The following contains spoilers for the "Lanterns" finale.
The following contains spoilers for the "Lanterns" finale.
The following contains spoilers for the "Lanterns" finale.
Veteran DC Comics writer Grant Morrison, whose credits include "All-Star Superman" and "Green Lantern," recently reviewed the DCU series "Lanterns" in the personal newsletter "Xanaduum". While praising the two leads for carrying the show, Morrison criticized the finale for failing to address the consequences of its characters' actions and undermining the Green Lantern Corps' fundamental role as an intergalactic law-enforcement agency.
Morrison argued that "Lanterns" worked largely because of Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, singling out Chandler's performance as Hal Jordan as the show's standout. Morrison wrote that the supporting cast certainly helped, but the series ultimately rested on its two leads, their chemistry and their charisma. In that respect, Morrison acknowledged that the comparisons to "True Detective" may have had some merit.
Morrison's biggest issue came after Hal discovered that Sheriff Kerry Kane's son was secretly a Manhunter. Kerry shot and killed Hal, yet the finale offered no meaningful consequences for the murder.
Morrison argued that the killing demanded some kind of response, because without one, audiences are left wondering how the Green Lantern Corps can still be considered an intergalactic law-enforcement agency. Morrison questioned why the Guardians of the Universe would tolerate the murder of one of their officers while the other authorities ignored the crime and allowed Hal's killer to walk free.
Writer Tom King previously explained that Kerry having to live with what she had done was punishment enough, but Morrison rejected that reasoning.
Morrison wrote that Kerry's breakdown made her appear deeply unstable, particularly because she shot a superhero in the head in a moment of rage. Morrison also took issue with John Stewart allowing the Manhunter to go free despite knowing that it could one day destroy the world.
For Morrison, those developments must be judged within the Green Lantern Corps' responsibilities as a law-enforcement organization. Morrison argued that the series was not about masked vigilantes following their own personal codes, but strange space cops serving an interplanetary justice system. From that perspective, Morrison called the ending morally and legally incoherent, saying it avoided the consequences of its own story and betrayed the franchise's core premise.