Lanterns finale trailer fuels theory John Stewart could become Yellow Lantern

The finale trailer for HBO's Lanterns dropped this week, and it has done something the show's creators may not have anticipated: it has sent viewers down a rabbit hole that has nothing to do with Hal Jordan's murder, the central mystery that has anchored the entire season. Instead, fans are now convinced that John Stewart—the show's other protagonist—is being set up to abandon the Green Lantern Corps entirely and become a Yellow Lantern instead.

The theory has gained real traction. On Reddit and across social media, viewers are pointing to a cascade of visual and narrative clues that seem to suggest Stewart's allegiance is about to shift. The most striking piece of evidence is the show's title card itself. Since the premiere in mid-August, the green hues that dominate the opening have been gradually replaced by brighter yellow tones, week after week. It's the kind of detail that could be coincidence—or it could be a months-long visual telegraph of a character transformation. Then there's the matter of James Gunn, DC Studios' co-head, who shared a specific promotional image of John Stewart when Lanterns was first announced as part of the DC Universe's Chapter One lineup back in January 2023. In that image, Stewart is wielding a yellow ring, not a green one.

The narrative setup supports the theory as well. By the end of episode 7, Stewart and the Hal-O-Gram—a digital backup of Hal Jordan's consciousness stored in Jordan's Green Lantern ring—have traveled off-world and come face to face with Sinestro. The villain has begun his pitch, telling Stewart that the Guardians of the Universe are wrong about fear. "Fear can be the most powerful force in the universe," Sinestro says. Yellow Lanterns, also known as the Sinestro Corps, wield rings powered by fear rather than willpower. They require their users to understand and harness fear itself. Stewart, who has been trained to be fearless since age five, would theoretically be an ideal candidate for such a ring—if Sinestro can turn him.

In the episode 8 teaser, the Hal-O-Gram warns Stewart: "You're taking a very big risk." Fans are interpreting this as a warning about trusting Sinestro, or worse, about accepting a yellow ring and abandoning the Green Lantern Corps. The tagline for the entire series—"only one can wear the ring"—adds another layer. Guy Gardner, played by Nathan Fillion, is currently Earth's Green Lantern. If there can only be one Green Lantern on the planet, then Stewart's only path forward, if he wants to wield a ring at all, might be to become something else entirely. The finale's trailer confirms that Gardner will appear in the final episode. At one point, he tells someone that an army will be sent to "put you down." The trailer was edited to suggest he was speaking to Jordan, but what if he was actually addressing Stewart—warning him about the consequences of betraying the Guardians?

Reddit users and Twitter commenters have been vocal about the possibility. "Is it just me, or are they setting up John as a Yellow Lantern?" one viewer asked. Another wondered whether Stewart would have to choose between a green ring and a yellow one. A third suggested the finale would center on Sinestro tempting Stewart with the power of fear itself. The theory has enough structural support that it no longer feels like pure speculation. Stewart is confirmed to return as John Stewart in the upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, but there has been no official word on what color ring he will be wearing when he does.

The finale, titled "Dirt and Stars," airs on October 4 and 5. Whether Stewart ends the season as a Green Lantern or becomes the DC Universe's first Yellow Lantern remains unknown—but the breadcrumbs are there, and viewers have noticed them all.