{"id":8959,"date":"2026-09-14T13:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T12:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/?p=8959"},"modified":"2026-09-14T13:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T12:16:09","slug":"lanterns-episode-5-ending-how-many-episodes-left-episode-6-preview-spoilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2026\/09\/14\/lanterns-episode-5-ending-how-many-episodes-left-episode-6-preview-spoilers\/","title":{"rendered":"Lanterns episode 5 basically felt like a season finale, so what the hell happens next?"},"content":{"rendered":"

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Lanterns episode five*<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In Lanterns episode five, John Stewart manages to kill the Manhunter (aka Zoe), get the Green Lantern<\/a> ring from Hal Jordan and subsequently turn down the role from the Guardians. It served as a finale for the 2016 timeline, which begs the question: what\u2019s next?<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier in the fifth episode of the DCU series, things seriously fall apart between John (Aaron Pierre) and Hal (Kyle Chandler)<\/a>. Hal has already discovered that the Guardians intend for John to replace him, but after realising John also knew Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan) was the Manhunter<\/a> they’d been searching for and kept it from him, he deliberately crashes their car and leaves John trapped inside as it catches fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zoe finds John badly burned but alive and takes him to the hospital, where she offers to heal him using her alien technology. But there’s a catch: John has to let Hal die and tell the Guardians everything in Rushville is under control. <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s essentially the same kind of deal Zoe has been making for years – a flashback reveals she once saved Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) from Gotham hitmen, offering her a safe life in Rushville in exchange for protecting Zoe when the time came.<\/span><\/p>\n

John agrees to Zoe\u2019s deal and is healed, but he ultimately betrays her. As Rushville descends into chaos, he uses Hal as bait to lure Zoe into a trap before shooting her in the head and cutting out her crystallised heart as proof to the Guardians that the Manhunter<\/a> is dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also grabs the ring from Hal\u2019s hand, but when he brings it to Lianna (Laura Linney), John makes a shocking decision: he hands the ring back and walks away. And so marks the end of Lanterns\u2026 Well, the 2016 timeline anyway. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lanterns episode 6 preview confirms key details about Hal\u2019s death<\/h2>\n

You see, even though episode five felt like a finale, the story is far from over. Lanterns is dealing with multiple timelines – hence why Nathan Fillion\u2019s Guy Gardner is the Green Lantern in the present day of the DCU<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n