Lanterns Episode 4 Reveals the Manhunter’s Identity

Four episodes into Lanterns, the mystery that has been hanging over HBO’s new DC series finally has an answer. The Manhunter is Zoe Macon, the seemingly ordinary woman who has been getting close to John Stewart in Rushville, Nebraska.

Episode 4, titled “The Weenie”, aired on September 6 on HBO and HBO Max, turning what looked like a straightforward investigation into something much more personal for John and Hal Jordan.

The reveal also gives new meaning to several details from earlier episodes, including Zoe’s relationship with William Macon and John’s unusually calm reaction to her apparent death. More importantly, it changes the central question of the series. The mystery is no longer simply who the Manhunter is, but what Zoe actually wants and whether John can trust her.

Zoe was hiding in plain sight

For much of the season, Hal Jordan and John Stewart have been trying to identify the Manhunter, a mysterious enemy connected to the death they are investigating in Rushville. Episode 4 sends them towards William Macon, whose wealth, influence, and connection to a mysterious benefactor make him look like the obvious suspect.

Their investigation eventually leads them to a slaughterhouse, where they encounter Hector Guiterrez, a man initially presented as the Manhunter. He later admits that he is human and claims William is responsible.

That turns out to be another diversion; Zoe is the real Manhunter, and the episode makes the reveal through Hal's detective work rather than a conventional confession. After a satellite attack appears to kill Zoe, John barely reacts. Hal notices the difference between John's response to Zoe and his panic when his parents are threatened.

As Hal explains, John is not grieving because he does not believe Zoe is dead. He eventually concludes that she must have survived because she is not human.

The reveal changes what we know about Zoe

Zoe’s actions throughout the episode make her connection to the Manhunter identity difficult to understand because she has built a life around William Macon and developed a relationship with John. Earlier in the episode, she even warns him to leave Rushville before the situation becomes more dangerous.

Her concern for John does not fit neatly with the role of an antagonist, making her motives more complicated than they first appear. Poorna Jagannathan, who plays Zoe, has revealed that she did not know her character was the Manhunter until she received the Episode 4 script. Speaking about the twist, she said it “reframed everything” for her understanding of the character.