Lanterns episode 5 ending explained: who dies, why does John Stewart [spoiler], and more big questions answered about the DC comic book show's latest entry

Lanterns episode 5 has landed on HBO Max — and it's not only the DC Universe (DCU) TV show's most devastating chapter so far for myriad reasons, but it also wraps up its 2016 storyline.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p><a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/what-is-the-release-date-and-launch-time-for-lanterns-episode-5-on-hbo-max"><em>Lanterns</em> episode 5 has landed on HBO Max</a> — and it's not only the DC Universe (DCU) TV show's most devastating chapter so far for myriad reasons, but it also wraps up its 2016 storyline. From here on out, then, we'll be back in 2026, aka the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/tag/dcu">DCU</a>'s current timeline.</p><p>Its present-day plot will have to wait another week, though, because we need to dissect all the hugely significant events that happened in <a href="https://www.techradar.com/tag/lanterns"><em>Lanterns</em></a>' fifth episode. Consider this your one and only warning: <strong>full spoilers immediately follow for </strong><em><strong>Lanterns </strong></em><strong>chapter 5</strong>, titled 'Lights Out'. If you haven't seen it yet, bookmark this page for later and return once you're caught up.</p><div style="min-height: 250px;"> <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-OKBkLW"></div> </div> <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/OKBkLW.js" async></script><h2 id="who-dies-in-lanterns-episode-5">Who dies in Lanterns episode 5?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.19%;"><img id="Gp6s5hfr3nLsoFPXV6k29Z" name="lanterns-will-macon" alt="Will Macon sitting on a horse in the daytime in Lanterns season 1" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Gp6s5hfr3nLsoFPXV6k29Z.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="899" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Will Macon is one of three major casualties in the DCU TV show's fifth chapter </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: John Johnson/HBO Max)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Frankly, lots and lots of people die. Innocent Rushville civilians caught in the crossfire and foot soldiers in Will Macon's militia and Antaan's extraterrestrial forces all bite the dust in the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max">HBO Max</a> show's latest installment.</p><p>Three notable individuals also lose their lives — the first two being the aforementioned Macon and Antaan. Macon is actually killed by Antaan, the latter believing the former is the Manhunter that Antaan's forces have been pursuing for some time. </p><p>However, after Antaan murders Macon and cuts out his heart to confirm Macon is the Manhunter — remember, a Manhunter's heart crystallizes once they die — he realizes Macon <em>isn't </em>the Manhunter. Cue Antaan going after Hal Jordan because the latter lied about the Manhunter's identity when the pair crossed paths earlier in episode 5.</p><p>Unfortunately for Antaan, he doesn't last much longer. In an attempt to kill Hal, he activates the explosive device woven into his skeleton. But before he goes out with a bang, trying to take Earth's first <a href="https://techradar.com/tag/green-lantern">Green Lantern</a> with him, Hal uses his ring to make a whirlwind construct that flings Antaan into the air before he detonates.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.19%;"><img id="46gViMrZj9TNiTNqNEh5p" name="lanterns-episode-2-zoe-macon" alt="A close up of Zoe Macon sitting in a diner in Lanterns episode 2" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/46gViMrZj9TNiTNqNEh5p.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="899" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Zoe is the third and final important character who meets their demise </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: HBO Max)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Of this episode's three big deaths, though, Zoe's is arguably the most significant.</p><p><a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/lanterns-episode-4-ending-explained"><em>Lanterns</em> episode 4 finally revealed Zoe was the Manhunter</a>, but she also appeared to meet her end in that chapter after her truck was destroyed by a lethal laser satellite attack. As it turns out, she survived that ordeal — one she instigated herself to try to trick Hal (with a little help from John Stewart) into thinking she was no longer a threat to him, the Green Lantern Corps, or the Guardians, which would finally make Hal leave Rushville.</p><p>It's ironic, then, that Stewart is the one who puts her down. The pair slept together twice in the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/entertainment/dcu-chapter-one">DCU Chapter One</a> show's first four episodes. Meanwhile, Zoe saved Stewart's life after he was critically injured when his rental car — you know, the one that Hal purposefully crashed in last week's entry — exploded. So, it stands to reason that Stewart <em>wouldn't</em> be the one who takes Zoe out.</p><p>Not so. Stewart shoots Zoe in the head and cuts out her heart, which crystallizes in his hands, so he can not only prove to the Guardians that the Manhunter has been destroyed, but also that he's worthy of being Hal's replacement. Speaking of which...</p><h2 id="why-does-john-stewart-give-up-the-green-lantern-ring">Why does John Stewart give up the Green Lantern ring?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="aNGFjRGYaHc6F3NosSUPmZ" name="lanterns-john-stewart" alt="John Stewart carrying a rucksack and Green Lantern in Lanterns" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aNGFjRGYaHc6F3NosSUPmZ.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="900" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">John's been training for this moment for his entire life, so why does he walk away from it? </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: HBO)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Plainly, Stewart doesn't actually believe he's worthy of the Green Lantern mantle. That much is clear in his decision to give Hal's ring and lantern, which he wrestled off his mentor in a climactic duel, back to the Guardians of the Universe.</p><p>There are other reasons why Stewart makes this choice, though. Ultimately, he doesn't believe in working for a manipulative group of individuals like the Guardians, nor does he feel that, despite training to become a Green Lantern for as long as he can remember, it's his dream to join the space cop agency. Remember, he was pushed into this by his parents and, after plenty of measured introspection, it's evident Stewart doesn't want his parents to live vicariously through him anymore. As such, he takes ownership of his life and walks away from the lofty goal they've projected onto him since day one.</p><h2 id="what-will-happen-in-lanterns-episode-6">What will happen in Lanterns episode 6?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="3E87q2AxWYLbJ9sHRLhkW4" name="lanterns-episode-5-hal-jordan" alt="A close up of Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan standing on a road in the daytime in Lanterns episode 5" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3E87q2AxWYLbJ9sHRLhkW4.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="900" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">We'll finally start to investigate Hal Jordan's demise in Lanterns' next entry </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: DC Studios/HBO Max)</span></figcaption></figure><p>With 'Lights Out' officially bringing <em>Lanterns</em>' 2016 storyline to a close, all eyes will now turn to the sci-fi crime series' present-day plot.</p><p>First and foremost, the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/tag/dc">DC</a> comic book show's sixth episode will need to pick things up around Hal Jordan's death. It feels like an age since <a href="https://www.techradar.com/streaming/hbo-max/lanterns-episode-1-ending-explained"><em>Lanterns</em> shockingly revealed Jordan's demise at the end of its first chapter</a>, so it'll be interesting to see if next week's episode begins where the show's premiere left off, or if it'll go back prior to this pivotal event.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1600px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.31%;"><img id="rr4d4DBg78z92uJLhLT2mN" name="lanterns-episode-1-hal-jordan" alt="A close up of a dead Hal Jordan with a bullet wound in his head in Lanterns episode 1" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rr4d4DBg78z92uJLhLT2mN.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1600" height="901" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Who murdered Hal Jordan? </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: John Johnson/HBO Max)</span></figcaption></figure><p>If the 2026 storyline starts before Jordan is murdered, we'll likely find out what he and Stewart have gotten up to in the decade since we last saw them. I wouldn't be amazed if we also learn what happened to the likes of Bill Macon, why Sheriff Kerry Kane stuck around Rushville after the town's near-decimation in 2016, and the wider impact that those explosive events had on those who had to pick up the pieces.</p><p>Last but by no means least, I wager we'll discover when and why Guy Gardner became Earth's new Green Lantern. It's clear he was chosen by the Guardians after Stewart refused to answer the call. However, we don't know how long he's been operating as a Green Lantern or, based on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j2dYLxryGQ" target="_blank">clip shown on a recent episode of The Jimmy Kimmel Show</a>, how Gardner and Stewart know each other. Over to you, <em>Lanterns</em>.</p><div data-widget-type="review" data-model-name="Max"></div> </article> ]]>