DC Studios’ HBO Max series “Lanterns” has drawn heavy criticism from fans after its season finale revealed that Hal Jordan, the show’s original human Green Lantern, was shot and killed by Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) — the character set up as his love interest.
The eight-episode season carried an estimated production budget of $130 million and took more than three months to shoot. It had already faced criticism throughout its run over what fans described as heavy-handed political messaging. The finale’s twist pushed that backlash into overdrive.
In the scene, Jordan tells Kane that he knows her son, Noah Macon (Shea Pritchard), is part alien — a Martian Manhunter — a secret she has worked to hide. Jordan says he wants to help protect the boy. Kane responds by drawing her service pistol and shooting Jordan in the forehead, killing him, even though he was not acting aggressively toward her or Noah.
Fans on X said the reveal made no sense given how Jordan was written. One user wrote: “Iron Man: Sacrifices himself to save the universe. Green Lantern: Dies because his cop girlfriend had a depressive episode like Lindsay Clancy and she walks free.”
Another wrote: “So a woman can murder a white man impulsively because she’s stressed, and no repercussions happen. The man just has to die, and that’s that.”
A third user called Kane’s character representative of “most liberal modern women: emotionally weak, unstable, prone to mental disease, suicidal empathic. The Bane of Humanity.”
Showrunner James Gunn posted on X to thank fans for watching the series and was met with pointed criticism in response. One fan wrote that they “hated what you did in lanterns so bad” and said they had “lost a fan.” Another urged Gunn to draw more directly from the comics rather than “real world events like the DNC,” writing: “There are so many fantastic stories to tell, and they could’ve been from the lens yall are pushing, but do it from a familiar place. Target new audiences but don’t forget your original fans.”
Other commenters were harsher still. One accused the show of “pissing on the grave” of the Green Lantern character and history. Another wrote: “Girlboss cop can’t control her emotions and shoots unarmed man just standing there. Tragic for DCU.” A separate post claimed the writers’ room was “filled with feminists and anti-white racism,” calling the result “a woke travesty like Watchmen,” and citing HBO’s handling of “The Last of Us” as a reason not to trust the network with faithful adaptations.
One fan summed up the frustration bluntly: “You literally killed the main character from episode one and made him look a racist sexist douche bag. Just cash your last paycheck and leave DC, the sooner, the better.”
On Reddit, a user called the finale “completely nonsensical and out of character,” noting that Jordan “poses no immediate risk, didn’t even threaten to do anything to Noah, in fact he vocalized that his intention was also to protect Noah,” yet was killed regardless.
Despite the backlash, “Lanterns” has not yet been renewed for a second season, though Gunn has reportedly continued writing scripts and planning the show’s future plot. Other recent series have moved faster toward renewal: Sylvester Stallone’s “Tulsa King” was given a season five order before season four has even aired on Paramount+, and the “Reacher” spin-off received a second-season order less than a month after its first season premiered on Amazon.
