Grant Morrison thinks Lanterns worked, but not its ending. The veteran DC comics writer praised Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler’s performances before criticising a finale that, in their view, failed to confront the consequences of its biggest decisions.
In their Xanaduum newsletter, Morrison called the conclusion “morally and legally incoherent”. Their objection centres on the Green Lantern Corps’ role as an intergalactic law-enforcement organisation, and whether its officers can ignore a killing simply because the person responsible has suffered.
Spoilers for the Lanterns Season 1 finale follow.
The leads made Lanterns work
Morrison’s assessment wasn’t a dismissal of the series. They credited the central partnership between Pierre’s John Stewart and Chandler’s Hal Jordan, singling out Chandler as a major reason the show succeeded.
“Lanterns worked as a show and it’s mostly down to the two leads, particularly Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan,” Morrison wrote.
They also praised the supporting cast, but argued that the leads’ chemistry and charisma carried the series. That helped sell its detective-story approach, even to a writer closely associated with the comic-book version of Green Lantern.
Morrison acknowledged falling asleep during the two episodes before the finale, while explicitly saying boredom wasn’t the reason. They described watching television as a chance to relax and drift off. It’s a qualification that separates their criticism of the ending from a blanket complaint about the show’s pace.
The praise also fits the wider discussion around Chandler’s take on Hal Jordan. For Morrison, the performances weren’t the problem. The choices made around those characters were.
A killing without consequences
In the finale, Sheriff Kerry Kane, played by Kelly Macdonald, shoots and kills Hal Jordan. Morrison questioned why the story appeared to accept that act without an adequate response from the other characters or the organisation Hal served.
As IGN’s report explains, Hal’s death follows his discovery that Kerry’s son Noah is a Manhunter. Morrison also objected to John Stewart letting the Manhunter go free despite the potential danger he poses.
Their argument is about the rules the series establishes. A masked vigilante might follow a personal moral code, but Morrison sees Green Lanterns as officers working within a wider judicial system. On that reading, the finale needed to account for both the murder of an officer and John’s decision to spare a potentially dangerous being.
Morrison also addressed writer Tom King’s explanation for Kerry’s fate. In their account of his reasoning, killing the man she loved left her suffering enough already. Morrison rejected that as a substitute for legal consequences, questioning how a comparable defence would hold up in court.
That doesn’t mean Morrison thought the ending was poorly assembled. They described it as neatly put together, while arguing that it retreated from the implications of the franchise’s premise.
The partnership leaves a Season 2 question
Morrison’s reservations extend to a possible continuation. They questioned whether Pierre alone could sustain the same formula without Chandler’s Hal, even while describing Pierre as compelling.
They floated Hal returning as Parallax, with John having to save him, as one possible way to restore the dynamic. That’s Morrison’s suggestion, not a confirmed storyline. Likewise, their comments refer to rumours of another season rather than an official renewal.
Tbreak previously covered reports that Lanterns Season 2 is in early development, while noting that HBO hadn’t officially renewed it. Morrison’s verdict on where the partnership might go next was shorter: “We’ll see.”
