Popverse's coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you by Dark Horse Comics.

Ever since Lanterns was announced, fans of the Green Lantern comics have been asking - how is Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) going to fit into the whole thing? Well, thanks to some of the cast and creators, we have a little bit better of an idea. Much like Hannibal Lecter is to Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, Sinestro will act as a source of helpful - but also devastating - information for the show's detective character, Hal Jordan.

We got this info courtesy of HBO's Lanterns panel, presented at San Diego Comic Con 2026. In a bit of footage shown exclusively to attendees in Hall H, Kyle Chandler's Jordan heads to a prison somewhere on an unnamed (non-Earth) planet. As we learned in the latest trailer, Jordan and Green Lantern-in-training John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) find themselves facing DC baddies the Manhunters, and Jordan goes to seek Sinestro's advice for dealing with them.

Of course, when you seek aid from a mind as dangerous as Sinestro's, the answer you get isn't going to be entirely helpful.

Rather than give Jordan a direct response to his question, Sinestro needles his former "trainee," asking him how he feels about John Stewart. While Jordan insists that the Guardians have assigned the ex-marine to him as "back-up" should something go wrong, Sinestro draws out of the test pilot what he truly imagines Stewart to be: "A replacement."

Well Hal, have the lambs stopped screaming?

Lanterns will stream on HBO Max starting August 16. 

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU. Oh, and don't forget our guide to what's coming up for DC projects on the big and small screens.