{"id":9594,"date":"2026-09-28T12:22:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/?p=9594"},"modified":"2026-09-28T12:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:22:20","slug":"lanterns-episode-7-did-hal-jordan-kill-episode-8-preview-theory-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/filmshrine\/2026\/09\/28\/lanterns-episode-7-did-hal-jordan-kill-episode-8-preview-theory-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Wait, did Hal Jordan kill himself? The Lanterns Episode 8 preview contains a huge clue"},"content":{"rendered":"

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Lanterns episode 7*<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Lanterns episode 7 reveals the real \u2018Jordan Boys\u2019 Legacy\u2019, hinting that maybe Hal Jordan<\/a> wasn\u2019t murdered at all – he may have taken his own life. But the episode 8 preview hints at an altogether different outcome. <\/span><\/p>\n

The very first episode of the DCU<\/a> series ended with a flash forward in time to reveal that Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler)<\/a> had seemingly been killed. And it\u2019s a mystery that continues in the penultimate episode, meaning we\u2019ll have to wait until the finale for a definitive answer. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the meantime, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Halogram head through the dark matter portal into Antaan\u2019s (Paul Ben-Victor) devastated alien world. While there, they find none other than Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), who is trapped there. <\/span><\/p>\n

Did Hal Jordan kill himself?<\/h2>\n
\"Halogram
Credit: HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lanterns<\/a> episode 7 makes the suicide theory plausible, but it dashes this with the last scene, showing a young Hal going against his father\u2019s suggestion. In short, it\u2019s possible that Hal took his own life<\/a>, but this is likely a red herring. <\/span><\/p>\n

Alongside the modern-day timeline, the latest episode gives us more of Hal\u2019s backstory, travelling back to 1975 to show a young Hal getting told off by his baseball coach for not being a team player. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hal\u2019s father, Martin Jordan, shows up, and we learn Hal refused to leave the pitch when the coach tried to replace him. This led to a fight between him and his teammates, and the game was ultimately forfeited. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than telling him off, Martin backs his son up. Later, while the pair are hanging out, Martin gives Hal the key to his safe, just like his father did for him before going to war. If anything should happen to him, the contents of the safe will be Hal\u2019s responsibility. As his father describes it, it\u2019s the \u201cJordan boys\u2019 legacy\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Martin then notices Hal\u2019s still clutching to the baseball – the one he\u2019s been holding since the fight at the game. \u201cYou can throw it away,\u201d he tells him. \u201cYou can\u2019t hold onto it forever.\u201d When Hal asks why, his father replies, \u201c\u2018Cause it\u2019s f**king exhausting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Essentially, he\u2019s teaching his son the lesson of letting things go and not clinging on to anger, pain, failure or anything you can\u2019t change. And so, Hal throws the ball as far as he can. In the next scene, we learn Martin died in a plane crash. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Martin
Credit: HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Later on in Lanterns episode 7, in the present day, John and Halogram head to Antaan\u2019s planet, and it\u2019s here that we learn what Martin left in the safe: a suicide note. <\/span><\/p>\n

While the pair paddle through the waters of the planet, Halogram explains, \u201cMy father killed himself. He was a test pilot, so nobody had any reason to believe it was anything other than an accident.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He opened the safe after his death to find cash and coins, old photos and a note. \u201cMy old man was convinced we\u2019d be better off without him. He said he had that pain his whole life. Said it was getting worse. He couldn\u2019t hide it,\u201d Halogram says. \u201cHe couldn\u2019t bear to let us see it. He couldn\u2019t bear to let us see him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And it turns out Hal\u2019s grandfather died the same way and similarly left a suicide note for Martin. This is the real Jordan boys\u2019 legacy, which begs the question: did Hal suffer the same fate after years of struggling in silence?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly a plausible theory. We know Hal has kept his pain a secret, with Halogram making a devastating confession: \u201cI’m not fearless because I’m brave. I’m fearless because I’m broken.\u201d In other words, the quality that defined him as a Green Lantern may actually have been a symptom of the same pain his father and grandfather struggled with.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hal
Credit: HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although Halogram previously suggested Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) could be the killer, he tells John, \u201cMaybe she just found my body and tossed the gun away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But the very last scene of Lanterns episode 7 throws this idea into doubt. It shows young Hal returning alone to retrieve the baseball he threw away. It could be argued that this represents Hal breaking the Jordan boys\u2019 legacy and deciding to forge his own path. <\/span><\/p>\n

As one <\/span>Redditor<\/span><\/a> wrote, \u201cIdk how everyone is missing the point of the last scene. Hal didn\u2019t commit suicide. The whole purpose of him going back to get the ball was illustrating that he is going to hold on. There is a reason they put that specific scene at the very end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although this is just speculation at this stage, it seems too easy to suggest Hal took his own life<\/a>. There\u2019s also the fact that he secretly returned to Rushville, begged John not to tell anyone he was there and left behind a portal leading to the planet where Sinestro is now trapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

The clue in the Lanterns episode 8 preview<\/h2>\n