Lanterns Episode 6: 5 Best Easter Eggs, Ranked

Throughout its six episodes thus far, HBO’s Lanterns has been rather grounded and largely isolated from the wider DCU. Even the Green Lantern we knew from Superman (2025), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), was absent from a show titled ‘Lanterns’. The action was limited to a small Nebraska town; even the aliens mostly appeared in human form. Lanterns Episode 6 changes that immediately.

The jump to 2026 brings the series closer to the present-day DCU. There are also mentions of events in the Superman movie. Even Starro of 2021’s The Suicide Squad, gets a mention. And most importantly, Batman is acknowledged. Here are the five best Easter eggs in Lanterns Episode 6, ranked.

5 John Stewart Finally Becomes an Architect

Aaron Pierre as John Stewart in Lanterns | Credits: DC Studios

John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) did not accept the power ring at the end of Episode 5. Ten years later, we learn that he now runs an architectural firm with his brother Marcus. In the lore, the reason why his constructs are so intricate, precise, and built inside out is that he was an architect. He understands how buildings and machines fit together. This is in contrast to Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), who is far more instinctive and improvisational.

4 Midway City Teases Hawkman and the Doom Patrol

John is in Midway City when he presents his plan for the underground shelters. Midway City is most closely associated with Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The Silver Age versions of the characters, Katar and Shayera Hol, lived there while working as extraterrestrial police officers on Earth. Like the Green Lanterns, they were aliens or cosmic law-enforcement figures attempting to operate within ordinary human society.

The city is also associated with Doom Patrol. The superhero team maintained a headquarters in Midway City during part of its comic-book history. Hawkgirl, Hawkman’s love-interest, exists in the DCU. Isabela Merced played the role in Superman. Aldis Hodge appeared as Hawkman in Black Adam (2022).

3 Lanterns Makes Starro’s Attack Part of DCU Canon

Starro as it appears in The Suicide Squad | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

During his presentation, John also discusses the destruction caused by extraterrestrial threats. He references what happened in Metropolis (Superman‘s ending). He wonders what Midway City would do if another “giant starfish” emerged from the ocean. The giant starfish is unmistakably Starro, the alien conqueror who attacked Corto Maltese in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.

So is the movie canon to the DCU? Not so fast. Gunn in 2025 said on Bluesky that he thinks of it as an “imperfect memory“. 

2 Carol Ferris Attends Hal Jordan’s Funeral

Amie MacKenzie as Carol Ferris in Lanterns | Credits: DC Studios

Only John, Kerry, and Carol Ferris attend Hal Jordan’s funeral. In the comics, Carol is Hal’s longtime love interest and sometimes operates as Star Sapphire. Blake Lively played her in the 2011 Green Lantern movie.

Carol represents the life Hal had before Rushville and brings the self-written eulogy he expected to be read before a much larger crowd. Titled “The Brightest Day,” it references willpower and the “blackest of nights.” Even at his own funeral, Hal cannot resist mythologizing himself.

1 Guy Gardner’s Beacon Confirms Batman Already Protects Gotham

Hal mocks Guy Gardner while talking to John for copying “that Bat guy over in Gotham” by installing a green beacon in Rushville. The line confirms that the DCU’s Batman is already active and uses the Bat-Signal. Batman did previously appear only in silhouette in Creature Commandos, but this is the first acknowledgment in live-action.

Guy’s beacon is not successful, though. Rushville’s residents resent the Lanterns, thanks to Hal, so activating the beacon provokes anger rather than reassurance. 

Which Easter egg was your favorite? Let us know in the comments.