Ever since Lanterns was announced, the DCU TV series was compared to HBO’s True Detective and revealed to be a grounded investigation series, not an intergalactic space cop show as some fans hoped. Now that the series is here, that comparison has proven to be an apt one, with a central mystery driving everything forward as Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart search for the identity of the hidden Manhunter hiding in Rushville. The result of that is a compelling narrative, not only one that has comic fans hooked for the ways that it’s remixing and reworking Green Lantern, but because of the central mystery: Who is the Manhunter?
Videos by ComicBook.com
This week’s episode of Lanterns, however, despite ending previously with the mystery itself being the biggest thing on our minds, decides to press pause on it instead and tell another (equally compelling) story, John Stewart’s DCU origin. Over the course of an hour a lot of reveals and details are made clear by Lanterns. Not only do we get to see how John’s family life and upbringing were literally designed for him to become Green Lantern, but the episode itself is structured around him being interviewed by one of the Guardians of the Universe to determine if he’s actually fit for the role. In that moment, though, another mystery happens, as an unannounced character is spotted.
Who Was Being Interviewed By the Guardian Before John?
Near the start of Lanterns episode 3, John falls from the ceiling (later revealed to be from a portal) and finds himself in an abandoned mall. The location itself isn’t that scary, though, as signs with literal arrows abound to guide him where he needs to be. John navigates his way through a dilapidated storefront to find himself at a literal manager’s office. As he raps on the door, the Guardian opens it and greets him…but they’re also not alone.
Standing next to the Guardian is another person, an unnamed white man who exits the room as they open the door while John watches. They have no dialogue; the Guardian doesn’t say anything to them to indicate their name, and that’s it; they walk away and out of the episode.
The credits for the episode appear to reveal more about this mystery person, with actor Joel Berg credited as just “Marine” for the episode, seemingly indicating that a fellow service member has been tapped by the Guardians as a potential Green Lantern and just had his own interview with them. The result of this character’s presence, though, is one that has created an all-new mystery that the show itself almost has no time for: Who is this guy?
One assumes that, based on the tenor of everything else in the episode and John’s supposed destiny, this random guy that doesn’t even have a name isn’t worth spending all this time thinking about. From my perspective, this character’s presence makes it clear that the Guardians are far craftier than John is giving them credit for.
The episode establishes that a slew of people are sought out by the Green Lantern ring and asked, “Are you afraid?” before it finally makes its way to Hal Jordan. With that in mind, and seeing this guy in the flesh as another interviewee with the Guardian, that makes it clear that they had backup plans in place in case John Stewart wasn’t able to check all the boxes they wanted him to in order to become Hal Jordan’s replacement.
I’ll posit this. If the Guardians were willing to go after someone else to be potentially be Green Lantern that wasn’t John, that also implies that their intentions and ideas go even further beyond what he thinks. As such, this may tie into the Manhunter mystery in a way, since John himself has already said the Guardians wouldn’t let it be placed on Earth. Do we know that for sure? John wasn’t even their only choice to become Green Lantern; why wouldn’t there be other plans in play by the Guardians that he’s unaware of? There’s also the potential created by this mystery character’s presence that the same resentment John’s father had for Hal could be repeated, a cycle of grudges that has another person trying to prove themselves for the opportunity of wearing the ring.
Or, there’s an even easier explanation: the Guardians sought out another person and had his exit happen to see how it would make John react. Would he show the same resentment as his dad? Would he get angry and throw off his willpower? I think this is why this mystery character was there. He’s not a secret DC character whose future will be determined later; like so many other moments of the episode, he was a plant, a test to see if they found the right person. By episode’s end, it’s clear they did.
The Best Sci-Fi Comedy of the 2020s is Now Streaming on Hulu, But There’s a Catch
Courtesy of Adult Swim
TV Shows
18 hours ago
Robot Chicken Creators Talk Their Own “Secret Wars” With New Adult Swim Special & More
Disney Television Animation
TV Shows
20 hours ago
Darkwing Duck Reboot Gets Disappointing Update For Two Major Roles
TV Shows
2 days ago
Forget Batman and X-Men, This Is Still the Best Superhero Cartoon of All Time, And I Can Prove It
<img src="https://comicvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/gargoyles-tv-show-5.jpg" alt="Gargoyles Live-Action Series Confirmed Dead By Creator & It Kills Another Disney+ Show”>
TV Shows
2 days ago
Gargoyles Live-Action Series Confirmed Dead By Creator & It Kills Another Disney+ Show
