Lanterns Episode 4 Ending, Explained: Who Is the Real Manhunter?
After Lanterns Episode 3 took a detour into John Stewart’s past, Episode 4 takes us back into the thick of the action, straight into (for lack of a better word) the Manhunter hunt.
Before we go any further, however, you should know this: unless you have the Power Ring yourself and can manifest some kind of spoiler-blocker, you should be very aware of heavy spoilers for the latest episode coming up — so don’t say we didn’t warn you.
At the very beginning of Lanterns Episode 4, we find out what Sinestro was prattling on about. He immediately plants seeds of doubt about John in Hal’s mind, indicating that he still has a hold over the Earth’s ageing Green Lantern. Equally, John is confronted by the Guardian who interviewed him, telling him that the time is finally right for him to replace Hal — all he has to do is recite the Oath next time he is given the ring.
The undercurrent of the episode is even more mutual suspicion and mistrust than usual. And yet, Hal and John also seem to, dare I say it… bond? This sense of mutually assured destruction soon implodes. However, before we get that far, I should give you more context first.
What Happens Leading Up to Lanterns, Episode 4's Ending?
Following a lot of chatter about “weenies” (the episode title), Hal and John break into Will Macon’s compound, suspicious that his so-called ‘benefactor’ is the Manhunter they’re looking for. After they’re caught by Macon’s men, John, bizarrely, is instructed to draw him naked, which takes us into all kinds of weird Freudian/Othello-like territory I can’t even begin to unpack... Nonetheless, Sheriff Kane bails them out, but warns them that the fight is far from over.
That night, Zoe Macon visits John at the motel, and they sleep together again before she begs him to leave town. When she herself leaves, her car is blown into smithereens. John and Hal learn that a satellite killed her and can trace said satellite to a company called Atlas Inc. This company is run by Hector Hammond: a name that undoubtedly rings a bell for comic book fans.
Who Is The Manhunter?
Hal and John confront Hector, who they believe is the Manhunter. There’s an awkward moment where Hector plays the recording of John insulting Hal, saying the ring is rightfully his in conversation with the aforementioned Guardian.
Hector nearly kills John’s parents, but after Hal threatens to rip his heart out and calls his bluff, Hector, whose surname is actually Gutierrez, confesses that he’s human. He claims Will Macon is the Manhunter.
But there’s one final twist to the tale. In their awkward drive back from the slaughterhouse, Hal initially seems forgiving of John, who calls Ataan and his associates to meet while gazing at his reluctant mentor with a lot of suspicion.
It turns out that John was right to be cautious, as Hal throws a curveball that none of us saw coming. Seeing how John reacted to his parents’ lives being threatened, Hal said that this confirmed his suspicions: Zoe wasn’t dead, or else John would’ve been more affected. And if she’s not dead, that only means one thing: she was the Manhunter.
Before we get a chance to learn any more context, Hal, echoing his actions from the first episode, jumps out of the car, leaving John to crash into a pole. We know that John survives this, but like their mutual betrayals, this crash probably stung quite a bit.
