Lanterns Episode 8 Trailer Hints at What's to Come in Season Finale, Sparks a Number of Theories

HBO has released a trailer for Lanterns Episode 8, which teases a number of significant plot developments for the Season 1 finale.

Warning! Spoilers for Lanterns follow…

Episode 7 left John Stewart and the Hal Jordan hologram confronting Sinestro on a strange planet. John and the Hal hologram are trying to work out who killed the real Hal Jordan, and it feels like we’re getting close to some sort of answer. But what does Sinestro have up his sleeve?

The teaser for Episode 8, below, shows Sinestro challenging John and the Lantern Corps' mantra about having no fear, insisting fear is incredibly powerful (well he would say that, wouldn’t he?). This appears to be part of a plot to resurrect Hal Jordan, last seen dug up from his grave by John. The trailer suggests this resurrection will actually come about via the alien cloning machine we saw earlier this season (that ring impressed upon the skin of Hal’s arm indicates the technology was used on him in some way).

Don’t be afraid to be afraid. The final episode of #Lanterns airs Sunday at 9pm on @hbomax. pic.twitter.com/ZhFV4ASOaT— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 28, 2026

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Don’t be afraid to be afraid. The final episode of #Lanterns airs Sunday at 9pm on @hbomax. pic.twitter.com/ZhFV4ASOaT

But is this all a misdirection? I wouldn’t be surprised. Perhaps Hal created a clone of himself so he could fake his own death (James Gunn recently hinted that there's more to Hal's death that we think). And what does Guy Gardner’s return — confirmed by the teaser — have to do with all this? Whatever this plan to resurrect Hal Jordan involves, it seems to risk some catastrophe. Is this what Sinestro wants? Is this what John wants? Is this, even, what Hal wants?

“Don’t be afraid to be afraid,” Hal appears to tell John, casting doubt on everything John has shown to be important to him — at least on the outside — so far. We then see John look up to the sky. Is this a hint that he will finally use the power of the ring to fly?

Previous episodes have shown John to somehow be able to manifest constructs without actually wearing the ring himself. Indeed, in Episode 7, the Hal hologram seems amazed that John's able to do this. John has some special power within him, which I suspect will be fully unveiled in Episode 8. Perhaps he uses this power to save the day.

The teaser shows Hal fighting a fire in his own home. The trailer is edited to suggest this happens after Hal’s resurrection, but I think it is a scene showing the events before his death. We’re told everyone in town hated his guts, so perhaps someone threw a molotov cocktail through his window, and we’re seeing the consequences of that play out.

What about Noah, the highschool quarterback and wannabe president of the United States? Fans believe Noah will be revealed to be a Manhunter, and that Kerry has kept his true identity a secret all these years. Did she kill Hal because he found out and threatened to expose him? Did Noah kill Hal to protect himself?

And why did Hal keep a portal to a planet where Sinestro was hiding out in his “failsafe?” Why did he posthumously lead John there? What’s the connection here?

I’ve really enjoyed Lanterns, and it feels sad to say the season ends this Sunday. I’ve got so many questions going into Episode 8, I just hope some of them are answered — and we get news of Season 2.

While you wait to find out, check out our review of Lanterns Episode 7.