The following contains spoilers for Lanterns Season 1, Episode 7, “The Jordan Boys’ Legacy” which debuted September 27, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max, and includes discussion of fatal self-harm. Those in crisis can call 988 or click this link.
The penultimate episode of Lanterns first, and possibly only, season was all about Hal Jordan’s past. There were a handful of scenes of his youth, which were important but more to confirm what the show already told viewers about the man. In the rest of the story, John Stewart worked with a 20-year-old version of Hal Jordan’s consciousness, the “Halogram.” He was direct line to the man viewers came to know and Hal at the peak of his time as a hero. Of all the big revelations in “The Jordan Boys’ Legacy” was one that many viewers already suspected.
Kerry Kane may have killed Hal Jordan. Yet, a conversation between Halogram and John suggests it may not have been that simple. Because of a conversation between Zoey Macon and her grandson, Noah, fans suspect the boy may be a new version of Manhunter. To protect her son, Kerry would kill the man she loved. The question becomes whether Hal knew this, counted on this, or not.
The Jordan Boys’ Legacy Is A Case Of Generational Depression And Suicidal Ideation
The title of the episode is first said by Martin Jordan to his young son Hal. The boy just got into a fight with his entire baseball team, and Martin got into a fight with the coach. Martin tells his son a story about a literal “fail safe,” specifically a lockbox opened in the event of death. This is the true Jordan boys’ legacy, because both Martin and Hal’s grandfather took their own lives after decades of dealing with the deep pain of depression. When Halogram explains this, Lanterns suggests that Hal either took his own life or, for one reason or another, allowed Kerry Kane to kill him.
As a combat Marine, John Stewart likely knows far too many people whose lives ended the same way, like every veteran (myself included). His deep-seated animus for the flesh-and-blood Hal — which carried over to Halogram because of his mentor’s death — evaporates upon hearing this story. It’s the final piece of the puzzle missing from John’s understanding of Hal Jordan. Sure, he didn’t want his trainee to replace him. Being Green Lantern was a call to service not unlike serving in the military, though it came with recognition and appreciation soldiers rarely get. At least, sincerely. Failing the people of Rushville and losing the ring in a single afternoon broke the already “broken” Hal.
There remains far more about depression that we don’t know than we do. Yet, generational depression exists through a combination of genetic factors, environmental stressors, and the profound connection between parents and children. It’s a safe guess that Hal Jordan lived to be older than both his father and grandfather. His role as Green Lantern likely helped with that, as well as the connection he formed with Kerry. What led to his death is still a mystery. Only now it’s if Hal orchestrated the circumstances leading up to his murder, or, if when faced with it, he almost welcomed it.
Episode 7 Of Lanterns Recontextualizes Hal Jordan’s Approach To The Job
From the interrogation in the series premiere of Lanterns throughout those first episodes, characters suggest Hal Jordan might have a kind of death wish. This seemed to fit with the characterization of Earth’s first Gren Lantern as a result of his fearlessness and impulsive approach to heroism. Yet, he did care about the job. It may have even staved off the “pain” that Martin and Hal’s grandfather felt that led to their deaths. Similarly, the fact that Halogram hadn’t been updated in years seemed at first like more of Hal’s aloof approach to the rules. The Jordan boys’ legacy changes that calculus.
His cynicism and anger may have been a result of that generational curse, as the pain his forebears wrote about in their notes overtook him. As a copy of his consciousness given a separate sentience by the ring, Halogram may have preserved Hal’s mind before that happened. Because of this change to the DC canon, the version of Hal Jordan that will ultimately stick around the DCU is him at his best. Yet because of John bringing Halogram into the investigation, he becomes aware of how that evolved. When Halogram tells Kerry he would have turned into the Hal she knew, this is possibly what he meant.
Noah Macon may or may not be an evolution of the Manhunter created by his grandmother Zoey. And he was never truly in danger from Hal. One thing that remained consistent from the man who Halogram mirrors and who he became is that Hal Jordan “doesn’t kill.” His regret over what happened with Zoey means that even if Noah is a Manhunter, Hal likely wouldn’t have told the Guardians. Yet, just as Kerry shot at him during “Lights Out” to protect Noah, she would do it again even if he didn’t have a ring. Hal may not have wanted her to kill him. Perhaps he didn’t resist because he loved her, or, perhaps, he just didn’t mind finally letting go of that pain.
The mid-season trailer shows a scene from the finale in which Hal is on the floor of the slaughterhouse with a mark on his arm. This is the same mark that appeared on John when Zoey rebuilt his body. In the doorway, a man’s jeans and boots can be seen. These look suspiciously like the jeans and boots Noah wore when giving John the suit for his funeral. (Also, giving him a well-tailored suit without taking measurements likely means he has access to the device that rebuilt John’s body.) So, Manhunter or not, something is up with Noah that the finale will reveal. An answer to the question Hal asks in that scene: “What are you?”
The Penultimate Lanterns Season 1 Episode Shifts To An Interplanetary Focus
John’s reason for digging up Hal Jordan’s body to get the ring was to activate Halogram. Specifically, he wanted to get into the vault where Hal once kept his lantern. Inside he finds some gear, a gun, and portable wormhole used both by the Guardians and Zoey Macon. It takes him to the planet where the Manhunter destroyed a race and an island where Sinestro is stranded. This suggests that Hal did have something to do with busting his old mentor out of “Space Azkaban.”
As mentioned by co-creator Damon Lindelof in the “making of” featurette for the episode, interplanetary travel is a vital part of a Green Lantern story. Yet, since Lanterns in general and “The Jordan Boy’s Legacy” specifically is all about consequences, it makes sense it’s a dead planet whose only resident is another Green Lantern gone wrong. The show has been telegraphing the Rushville story throughout this season. This is merely a sign of good writing leading the story where it needs to go. This quest to the alien planet, however, is more mysterious.
Hal Jordan knew that despite their falling out and rejection of the ring, John Stewart is not finished with Green Lantern business. Hal cared about his replacement in spite of himself. He knew that because of the Jordan Boys’ legacy, it would likely fall to John Stewart to finish whatever it was that kept the hail falling on Rushville. It seems like this will end with John taking up the ring and mantle (even if Guy Gardner keeps his ring, too). Still, Hal brought the closest thing he had to a son into that tragic legacy, because he recognized that John could finish that business without falling victim to it.
Rating 4.7/5
The season finale of Lanterns debuts on HBO and HBO Max on October 4, 2026.
