goes mad with grief when his hometown is destroyed. He then destroys the Green Lantern Corps, among others, and becomes the villain Parallax.”
“Later, in subsequent storylines, it is revealed that Hal Jordan was actually possessed by Parallax, who is an ancient entity embodying the yellow light of fear. During The Final Night storyline, Hal Jordan sacrifices himself to reignite Earth’s sun (long story), but when his soul is not at peace, he returns as a hero once again to make up for his past actions. All of this continued in 2016’s DC Rebirth, where Sinestro is hosted by Parallax and confronts Jordan, who ends up destroying the Sinestro Corps base, Warworld.
So, the current theory.
- Hal killed himself (or asked Kerry to kill him) after realizing what he was becoming, infected by the fear entity Parallax. It’s a form of the “Jordan Boys legacy”, highlighted last night and a notable break from the comics (Jordan’s father really dies in an accident there).
- Sinestro knows a way to bring Hal back to life, which involves another theory: that Noah is a manhunter in some way, given his connection to his grandmother and his frankly very strange appearances in the current storyline (he wants to be president? He cancels his entire football event out of nowhere? Why is there all this on the show?).
- Sinestro will use Manhunter and Noah technology to bring Hal back to life, where he will likely still be infected by Parallax and could then become that villain.
- We thus witness the birth of the Sinestro Corps, the yellow and fear-based counterattack to the will of the Green Lanterns. Sinestro stays at a forge on the planet of Antaan where he can make the first yellow ring(s) to begin with. So heading into future seasons or movies, it’s Sinestro and Hal versus the Green Lantern Corps and John.
- In the comics, as mentioned, this is not a permanent transformation for Hal, who regains his former sense of self and destroys the Sinestro Corps, becoming a hero once again.
I think one of the main problems is that cramming some or all of this into a final episode would be a bit difficult to process for non-comedy readers who aren’t at all familiar with the Parallax storyline. It would be a bit shocking if Sinestro resurrected Hal, handed him a ring, and suddenly he became an enforcer in a new fear-based villainous body. I understand that Hal had his issues in 2006-2026, but all of that would require another season to fully get into. But from everything the showrunners say, this story is supposed to have a satisfying ending. This season, although yes, they say it could continue.
I don’t know to what extent this will come true, I think. From this whole theory, I’m certain that A) Noah is a manhunter and B) Sinestro will revive Hal using manhunter technology. Beyond that, though, the big last-minute supervillain turn for Hal seems like a tough time given where we are this season with only one episode remaining.
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