Lanterns Episode 6 Breakdown: John Stewart's Bunkers, Hal Jordan's Apology and the Comic Easter Eggs

Episode 6 of Lanterns brings us back to 2026 and the investigation into Hal's murder. It gives us more clues about what happened in Rushville in 2016 and explores how John has spent ten years trying to move on, only to be forced to face the destiny he left behind.

John Stewart Chooses Safety Over Firepower After Rushville

We meet John pitching to investors alongside his brother Marcus at their architectural firm, Stewart Brothers. I believe the city shots are Detroit, but he mentions Midway City, and I wondered if Detroit is standing in for Midway the way New York and Chicago did for Metropolis and Gotham. Their first project is a series of underground panic rooms housing nearly 20,000 people in case of another interplanetary threat. John cites the Kaiju attack on Metropolis from Superman and Starro from Suicide Squad. With their investment they could build up to 40 bunkers, which by my numbers would house 800,000 people.

John says the worst part of Rushville was seeing how scared people were. I think this was probably the first time he had seen true terror firsthand. His parents never let him see fear, as a sniper he was detached through his scope, and he told the Guardians he likes being alone. I don't think John was afraid in Rushville, but seeing everyone else's fear made him realise what it does to you. That could be why he turned down the ring. Hal told him people dying is part of the job, so John did the opposite of Hal: he reconnected with Marcus.

The Architect Career Comes Straight From Neal Adams

John was an architect in the comics, and I'm glad the show got there. Neal Adams fought for John to be a regular person rather than a gangbanger, and Denny O'Neil originally called him Lincoln Washington. As Adams put it: "I want a college graduate. I want him to have a profession."

Known as the Master Builder, John uses architecture to make his constructs piece by piece, which makes them some of the strongest of any Green Lantern. During the Mosaic arc he rebuilt that world into a functioning society, and the Guardians made him the first mortal Guardian. In the show, I feel he's still upholding the Lantern mission without a ring, which is why he says firepower might stop a threat but doesn't save lives. He also says the bunkers are designed like underground football stadiums. The Rushville stadium is where the shooting set everything off and where Hal was killed, so it feels meant to symbolise him making up for the people he couldn't protect.

That M Folder Could Point to the Manhunters or The Machine

The investors care more about his time as Green Lantern, and John jokes it was only for five minutes, which I think is him deflecting with humour. They tell him he needs military support, setting up a meeting with a general. As an investor shakes his hand, a folder shows a big M. I couldn't find a matching DC government logo, so this could hint that more Manhunters are pulling strings. In the comics the Grandmaster infiltrated a society and became its leader, though we were clearly wrong on a lot of our episode 4 theory.

There's also The Machine, a black ops group from two issues of Superman Unchained, based 800 feet below Utah and run by General Lane. It's niche, but I don't think they'd want the bunkers to save people; they'd want them for weapons research, which could push John back towards the ring. When Marcus calls John chosen, it echoes episode 3, and might also nod to The Chosen, a team created by the Guardians and Zamarons who became targets for the Grandmaster in 1987's Millennium by Steve Englehart.

Hal Jordan Wants to Apologise, or Does He?

John's mother calls, and he addresses her by her first name. She says Hal wants to apologise, revealing that Hal spent ten years in prison and they stayed in touch. I'm curious why he was locked up. You can't really blame Rushville on Hal. Zoe opened fire on the town, and it feels like Hal was made the patsy. John drives straight through to Rushville, roughly a 14 hour drive, and a waitress watches him enter the diner.

Hal claims not to know what John is talking about and offers pancakes since he's not getting an apology. Hal mentions Guy Gardner, apparently flying pandas from China to California, and a Lantern signal in Rushville, ripping off the bat guy in Gotham. I feel the signal might be a make good, and it could be Damon Lindelof referencing the Dr. Manhattan booth in his Watchmen show. It's roughly the fifth Batman reference so far. I don't really think the DCU Batman will debut here, but it's becoming more than coincidence.

The Diner Punch Ties Back to John's Fear

When John says the make good is for what Hal did, Hal says he's not the only killer at the table. John shot Zoe, and Lanterns aren't supposed to kill. But who did Hal kill? We didn't see him kill anyone, so I wonder if something else happened before prison. Hal then says the real reason John refused the ring is that he was terrified, and John punches him, which was a long time coming. Hal begs John not to tell anyone he was there, and it makes me feel he knows he's about to die.

Hal's Murder Puts John in Carrie's Sights

Carrie calls to say Hal is dead, and she spots the broken nose, making John a suspect I'm sure she'll eventually figure out. She and Hal got together after he returned and went door to door offering help. The town never rebuilt. I've been against Hal for weeks, but I feel pretty bad for him now, and I think there's a strong argument John is just as much at fault. Hal's cluttered house shows he had changed, while John's showroom apartment suggests he's become as isolated as Hal was in 2016.

The waitress's tag reads Maggie. I doubt there's a connection, but she could nod to Maggie Sawyer, or more fancifully Arisa Rab spying for the Guardians. The autopsy shows Hal was shot at point blank range with no sign he fought back, basically an execution, and Carrie rushes a DNA test. Hal's belongings include a key to a storage unit called the Fortress of Storage, a clear nod to Superman's Fortress of Solitude.

The Fortress Vault Is Probably Something Hal Left For John

The key has a bird keychain attached, and I feel like whatever is in the Fortress of Storage is meant specifically for John. Episode 3 showed how important birds were to him, as guardians watching over him, and episode 2 showed Hal knew the bird was special. I bet Hal purposely left the key for John to find, maybe as one final lesson, and it may also show Hal really did feel responsible for what happened to John.

Inside, a giant green cube demands Hal confirm his identity. Carrie plays a voicemail, but the vault says recordings are not acceptable and warns them not to try again. I struggled to find a comic equivalent, but it could be a joke about the Green Lantern called Box, or inspired by the time cube the Justice Society of America used to move through the time stream. It may also work like the pocket dimension in Hal's closet on a larger scale. I think it is something Hal left for John, maybe his own suit or pocket dimension, and I'll bet the passcode involves John, perhaps with Hal finally passing him the mantle.

John Has Turned His Back On Everything That Once Meant Something To Him

Carrie invites John to dinner and we learn he has gone back to eating meat, another sign he has turned his back on everything that once meant something to him. He insists they bury Hal, saying Hal deserves something. Then a call from Comfort Cove reveals John Senior is in assisted living and demanding to speak to him. John refuses and dares him to bring on the consequences, and the many missed calls from earlier show he has been dodging them for a while.

In the store he stares at a standee of Guy Gardner selling an energy drink called Electric Punch, which is on sale and clearly not selling. This probably hurts John: he valued being a Green Lantern over everything, so seeing Guy turn it into a brand is pretty much making his entire life a joke. Outside, he reluctantly lights Guy's Lantern signal, which has crude graffiti on it, our first clue people dislike the Green Lantern. A group tells him to turn it off, and Billy shows up looking very rough. He probably lost more than anyone: his father, his stepmother, his family and his ranch. John beats them very easily.

I'm Starting To Think Noah Really Is The Manhunter

At dinner we learn Noah is a football star who has gotten into politics after the attack and hopes to run for president one day. We have joked all season about Noah being the Manhunter, but I'm starting to think it might be the one thing we got right. Zoe told him to remember everything she said, and Carrie said Zoe gave her a miracle, which we theorised refers to Noah.

If Noah is a test tube Manhunter created by Zoe, it is possible she made him as a contingency in case the Guardians found her. He is already providing aid when the town needs it most, latching onto its weak points just as Zoe did to find a path to power, except he would have no need to hide.

Guy Gardner Reveals Someone Broke Sinestro Out

After Carrie jails John, Sergeant Lopez lets him call Marcus for bail money, and Marcus is angry with their big meeting approaching. Next morning Guy Gardner arrives, noting he first met Hal in jail too, a federal prison. I wonder if that was Belle Reve, run by Amanda Waller, and I think it's more than likely where Hal was sent. If he was out in 2026 he may have overlapped with Lex Luthor, though I don't think Hal will get involved with Lex or Waller.

Guy says the Rushville disaster damaged the Green Lantern brand and he can't join the investigation because of the optics. John only wants Hal's ring so he can be buried in uniform. Guy has his own ring, so I think people took Tom King's after show comment out of context. Hal's ring is locked on Oa, most likely in the Foundry where rings are forged. John tells Guy he owes him, because everything Guy has is because John didn't take it. Guy then reveals someone broke Sinestro out of the Guardian prison, and their prime suspect would have been Hal.

Our old theory that Zoe was Sinestro's daughter seems off the table. Now I'm thinking Lyanna could be based on the Guardian Scar, who was burned, refused healing, and secretly betrayed the Corps. If so, she's most likely who freed Sinestro, which would explain why she always turns away from the cameras. I think she may also be the Guardian who supposedly died, which could mean John was just a pawn in her plan.

Maggie Wants Reparations And The Poem On Hal's Wall

Maggie demands the exact cost of damage John and Hal did to her house, using reparations as a punchline that John clearly clocks, and she leaves with his watch. I still like the idea of her spying for the Guardians, but I think she might just be a regular person hurt by the attack. The camera lingers on Hal's sign quoting Salutation to the Dawn by Kalidasa, symbolising how John needs balance between his past and the future he wants.

Hal's Own Eulogy Shows He Wanted John To Take Over

At the funeral Guy has kept his word and dressed Hal in his uniform and ring. Carol Ferris appears; here she seems to be a regular person who fell out with Hal because he put the ring first, symbolising what he gave up. Hal wrote his own eulogy, In Brightest Day, and as John reads it, the words about his replacement were meant for him, the first time Hal acknowledged John is right for the job. He apologises, saying maybe it was easier to fly than to stay on the ground, and the empty cemetery shows how alone he was.

That night John digs up Hal, after Colonel Draco walks out on his deal, takes the ring at 5 percent charge, and activates the hologram. I really enjoyed this one, and I think we'll see John get real Lantern training. I feel John accepting the job has to happen, and that the Guardians may allow multiple Lanterns per sector. Do you think Lyanna is the Guardian who freed Sinestro?