# Lanterns (the green kind) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, hbomax-wb-dc\ **Created:** [August 17, 2026, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374 "2026-08-17T05:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/201 "2026-09-17T15:11:33Z")
By my reading, Zoe being a Manhunter means that she was programmed for an extreme form of “justice” that would have eventually resulted in her trying to genocide the whole planet (since humans would inevitably fail to maintain her standards). Even if she tried to resist this programming. Further, because she knew she was discovered, she would be trying to kill the Lanterns and willing to kill civilians to accomplish this. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/202 "2026-09-17T15:14:19Z")
She was a mass killer hiding from justice, a fact that was going to cause a lot of damage to the town when the survivors from that mass killing came from revenge. Of course they could’ve taken her in custody or killed in more apt ways, but that is not realistic for law enforcement… ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/203 "2026-09-17T15:16:14Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Why were Hal and John trying to kill/capture Zoe? Hal wanted to catch Zoe and turn her in to raise his standing with the guardians. Also, Anton threatened to blow up the entire town if they didn’t turn her over to him. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/204 "2026-09-17T15:19:05Z")
> [@digs](#): > > (Any of the animated versions worth watching?) I watched one that was pretty good. Let me see if I can remember which one it was… It was this one! > **[Green Lantern: Emerald Knights](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lantern:_Emerald_Knights)** > > Green Lantern: Emerald Knights is a 2011 American animated superhero film that tells various stories featuring members of Green Lantern Corps, including Abin Sur, Laira, Kilowog, and Mogo. It was released on June 7, 2011. While not a direct sequel to First Flight, the film uses the same character designs. It is the eleventh film released under the DC Universe Animated Original Movies banner. It is also the second DC Animated Movie following Batman: Gotham Knight to feature an anthology format, t... Funny enough, Nathan Fillion voiced Hal Jordan in it, almost 15 years before he took on the role of Guy Gardner on film. (Nathan actually played Hal in a number of animated films for a while after this movie.) It was pretty good though because it was an anthology film with a lot of shorter stories about various Green Lanterns, each one short and sweet and it never dragged at any point. And it is pretty typical light DC Comics in tone, so another good palate cleanser for the grittier fare of today. It’s available to stream on HBO Max just like _Lanterns_. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/205 "2026-09-17T15:20:27Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Also, Anton threatened to blow up the entire town if they didn’t turn her over to him. I’m sure she could have handled him. > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Hal wanted to catch Zoe and turn her in to raise his standing with the guardians. Yeah, this I get. Hal is a piece of shit. Seems to me many of then issues the Guardians have could be solved by selecting not just for fearlessness, but also some basic moral decency. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/206 "2026-09-17T15:23:04Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Seems to me many of then issues the Guardians have could be solved by selecting not just for fearlessness, but also some basic moral decency. Don’t forget, they _are_ supposed to be law enforcement… 😜 (Okay, bad joke.) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/207 "2026-09-17T15:26:14Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > OK. I’m not a comic book reader so maybe i’m missing something here. Why were Hal and John trying to kill/capture Zoe? Hal was trying to capture her and take her to space jail. For all the crimes she had committed, namely wiping out those other alien’s species/home world. She is also not doing anything out of kindness, she instantly started bombing the town for no other reason than to waste Hal’s ring charge. She also murdered Abin Sur, who had already decided to let her go. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/208 "2026-09-17T15:28:11Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Hal wanted to catch Zoe and turn her in to raise his standing with the guardians. I didn’t get the feeling that Hal gave much of a shit about the Guardians opinion. He was trying to capture her because that is his job and having her there WAS a danger. She is a murdering psycho, not a benevolent benefactor. That town was human shields, nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/209 "2026-09-17T15:47:44Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > That town was human shields, nothing else. I guess I missed this. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/210 "2026-09-17T15:50:09Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > I guess I missed this. All the lasers destroying the town were controlled by her. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/211 "2026-09-17T15:53:59Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > > [@DigitalC](#): > > > > That town was human shields, nothing else. > > I guess I missed this. She killed Abin Sur because he was able to out her. She killed the guy in the diner. She killed a bunch of aliens who were looking for her. She manipulated an entire town of people, including the Sherriff and others to the point that she could issue a phone based “kill on sight” order against a world renowned superhero and actually have it carried out willingly. That’s all way before Hal showed up. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/212 "2026-09-17T16:09:14Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > All the lasers destroying the town were controlled by her. AH. I thought they were from the other alien dude. Now it makes sense! ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/213 "2026-09-17T18:51:31Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > AH. I thought they were from the other alien dude. Now it makes sense! All they had was their self destruct, which were supposed to be nuke big but kinda turned out to be grenade big. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/214 "2026-09-17T19:07:34Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > She also murdered Abin Sur, who had already decided to let her go. That seemed like the classic “Scorpion and the Frog” situation. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she caused the crash of Abin’s ship, with herself inside, and almost killed herself in the process just as the scorpion drowned itself when it stung the frog. > [@mozchron](#): > > AH. I thought they were from the other alien dude. I knew it was her immediately, because she had said her first step was to make Hal waste his ring’s energy before killing him. The “force hero to make himself vulnerable by trying to kill innocent people” gamble is a classic villain trope and one she totally embraced. And there is no “try” about it; Hal saved who he could but a lot of people died. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/215 "2026-09-17T20:08:28Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > All they had was their self destruct, which were supposed to be nuke big but kinda turned out to be grenade big. Yeah, turns out throwing yourself at the enemy and blowing up is not actually a great battle strategy. Also, I had no idea there were two shape-shifting kinds of aliens called ‘manhunters’ around. I kept waiting for all of this just being a big misunderstanding and finding out that it’s actually J’onn J’onzz hiding in town… 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/216 "2026-09-17T20:43:06Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > All they had was their self destruct, which were supposed to be nuke big but kinda turned out to be grenade big. I assumed they had some level of control of the explosion. Taking out the entire town would be a measure of last resort. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/217 "2026-09-17T21:01:11Z")
Or maybe they were bluffing. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/218 "2026-09-17T21:02:55Z")
That’s my guess, that was their final battle. If they could nuke the town, the entirety of which was ready to mow them down mind you, they would have. At the very least the last guy would have. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/219 "2026-09-17T22:23:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The “force hero to make himself vulnerable by trying to kill innocent people” gamble is a classic villain trope and one she totally embraced. But if Hal wasn’t there she wouldn’t have done it. I still think he instigated the situation. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374/220 "2026-09-17T22:27:48Z")
The aliens knew she was there. They were coming regardless. They had already attacked the town BEFORE Hal showed up and threatened to nuke it if they had to. Hal was the only person there actually trying to help anyone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lanterns-the-green-kind/1032374.md?page=12)