Who killed Hal Jordan? That’s been the question nagging audiences watching HBO‘s Lanterns ever since the Green Lanterns drama debuted back in late August. Well, tonight, we finally have our answer — even if it came after a false confession…

**Spoilers for Lanterns Episode 8, now streaming on HBO Max**

Lanterns Episode 1 ends with John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) returning to Rushville 10 years after the disastrous events of 2016 so Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) can break the news that Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) has been murdered. The two feel beholden to find Hal’s killer; John, because he respected him, and Kerry, because she loved him. The thing is everyone in Rushville had a reason to kill Hal. After all, he was responsible for the deaths of many residents, including their beloved savior, the Manhunter Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan). (Although technically it was John who took out Zoe.)

John tricks current Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) into bringing Hal’s old suit and ring to Rushville so Earth’s original Green Lantern can be buried in them. The twist is that John exhumes John’s corpse to steal the ring — not for power — so he can use the “Halogram” to open Hal’s voice-activated vault. John eventually discovers a portal that takes the owner to a far off planet that has been totally devastated in an apocalypse. He and Halogram travel to a remote island, on the other side of water that makes you afraid, where they discover Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), free from prison and waiting for them.

What we then learn is that Kerry’s son Noah (Shea Pritchard) is also part Manhunter. Upon discovering his powers, he concocted a plan to free Sinestro in exchange for the wily supervillain to forge him his own Lantern. This one was mined with the yellow-flecked dirt of the “fear” planet, but still can charge a classic Green Lantern ring, like Hal’s.

When John returns to Rushville, he’s ambushed by Noah, who confesses that he killed Hal before expressing his own internal battle between his Manhunter nature and the moral way his mortal mother nurtured him. Noah begs John to kill him as he did Zoe. He only asks to play football one more time with his team, leaving the ring and lantern in John’s care.

So why did Noah kill Hal? Was it really in revenge for Zoe? Or is something else going on?

Lanterns Ending Explained: Who Killed Hal Jordan?

As it turns out, Noah did NOT kill Hal Jordan! He was lying to protect the real killer: Kerry!

When John confronts Kerry about Noah, she finally reveals that Noah didn’t kill Hal. She did. Upon discovering Noah’s plot to forge his own lantern and ring, Hal went to Kerry with a plan for the three of them to live on the run in the galaxy. Kerry is horrified and in a fit of fury (and maternal fear) turns and shoots her partner point blank in the head. She’s immediately contrite, which is why she reaches out to the only person with the knowledge and resources to piece the whole thing together: John Stewart.

Does John Stewart Finally Become Green Lantern in Lanterns?

Sort of? Lanterns Season 1 ends with John claiming Hal’s ring as his own and Sinestro’s lantern as his, too. He lures Guy Gardner back to Rushville to relay a message to the Guardians that while Guy is still in charge of the quadrant, Earth is under the protection of John Stewart.

John then bids the Halogram a fond farewell before charging his ring with the yellow lantern. He changes the Green Lantern oath to fit his new purpose:

In brightest day, in darkest night

I’ll embrace my fear, I’ll do what’s right

I choose this ring, I choose this fight

In service to this Lantern’s light

So… he’s sort of a Green Lantern? In his own words, he’s more like an “independent contractor” than officially sanctioned Lantern. (He also has the potential to drift into becoming a Yellow Lantern, which is a rival group in the comics started by Sinestro that rules with fear.)

Will There Be a Lanterns Season 2?

HBO has yet to make an official announcement about the future of Lanterns, but there’s a chance the show — and John Stewart — could return for a second season. (We already know that the character will make an appearance in the upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.)