Lanterns has fully committed to its mystery box structure, with far more questions than answers through the first two episodes. The latest entry into the rebooted DC Universe seems to have more in common with True Detective and Watchmen than James Gunn’s own Superman and Peacemaker, or even Supergirl from earlier this summer. All the while, the show is juggling multiple Green Lanterns and multiple timelines with plenty of runway left to set up more conflict fit for a primetime HBO drama.
If you can’t help but theorize how every last detail could come into play, here is everything you need to know before Lanterns Episode 3 premieres:
When does Lanterns Episode 3 come out?
Season 1 Episode 3 will premiere on HBO at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 30. It will be available to stream on HBO Max at the same time. The episode is expected to have a runtime around 57 minutes.
Like The Penguin, House of the Dragon and most other major HBO titles, Lanterns will release one episode a week – all on Sunday nights. There will be eight episodes in Season 1, as there were for both seasons of Peacemaker and The Penguin. As a result, the finale will air on Sunday, October 4.
(Warning: Spoilers for Lanterns Episode 2, Superman, Peacemaker and Supergirl ahead.)
Who will show up this episode?
Lanterns got away from the multiple timeline structure in Episode 2, but it looks like it is fully leaning into it for Episode 3. That means we could get multiple versions of different characters at different ages, with some played by the same actors and others played by different ones entirely. Here is a look at who could appear in Episode 3 this week:
- Aaron Pierre as John Stewart
- Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
- Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
- Ulrich Thomsen as Thaal Sinestro
- Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry Kane
- Garret Dillahunt as William Macon
- Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe Macon
- Jason Ritter as Billy Macon
- Paul Ben-Victor as Antaan
- Sherman Augustus as John Stewart Sr.
- J. Alphonse Nicholson as Young John Stewart Sr.
- Nicole Ari Parker as Bernadette Stewart
- Romeo Brown as Aaron Stewart
- Cairo Cash Lee as Adolescent John Stewart
- Noah Gibson-Slates as Adolescent Marcus Stewart
- Jaylen Lyndon Hunter as Adolescent Aaron Stewart
- Jade Ramirez as Jessica Jordan
- Henry Samiri as Adolescent Hal Jordan
- Shea Pritchard as Noah Macon
- Cary Christopher as Adolescent Noah Macon
- Laura Linney as a Guardian of the Universe
- Paula Patton as TBD
What to expect in Lanterns Episode 3?
Based on the latest preview for Episode 3, we are going to be getting a lot of the 1996 storyline this week – as well as a further flashback to around 1986. We will get to see John as a baby, his parents’ fraught relationship and how exactly he came to be a trainee in the Green Lantern Corps. John will also get to talk face-to-face with a member of the Guardians of the Universe, although it remains to be seen how or why the being will be present on Earth in 2016. After getting kidnapped by one group of aliens in Episode 2, John could finally start to learn more about Hal’s origins and what the Manhunters are up to in Nebraska.
Meanwhile, Hal ended Episode 2 in a space prison visiting Sinestro. He, too, will try to dig up more information on the Manhunters. But since we don’t get any shots of either Hal or Sinestro in the latest preview, there’s a chance we don’t return to that plot thread until Episode 4.
Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is also bound to appear after debuting in Superman and making another cameo in Peacemaker Season 2 last year. Looking at shots from the trailers, we only see Guy interact with the 2026 version of John, presumably after Hal’s death. With so much focus on John’s own origins and his meeting with the Guardians, we might go a second consecutive episode without returning to 2026. As a result, the mystery of Hal’s demise may have to take the back seat again.
There is no official synopsis for this week’s episode, but there is the preview for Lanterns Episode 3:
Lanterns FAQs
When does Lanterns come out?
Lanterns Episode 3 will premiere at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 30. The next six episodes will drop once a week at the same time.
Where can I watch Lanterns?
Lanterns will be available to stream on HBO Max. All other shows and movies in the newly-rebooted DC Universe are also available on the streaming service if you are looking to catch up, from Creature Commandos and Peacemaker to Superman. Supergirl, meanwhile, is only available for video on-demand and isn’t expected to be on HBO Max until September.
Will there be another season of Lanterns?
HBO has not publicly renewed Lanterns for a second season. However, according to a report from Jeff Sneider, the network has hired Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Christopher Cantwell to produce and write a potential Season 2.
When does the next DC project come out?
Following Lanterns‘ eight-week run on HBO, the next DC film or TV show will be Clayface. The horror-adjacent movie about the titular shape-shifting Batman villain will hit theaters on October 23, 2026.
