Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, HBO’s ‘Lanterns‘ ends its first season by unveiling the truth about Hal Jordan’s death and starting John Stewart’s chapter anew. After discovering Sinestro at the abandoned planet, John gets his hands on a brand new lantern, one that boasts far greater power than even Hal ever possessed. The question, however, is whether to succumb to fear or overcome it, and John isn’t the only one compelled to come up with an answer. In the end, he spares Noah, knowing that he is a manhunter capable of wiping out humanity. Instead, John dons the new ring and becomes a lantern, leaving the story on an enticing note. While HBO may not have greenlit a sequel as of writing, in the best-case scenario, fans can expect a second season to come out between 2028 and 2029.
Lanterns Season 2 Might Explore the Powers of the Yellow Ring
With there being high chances of ‘Lanterns’ returning for a second season, fans can expect to see a lot more of John Stewart in action, this time with the ring mostly on his finger. While the season 1 finale tantalizingly leaves us with John renewing the Green Lantern oath and becoming what appears to be something other than a traditional Green Lantern, we hardly see him do anything with those powers. With no suit, constructs, or abilities in sight, other than flight, it is up to season 2 to explore the new ring’s capabilities in full. There is also the Sinestro question, as it’s unlikely that the story will leave the definitive ‘Lantern’ antagonist trapped in a waste planet. Whether these stories come together to unlock the larger Yellow Lantern saga, however, is still left up in the air.
Season 1 of the show also leaves things ambiguous on the Rushville front, as we don’t know what choices Kerry and Noah will make. While Noah walks into the field intending to die right after, by the end, he seems truly happy about winning the championship and earning his place on a professional team. Despite all the talk about him being a threat of the highest order, Noah is ultimately still a teen who wants to lead his life as a human. However, given that the narrative is setting him up on a path of chasing power, we might expect him and John to form a relationship of checks and balances down the line. As for Kerry, her backstory is now more relevant than ever, as she can easily serve as our gateway into the city of Gotham and the story of Batman.
Lanterns Season 2 is Likely to Bid Some Major Characters Goodbye
‘Lanterns’ ends its first season with a whirlwind of changes, and while there are still many questions left unanswered, one thing that’s for certain is that the cast is going to get shuffled quite a bit. The question that is on everyone’s mind is whether Kyle Chandler will return as the beloved Hal Jordan. The answer to this might already have been revealed in the finale, and to that end, we can expect Chandler to make a cameo appearance at the very least. On a more upbeat note, actor Aaron Pierre is effectively confirmed to return as John Stewart if the show is renewed for a second season. Actor Laura Linney is also likely to have a greater role as the unnamed Guardian, as the story has a good chance of showing more of the universe and its sci-fi elements.
Given that a lot of the season is built around Rushville, a city that isn’t likely to reappear as the main setting for a second season, most of the cast isn’t expected to return for a sequel. This includes Poorna Jagannathan and Garret Dillahunt, whose respective characters, Zoe and William Macon Sr., are dead. The same goes for the aliens, Antaan and Waylon, which means that actors Paul Ben-Victor and Chris Coy’s time with the show has also come to an end. As for Kerry Kane, there might be a greater role in store, which means that there’s a good chance of actor Kelly McDonald stepping back into the role in the future. The same is true for actors Jasmine Cephas Jones and J. Alphonse Nicholson, who essay Bernadette and John Stewart Sr., respectively. The real wild card, however, is actor Ulrich Thomsen, who might just return as the next big bad of the series, in the role of Sinestro.
Lanterns Season 2 is Expected to Continue its Sharp Social Commentary
While season 1 doesn’t show too much Green Lantern action, there’s actually a thematic basis for it. For John to truly don a ring and the responsibilities that come with it, he first has to move past his programming and find an original voice. By the end of the season, it is that originality that projects out of the ring and allows John to fly, something he was never taught to do. However, given that the comics tell an entirely different story about the yellow ring and its effects on a user’s psyche, the story can take a completely different direction from here on out. The most notorious villain in the ‘Green Lantern’ universe is, of course, Parallax, a parasitic entity known to be the embodiment of fear. Often known to latch onto the users of the yellow lantern, the creature can very well make an appearance in a second season.
Apart from the superhero side of the story, ‘Lanterns’ season 1 also draws a lot of attention to its sociopolitical commentary. By the end, John reconciles with his family, as at long last he seems to have found his own identity, distinct from but not unrelated to his upbringing. However, in a world without Hal Jordan and two lanterns, trouble is bound to creep its way into any happy situation. John is very likely to make an appearance in ‘Man of Tomorrow,’ but given what we know about his ongoing feud with the Lantern Corps, it remains to be seen whether he will be returning from the side of the superheroes or as a rogue doing his own thing.
Read More: Is Zoe Macon Dead or Alive? Is Poorna Jagannathan Leaving Lanterns?
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