DCU Chief James Gunn Hits Back at Lanterns Criticism Over 'Killing' Hal Jordan 'Right Away'

DC Universe co-CEO James Gunn has hit back at criticism of HBO show Lanterns for apparently killing Hal Jordan “right away.”

The first episode of Lanterns showed a murdered Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, in 2026 before going back in time to 2016 to tell a seemingly unrelated story.

Showing the much-loved Hal Jordan with a hole in his head in the first episode of the show sparked a significant backlash from fans who had waited years for his live-action depiction in the DCU. Episode 6 doubled down on this by showing Hal’s funeral.

But there are question marks hanging over Hal’s death. Indeed, some aren’t convinced he’s dead at all. Following the conclusion of Episode 5, Lanterns has moved back to 2026 and switched into “whodunnit?” mode, with the central storyline revolving around John Stewart’s bid to solve the mystery of Hal’s murder. Some fans believe that over the course of the final two episodes, it will be revealed that the real Hal Jordan is alive and kicking, and the frozen corpse we saw in Episode 1 was a copy of some kind. (We recently explored the many ways Lanterns could explain that Hal is still alive .)

Still, some fans are very upset at Hal’s apparent death, and are sending angry messages to James Gunn on social media about it. Gunn actually responded to one person who had this to say:

“Maybe you should try and at least respect the characters that made the comics popular. Killing Hal off right away after we have waited 15 years to see him on screen again was the worst thing you could have done.”

Gunn clearly didn’t like that, and in his response dropped a clue that fans who think Hal is alive are on the right track.

“Hal's the star of TV series & he's in all the episodes so far,” Gunn began. “It's more live action screen time than all the live action screen time he's had combined throughout history. Kyle is amazing in the role. We more than respect him. We love him, despite his imperfections. Us knowing the time of his death, if that's exactly what that is, is absolutely not the same thing as killing him off right away. Hal is a big reason why the show is so popular with fans & non fans alike; sorry if you don't like it.”

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Gunn’s position on this is clear: he feels like Hal’s had plenty of time on-screen over the course of the show, and it’s true he’s played a starring role in all the episodes so far. But it’s the line about his death that is being highlighted by fans:

“Us knowing the time of his death, if that's exactly what that is, is absolutely not the same thing as killing him off right away.”

“... if that’s exactly what that is,” is a line that, for some fans, pretty much confirms that there’s more to Hal’s death than it seems. Certainly, Chandler’s portrayal of Hal Jordan has gone down well with fans, who would love to see the character continue in the ongoing DCU. While there’s no suggestion he’s in next year’s Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, perhaps Gunn could see Chandler reprise the role in some other project, or maybe even a Lanterns Season 2.

Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, however, is proving to be a throughline for the DCU. He’s in Superman, Peacemaker Season 2, Lanterns, and is expected in Man of Tomorrow.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.