Lanterns episode 2 has aired: the Manhunters look like the show’s big bads

Episode 2 of Lanterns has aired on HBO Max, and it points pretty strongly to the Manhunters as the big threat in the show’s 2016 storyline, maybe even for all of season one, with fallout that could reach well beyond this series and into the wider DC Universe.

In DC Comics, Jack Kirby first introduced the Manhunters in 1st Issue Special #5, published in August 1975. They were the Guardians’ original intergalactic police force before the Green Lantern Corps took over. Then the Manhunters became sentient, decided that “peace” meant erasing organic life, and got tied to both the Massacre of Sector 666 and a full revolt against the Guardians.

The HBO Max version keeps that basic history, but adds a nastier wrinkle: Manhunters can make new bodies for themselves and blend in as a planet’s dominant species. That turns the whole thing into a paranoia story where, really, anybody could be one.

Episode 2 also says the Manhunters had already wiped out entire species before they disappeared. That makes them feel a lot bigger than some one-off villain for Hal Jordan and John Stewart to deal with across the season’s eight episodes and its split 2016 and 2026 timelines.

If you’re watching Lanterns for that True Detective edge, this reveal matters. Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King are clearly pushing a more grounded take, early reactions have been good, the viewership looks strong, and Lanterns already feels like a series James Gunn and Peter Safran see as important to the new DC canon.

You can stream Lanterns on HBO Max.