Spoiler warning: This article discusses major characters, reveals and theories from HBO’s Lanterns.
HBO’s Lanterns blends a rural murder mystery with the wider mythology of the DC Universe. Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, and John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, investigate a case that crosses timelines while the quiet town of Rushville conceals increasingly strange secrets.
At the centre of the mystery is a Manhunter. These artificial police machines were created by the Guardians of the Universe before the Green Lantern Corps, but eventually abandoned their original mission and began a genocidal campaign. The series reimagines them as synthetic shapeshifters capable of deep-cover infiltration.
That makes almost everyone in Rushville a possible suspect. Here are eight theories about the Manhunter’s identity and purpose, ranked from plausible to wildly unsettling.
Zoe Macon
Zoe Macon, played by Poorna Jagannathan, quickly becomes one of the most suspicious people near the investigation. She builds a relationship with John Stewart and repeatedly finds reasons to remain close to both Lanterns. If the Manhunter intends to earn the heroes’ confidence before undermining them, Zoe is in an ideal position.
There is also a more complicated possibility: Zoe may be Soranik Natu, the daughter of Sinestro. In that version, she is an informant working for her imprisoned father rather than the Manhunter itself. Her connection to John would still involve deception while tying the character directly to Green Lantern mythology. Sinestro’s interest in John makes this possibility especially noteworthy.
William Macon
William Macon, played by Garret Dillahunt, leads an anti-alien militia from a heavily fortified compound. He also possesses alien-detection technology advanced enough to surprise Hal Jordan. His extreme hostility towards extraterrestrials could be the result of Manhunter programming redirected into a human campaign against alien life.
The counterargument is that William is far too conspicuous. A stealth infiltrator would not necessarily recruit a militia or publicly advertise his fear of extraterrestrials. Another theory casts him as the DC Universe’s version of William Hand, or Black Hand: a useful front man whose operation is secretly controlled by someone else.
William Macon’s Benefactor
William repeatedly refers to a wealthy benefactor who funds his compound, surveillance systems and other advanced equipment. Since this person has not appeared, the unseen financier may be more important than William himself.
Some theories identify the benefactor as Lex Luthor, whose established interest in alien technology would make him a logical suspect. Another possibility is that the Manhunter is hiding on Macon’s property and using William’s money and anti-alien activities as camouflage. William may believe he is defending humanity while unknowingly advancing the machine’s plan.
Sheriff Kerry Kane
Kerry Kane, played by Kelly Macdonald, has an unusual history. She comes from Gotham City but appears surprisingly comfortable as the sheriff of rural Rushville. Her position gives her access to the entire community, making law enforcement a convenient cover for observing residents and quietly gathering information.
The Gotham connection could instead point towards Batman-related history, or a link to Katherine Kane, better known as Batwoman. The show’s flash-forward to 2026 appears to suggest that Kerry is human, although the series has repeatedly warned viewers against accepting every apparent fact at face value.
Billy Macon
Billy Macon, played by Jason Ritter, is William’s son, Kerry’s husband and Rushville’s lawyer. That combination makes him a remarkably useful identity for an infiltrator. He can move through legal, family and law-enforcement circles without attracting much attention.
As Billy, the Manhunter would have access to Kerry’s police network, William’s militia and the compound’s alien-detection equipment. His legal work also gives him a credible reason to know almost everyone in town. The weakness in this theory is dramatic rather than practical: Billy has not been central enough to the story for his reveal to carry the same emotional impact as a more established suspect.
Lianna
Lianna, played by Laura Linney, identifies herself as a Guardian when she visits John Stewart’s mother. She explains that she wants to correct the record and address problems connected to the Green Lantern selection process and John’s father.
Lianna removes her human disguise, but the camera never clearly shows her alien face. That choice has fuelled the theory that she is actually a Manhunter. It remains a substantial stretch because the episode presents her as connected to the Guardians and uses the meeting to explain John’s path towards becoming a Lantern. The hidden transformation may simply delay a full Guardian reveal, but the missing detail gives the mystery room to breathe.
Everyone in Rushville
The most frightening theory is that there is no single infiltrator. Instead, the entire town may have been replaced.
Under this idea, a Manhunter escaped from Abin Sur’s ship 40 years ago and spent decades learning how humans behave. It then developed the ability to duplicate people, gradually replacing Rushville’s residents until the community became a machine-controlled imitation of itself.
The strongest clue is the town’s strangely empty hospital. It contains new equipment despite appearing to have little use for it, which could indicate a facility designed for beings that do not need ordinary human medical care. It is the most extreme theory, but it would push Lanterns firmly into cosmic horror.
Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan may be connected to the mystery in two very different ways. In the 2026 timeline, Hal is found dead without his Power Ring. Since shapeshifting aliens can imitate humans, fans suspect the body may be a Manhunter-created double left for John to discover. The missing ring strengthens that possibility.
The second theory makes Hal a target rather than the infiltrator. His routine consciousness backups reportedly stopped in 2006, prompting speculation that he has been infected by Parallax, the physical embodiment of fear. Perhaps the Manhunters are not preparing to destroy humanity; perhaps they are trying to eliminate Hal before whatever is inside him takes control.
That would make Hal the ultimate red herring: not a machine in disguise, but a potential threat whose importance reaches back to the beginning of the story.
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