Lanterns
Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max
There are a half dozen mysteries currently unfolding in Lanterns right now, the breakout HBO Max hit that is a much-needed win for the DCU, putting up one of Max’s most-watched premieres of all time. Fans are currently puzzling out what’s going on in the series, but one actor is now chiming in to prod them a little more.
That would be Garret Dillahunt, an actor I have always considered value-added whenever he shows up in a project, and Lanterns is no exception. In a new interview with Syfy, Dillahunt reminds us that he’s bound by NDAs, but he still manages to give some hints about his character, Rushville rancher William Macon, someone who has no basis in the comics.
“It might be a front for some other kind of character that’s very familiar to you all,” Dillahunt said. “I don’t want to rule out the possibility that maybe ‘William Macon’ is just a secret identity that had to be created. It was fun to be able to create him from scratch—at least that facet of the character.”
There has been relentless speculation that William Macon is, in fact, a facade for a similarly named villain, William Hand, known as Black Hand. In the comics, Black Hand has a device that can manipulate the power of Green Lantern rings. That device was eventually revealed to be the creation of Atrocitus (a character fans believe was also introduced with Antaan’s arrival on the show). Eventually, Black Hand goes on to get the first Black power ring and become the first Black Lantern. Uh oh.
Hal Jordan believes that Macon is hiding some sort of technology on his ranch, and that device could be it if we are going down the Black Hand route. I mean, there is one villain named William in Green Lantern lore, and yes, all of this certainly seems to line up. As it stands, if these theories are correct, in addition to the confirmed Sinestro and Manhunter(s), the show could be introducing us to both Black Hand and Atrocitus in one season. Lanterns is meant to run for more than one season rather than being a miniseries, so it seems clear all of this could be explored further, if not just teased for a future season (I would doubt we get a full-on Atrocitus in season 1, for instance).
There are many, many theories about what’s going on in Rushville, including one that the entire town, which would include Macon, is actually made up of Manhunters. Another is that Macon’s rich “patron” is none other than Lex Luthor. None of this has been confirmed, but the idea that Macon is Black Hand seems like one of the most likely theories out there, and it’s also what Dillahunt’s tease would suggest.
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