HBO’s Lanterns just kicked off a Manhunter manhunt.
As revealed in the show’s second episode, Manhunters are a synthetic race of aliens who are able to build entirely new bodies, disguise themselves as anyone, and embed themselves undetected within any society.
Alien Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) tells Lantern trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) that they’re brutal, deceptive, and capable of wiping out entire species, including his own. He and his people lost their world to the last remaining Manhunter. A Green Lantern took that Manhunter into custody and promised he would be executed. Instead, the Manhunter is alive and hiding out in Rushville. Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) guesses that his predecessor Abin Sur was the one to bring the Manhunter in, and that the Manhunter wound up killing him.
Now, the clock is ticking for Hal and John. They have 48 hours to discover the Manhunter and turn him over to Antaan, or the aliens will destroy all of Rushville. That’s not a lot of time to vet the town’s entire population, but I’ve got the sneaking suspicion that we’ve already met our alien adversary — or at least, we’ve gotten close. Of the townsfolk we’ve already met, here are the biggest suspects, ranked from least likely to most likely.
William Macon
Garret Dillahunt in “Lanterns.”
Credit: John Johnson / HBO Max
As a powerful figure in Rushville, William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) certainly seems like a clear Manhunter candidate. He’s amassed a militia meant to ward off any alien threats, complete with advanced technology like the alien detectors Hal discovers at the football field. But are these precautions meant to protect humans from colonizing aliens, as he’s stated multiple times before? Or are they meant to let a Manhunter know when vengeful aliens are coming his way?
However, even though Macon is an obvious suspect, perhaps he’s too obvious, and therefore a red herring. After all, when Antaan told John about the Manhunter’s destruction of his people, he said it was done “quietly.” Heading up a militia the way Macon does is the opposite of quiet, so that takes him down a few pegs when it comes to possibly being the Manhunter.
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Sheriff Kerry Kane
Kelly Macdonald in “Lanterns.”
Credit: John Johnson / HBO Max
While Antaan uses “he” to refer to the Manhunter who ruined his world, the Manhunter could just as easily be disguised as a woman, as they can take any form. That’s why Rushville Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) is also in the running to be Lanterns‘ Manhunter. She’s always trying to throw Hal and John off the scent of whatever alien activity is going on in Rushville, which certainly isn’t suspicious at all. Could she be covering for herself… or for someone she works for?
Episode 2 also reveals that Sheriff Kane is from Gotham. Her being an outsider to Rushville seems like a perfect cover story for a Manhunter, who also came from well beyond Nebraska and embedded themselves in the community. But if Sheriff Kane isn’t actually the Manhunter, what in the world could have brought her from the bustling city of Gotham to rural Nebraska?
Zoe Macon
Poorna Jagannathan in “Lanterns.”
Credit: John Johnson / HBO Max
So far, Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan) has been a bit of a mystery, an alluring figure who kickstarts an affair with John. Her husband seems aware of their relationship but hasn’t retaliated against John, suggesting some kind of intriguing arrangement or power dynamic between him and Zoe that Lanterns is slowly teasing out.
Zoe’s somewhat nebulous loyalties make her an intriguing Manhunter candidate, as does her romantic connection to John. When Antaan tells John about his own experience with the Manhunter, he asks, “Have you ever been deceived by someone you love?” That question reveals that the Manhunter doesn’t just destroy outright. They build deep connections and then undermine them. While it’s too early to determine if Zoe and John’s connection will result in love, their affair could very well be an example of Manhunter manipulation at work. After all, what better way to defend yourself from a Green Lantern who’s hunting you than to get close to him and win his trust?
William Macon’s mysterious benefactor
Throughout the first two episodes of Lanterns, Macon has mentioned that everything he has — his militia, his compound, his advanced technology — is thanks to his mysterious benefactor. He can’t say who he is, but he is generous, and he has a vested interest in keeping aliens as far from Rushville as possible. Someone that technically advanced and that keen on alien surveillance has to be the Manhunter, right?
Hal is certain that Macon is hiding something from him on his compound. But what if that something is actually a someone, and it’s the Manhunter benefactor? Of course, there’s always the possibility that the benefactor is hiding in plain sight as someone like Kerry, Zoe, or even Macon himself, lying about the source of his wealth. For now, only one thing in Lanterns is certain: Trust no one in Rushville.
