Lanterns has launched a Manhunter manhunt, and the HBO series has already introduced several possible suspects.
As revealed in Episode 2, Manhunters are a synthetic alien race capable of creating entirely new bodies, disguising themselves as anyone and embedding themselves undetected within any society.
Alien Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) tells Lantern trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) that Manhunters are brutal and deceptive, with the power to wipe out entire species, including Antaan’s own. He says his people lost their world to the last remaining Manhunter. A Green Lantern captured that Manhunter and promised he would be executed, but the alien is still alive and hiding in Rushville.
Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) suspects that his predecessor, Abin Sur, was the Green Lantern who captured the Manhunter—and that the Manhunter ultimately killed him.
Now Hal and John have just 48 hours to find the Manhunter and hand him over to Antaan. If they fail, the aliens will destroy all of Rushville. With so little time to investigate the town’s entire population, the pair may need to focus on the residents viewers have already met. Here are the leading Manhunter suspects, ranked from least likely to most likely.
William Macon
As one of Rushville’s most powerful figures, William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) appears to be an obvious Manhunter candidate. He has built a militia to protect the town from alien threats, complete with advanced technology such as the alien detectors Hal discovers at the football field.
Macon has repeatedly claimed that his precautions are designed to protect humans from colonizing aliens. But they could also alert a hidden Manhunter that vengeful aliens are approaching.
Even so, Macon may be too obvious a suspect and could simply be a red herring. When Antaan described the destruction of his people, he said it happened “quietly.” Macon’s highly visible militia operation is anything but quiet, making him a less likely candidate.
Sheriff Kerry Kane
Antaan refers to the Manhunter as “he,” but the alien can take any form and could just as easily be disguised as a woman. That puts Rushville Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) in the running.
Kane repeatedly tries to steer Hal and John away from the alien activity surrounding Rushville. She could be covering for herself—or protecting someone she works for.
Episode 2 also reveals that Kane is from Gotham. Her status as an outsider could provide the perfect cover for a Manhunter who came from far beyond Nebraska and embedded itself in the community. If Kane is not the Manhunter, however, the series still has to explain what brought her from Gotham to rural Nebraska.
Zoe Macon
Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan) remains one of Lanterns‘ biggest mysteries. She is an alluring figure who begins an affair with John, while her husband appears to know about the relationship without retaliating. That suggests a complicated arrangement or power dynamic that the series is gradually revealing.
Zoe’s unclear loyalties make her a compelling Manhunter suspect, as does her romantic connection to John. When Antaan describes his own encounter with the Manhunter, he asks, “Have you ever been deceived by someone you love?”
The question suggests that the Manhunter does not simply destroy its targets. Instead, it may form deep connections before undermining them. It is too early to know whether Zoe and John are falling in love, but their affair could be part of a larger manipulation. What better way to protect yourself from a Green Lantern hunting you than to get close to him and earn his trust?
William Macon’s Mysterious Benefactor
Throughout the first two episodes, Macon has said that his militia, compound and advanced technology are all funded by a mysterious benefactor. Macon refuses to identify the person, saying only that the benefactor is generous and determined to keep aliens away from Rushville.
Someone with that level of technology and interest in alien surveillance could potentially be the Manhunter. Hal is convinced that Macon is hiding something at his compound. But what if that something is actually someone—the Manhunter who serves as Macon’s benefactor?
The benefactor could also be hiding in plain sight as someone such as Kane, Zoe or even Macon himself, while concealing the true source of Macon’s wealth. For now, Lanterns offers one clear rule: trust no one in Rushville.
Lanterns is streaming on HBO Max. New episodes premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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