Lanterns Episode 2 ending reveals John Stewart’s mysterious power; what does Sinestro know about him?

HBO’s Lanterns Episode 2 expands the mystery around John Stewart while introducing the Manhunters, a dangerous force from the early history of the Green Lantern Corps. But the episode’s biggest tease comes in the final moments, when Sinestro shows an unexpected interest in John.

What happened in Episode 2

The episode returns to 2016, with Hal Jordan training John Stewart at a motel in Rushville. Hal decides it is time for John to learn how to fly, but the lesson does not go as planned. Instead of taking off, John creates a small green bird that appears to be alive.

The strange part is that John’s power ring is almost out of charge. Hal is intrigued by the bird and sends John to retrieve his lantern from his home so they can recharge the ring. At Hal’s mansion, John finds the lantern stored inside a portal to another dimension and also discovers Hal’s collection of Green Lantern uniforms. He then heads outside to feed Earl, Hal’s giant carnivorous alien plant.


But John never makes it far. He is abducted by a group of aliens led by Antaan, who are searching for a Manhunter — a synthetic being capable of creating new bodies, infiltrating societies and developing technology far beyond most species.

Antaan reveals that the Manhunters have a history of wiping out entire populations. He also shows John the memory of a Manhunter destroying his planet. The creature was eventually captured by a Green Lantern, but it escaped during a prisoner transfer. Antaan believes its radiation can be traced to Rushville, suggesting that the Manhunter may now be hiding somewhere in the town.

Antaan gives John 48 hours to find the Manhunter. If he fails, his group threatens to destroy Rushville. He is also surprised that John does not know about the Manhunters, particularly because John is being trained as a Green Lantern.

Who are the Manhunters?

The Manhunters were created by the Guardians of the Universe before the Green Lantern Corps. They were androids designed to fight evil and maintain order across the universe.

However, the Manhunters eventually began questioning their creators and concluded that organic life and emotions were responsible for the crimes they were supposed to prevent. They turned against living beings and massacred entire planets. The Guardians eventually destroyed most of them, although some survived by hiding themselves.

The discovery also forces Hal to confront a part of Green Lantern history that he apparently knows little about.

Why is Sinestro interested in John Stewart?

Hal’s investigation eventually leads him to Sinestro, his former mentor and now an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps. After Hal is injured and taken to the hospital, Sheriff Kerry Kane reveals that he mentioned Sinestro’s name while unconscious.

Sinestro was once one of the greatest Green Lanterns before attempting a coup and killing one of the Guardians. Hal eventually defeated him. At the end of Episode 2, Hal travels to Oa to visit Sinestro in prison and ask what he knows about the Manhunters.

Sinestro gives Hal an unsettling answer. He says that if a Manhunter is still alive, it would be “the second greatest threat” Hal is currently facing.

But instead of focusing on the Manhunter, Sinestro turns his attention to John.

“So, why don’t you tell me about John Stewart?”

That question makes John’s mysterious power even more important. His ability to create and sustain a living creature is highly unusual, especially because he managed to create the bird while his ring was not even charged. Hal has also kept John’s ability from the Guardians.

The ending therefore leaves Episode 3 with two major mysteries: Who is the Manhunter hiding in Rushville, and what does Sinestro know about John Stewart that Hal does not?