James Gunn has pushed back on criticism of the Lanterns Hal Jordan twist, arguing that the show has not killed the character “right away” and hinting that the apparent death may not be the whole story.
Warning! Spoilers for Lanterns follow
The first episode showed Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan dead in the show’s 2026 timeline, before the story jumped back to 2016. Episode 6 then showed Hal’s funeral, giving viewers a second reason to assume the Green Lantern veteran is gone. The series has now returned to the 2026 mystery, with John Stewart investigating what happened.
Lanterns Hal Jordan: James Gunn’s response leaves the fate open
The backlash came from fans who felt the series had wasted its long-awaited live-action version of Hal Jordan. One fan told Gunn that killing Hal after a 15-year wait was disrespectful to the character and “the worst thing” the DCU could have done.
Gunn replied that Hal remains central to the show. “Hal’s the star of TV series & he’s in all the episodes so far,” he wrote, according to IGN’s report. Gunn added that Chandler had already received more live-action screen time as Hal than the character had accumulated across all previous live-action appearances combined.
“Us knowing the time of his death, if that’s exactly what that is, is absolutely not the same thing as killing him off right away.”
James Gunn, quoted by GamesRadar
That qualification is doing most of the work. Gunn did not confirm that Hal is alive, but he also avoided treating the funeral as a final answer. CinemaBlend’s breakdown notes that the series has kept Hal present through the earlier timeline while the present-day plot investigates his death.
What happens to Hal Jordan in Lanterns?
The Lanterns Hal Jordan mystery is now heading into its final episodes with two possibilities still open: Hal is dead and the show is exploring his legacy, or the body seen earlier was not the real Hal. The series has already used time jumps, copies and other science-fiction devices, so neither reading is settled by the episodes aired so far.
Earlier tbreak coverage examined the backlash to Lanterns’ first-episode ending and where to watch Lanterns in the UAE on OSN+. The UAE streaming details are unchanged; the new development is Gunn’s response and the wording around Hal’s fate.
Is Hal Jordan definitely dead in Lanterns?
No. The series has shown an apparent death and funeral, but James Gunn’s wording leaves open the possibility that the body or the circumstances are not what they seem.
Why did Lanterns show Hal Jordan’s death so early?
The show uses a split timeline: the 2026 investigation frames the mystery, while much of Hal’s story takes place earlier, when he is still mentoring John Stewart.
Where can viewers in the UAE watch Lanterns?
Lanterns is available through OSN+ in the UAE, as covered in tbreak’s earlier viewing guide.
