HBO
The Lanterns finale is proving to be divisive among fans
The first season of HBO’s Lanterns came to a close on Sunday night. And after a universally praised start, the finale of season one has been far more divisive. Spoilers for the Lanterns finale will follow.
In an interview timed to the release of the season one finale, titled “Dirt and Stars,” Lanterns writers Tom King, Chris Mundy, and Damon Lindelof walked through the finale’s biggest plot points, namely John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) taking up the Green Lantern mantle with a new oath, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) staying dead, and the story ending quietly rather than with a huge action set piece.
The writers of HBO’s Lanterns tried to explain why season one ended with John Stewart reciting a new Green Lantern oath
“What we see at the end is that John is not 100% a Green Lantern anymore. He has a Lantern that has a bit of yellow in it, has a bit of fear in it,” King told TheWrap.
“It’s an unsanctioned Lantern, as Guy says. He’s not saying the same oath as every other Green Lantern because he’s not like every other Green Lantern,” he continued, with Mundy adding that they wanted it to be true to the original but tweaked to reflect the show’s themes.
As for Hal’s death, Lindelof said the team “knew that we didn’t want it to be a fake-out, in order for all of the emotional progression to feel real and earned.”
Numerous aspects of the finale — such as Stewart changing the oath and reuniting with his family, Kerry’s emotional outburst leading her to shoot the man she loves in the head, and the general resolution of Hal’s murder — have since been criticized by fans, who largely seem let down by the finale. There’s also a larger criticism that the series dulled Green Lantern’s inherent cosmic nature far too much in favor of a “grounded” story.
Lanterns is over. John helped cover up the death of earth’s first Green Lantern and stole his ring https://t.co/D5PzF97AZ3
— Steph Anie (@mynerdyhome) October 5, 2026
Lanterns finale: Sinestro explains stuff then John explains stuff then the kid explains stuff then John explains stuff then the cop mom explains stuff and finally John explains stuff. That was bad. https://t.co/Dgmag7LETE
— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) October 5, 2026
At this time, Lanterns has not been officially renewed for a second season by HBO. Given its massive viewership, however, that’s likely a matter of when rather than if (pending how new corporate overlords Skydance feel about it, of course).