5 Biggest Reveals From the Lanterns San Diego Comic-Con Panel | Comic Con 2026

The Lanterns sheet astatine San Diego Comic-Con revealed a slew of breathtaking announcements astir HBO’s instrumentality connected the DC hero. Here’s everything we learned.

The formed of HBO's Lanterns sat down for an in-depth chat astir what viewers tin expect from the show, and if there's 1 happening they made clear, it's that astir each of them are immense fans of the DC comic. They're highly dedicated to doing close by the fans, and if there's thing this sheet has shown us, it's that they'll person a batch to emotion erstwhile it yet airs successful August.

Warning — spoilers for Lanterns below!

1. Sinestro is successful the show.

However, it doesn’t look similar he’s the large baddie down the series' main conflict… astatine least, not yet. From what we saw, he’s been holed up successful a abstraction situation for immoderate clip — though he’s someway inactive capable to cognize astir Hal Jordan’s movements, arsenic good arsenic the information that he’s taking connected an apprentice (or, arsenic helium forces Hal to admit, a replacement).

2. Manhunters are the cardinal villains of the series.

In 1 clip, exclusively shown astatine San Diego Comic-Con, we saw Hal interrogate an alien masquerading arsenic a erstwhile shot player, quizzing him connected assorted trivia astir pros and celebrated games. However, erstwhile it came to different topics — Harry Potter and Barack Obama, specifically — the manhunter came up blank, starring to a hilarious back-and-forth betwixt the 2 characters. What’s more, the manhunter claimed to person a nuke-level explosive embedded successful his skeleton, saying helium was sent to Earth connected a top-secret mission. We’ll permission the extremity of the country a concealed to debar excessively galore spoilers, but it proves these beings are nary tiny menace to the planet.

3. Nathan Fillion crashed the San Diego Comic-Con panel.

Yep, that’s close — Guy Gardner himself (sans that horrible haircut) showed up midway done the sheet to present a abbreviated clip from the amusement featuring his character. Thus far, we’re not definite what his relation successful the bid volition be, but it seems he’s bringing his signature irreverent flair from Superman into this newest story. (Fillion adjacent wore a garment that said 'Best Gardner Ever,' intelligibly leaning into his relation arsenic a loveable knucklehead.)

4. Laura Linney is playing a relation successful HBO’s Lanterns show.

This was 1 of the past large reveals from the panel. Co-creator Chris Mundy broke the news, saying she volition beryllium playing a Guardian, 1 of the beings successful complaint of the Green Lantern Corps. He was loath to stock immoderate much information, but promised her show was thing abbreviated of fantastic.

“Yes, Laura's successful the show,” Chris said. “Yes, she plays 1 of the Guardians, who has a batch to accidental to John astir the relation of being the Green Lantern. We were precise fortunate successful a batch of ways… I'm not saying thing else, oregon other this sheet volition beryllium huffy astatine me.”

Aaron Pierre besides chimed in, saying, “She’s similar an auntie. She’s a phenomenal creator and creative, and we were massively blessed to person her grace america with her beingness and her talent.”

5. The Red Lanterns mightiness marque an quality successful the show.

At the process extremity of the panel, 1 last clip was shown, wherever Hal and John duke it retired implicit who volition deterioration the ring. In the mediate of their knock-down, drag-out brawl, a agleam reddish airy starts to radiance done Hal’s country arsenic a siren blares successful the background. The clip chopped disconnected close aft this, truthful it’s unclear if the Red Lanterns were down the light, oregon if it was the manhunters. Given the color, we couldn’t assistance but speculate.

These are conscionable a fewer of the astir absorbing tidbits revealed during the Lanterns SDCC panel, including an anecdote from Aaron Pierre explaining that helium tore his bicep close earlier his last telephone to audition for the relation of John Stewart.

HBO's Lanterns streams connected August 16, 2026.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With 10 years of acquisition reporting connected games and entertainment, she’s got a storied inheritance successful the warring crippled community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her connected Twitter astatine @TheeMissGlaze.