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Spoilers for the first episode of Lanterns on HBO are ahead. 

If you watched the first episode of HBO's Lanterns, you were in for a big surprise in the episode's final minutes. Beyond the fact that the show's storyline is non-linear, taking place in both 1996 and 2026, we learned alongside 2026 John Stewart that someone has killed Hal Jordan, and his Lantern ring is missing. Now we are left to wonder: who killed Hal, and where did his power ring go?

As you might imagine, Hal Jordan himself, Kyle Chandler, had a strong reaction when he read the script and saw that Hal hit the dust. The actor told Variety that he "cheered" when he first read the scene.  

"[I cheered] not just for the storyline and all that, but what a way great way to end the first episode of this show," Chandler explained to the outlet. 

Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the Lanterns show, said that the move to kill Hal off in the first episode was motivated by a desire to subvert expectations. "That you basically watched eight episodes and everybody had an adventure, and then at the end of the adventure, it’s just time for the next adventure," Lindelof said. "So the idea that it would have real emotional stakes [was important]. But most importantly, this is a story about a guy who doesn’t want to give up the ring — and a guy who wants the ring. And it was important for us to message to the audience that we weren’t gonna try to have our cake and eat it too." 

We already knew going into Lanterns that it was going to be a True Detective-inspired crime show. So the show's decision to take Hal out of the 2026 storyline by killing him off was a bold move, because we're so used to seeing both of the lead characters in True Detective live to see the season finale. 

Now, we'll have to see where this road takes us all as the show continues through the fall this year. 

Shine a light on our list of the best Green Lantern comics.