‘Lanterns’: Who Is the Manhunter?

The following post contains SPOILERS for the first two episodes of Lanterns. If you complain about spoilers from this point on, beware my power (to ignore you).

Through two episodes, the superhero component of DC’s new HBO Max series Lanterns feels like its secret identity. The magical power rings and shapeshifting aliens are the superficial trapings atop a whopper of a mystery, one with multiple layers.

First, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) arrive in the small town of Rushville, Nebraska to investigate a mass shooting. But the suspect turns out to be an extrerrestrial in disguise. Hal confronts and exposes him, and the alien blows himself up to prevent the Green Lanterns from learning and more information. Case closed?

Not quite; as Hal continues to investigate, the locals grow increasingly wary of his presence, suggesting they’re hiding something too. In Episode 2, Hal discovers the metal detectors at the Rushville football field where the shooting occurred don’t detect metal at all; they are an advanced technology capable of recognizing disguised aliens. Meanwhile, John Stewart is kidnapped by a whole group of aliens, who introduce another mystery: They tell John that somewhere in Rushville there is a “Manhunter” in disguise.

That word will mean as much to a lot of Lanterns viewers as it does to John Stewart — absolutely nothing. But longtime DC readers know this is a huge development.

So what is a Manhunter? And, more importantly, who is the Manhunter lurking in Rushville? Let’s take a look at all the potential suspects so far, plus the evidence for and against each of them. In other words: Consider this a little Manhunter manhunt.