Is Zoe Macon The Manhunter? Lanterns Episode 4 Theories

It appears the cat is finally out of the bag in HBO’s “Lanterns,” as by the end of freshly released episode 4, the identity of the Manhunter hiding in Rushville might have finally been revealed. Viewers suspected from quite a while that Will Macon’s wife, a strangely mysterious Zoe Macon might be the shapeshifting AI synth responsible for the destruction of Antaan and his crew’s homeworld. As Hal and John decide to literally probe deeper while investigating Macon family’s shenanigans, distrust grows with involvement of personal stakes. From the clues dropped during a number of conversations, it feels obvious that Zoe Macon is indeed the culprit in question, but the truth might be more twisted than viewers are led to believe.

Spoilers Ahead

From the heavy presence of advanced alien tech in Macon ranch, the likes of which can even nullify the effects of Green Lantern power ring, it becomes quite apparent that Macon’s secret benefactor/ saviour is quite resourceful and dangerous. Upon being caught by Will Macon’s crew, Hal and John don’t mention Manhunter in his presence, but whoever he is protecting is revealed to have mysterious, strange abilities. Macon specifically mentions that following the arrival of his benefactor, he was cured of cancer, and Rushville changed for the better – crops grew, people didn’t fall sick – hence the pristine condition of the unused hospital. Manhunters can access advanced alien tech which can allow all this. From the looks of it, Zoe Macon appears to be the most suitable candidate in this regard. Not only does she proclaim in front of John that she saved her husband’s life, and that he owes her. Add to that how Zoe  miraculously survived the satellite attack, which now seems a deliberate distraction by Macon to make Hal and John believe that she has perished. Lastly, Hal very specifically mentions how the modus operandi of the Manhunters prompt them to assimilate into communities, emotionally manipulate threats to ensure their own safety. Given how Zoe has been interested in John, his prospects of being a Green Lantern, and dynamics with Hal from the very beginning, it seems Zoe Macon has ticked all the boxes to be designated as a Manhunter. Even though Will Macon particularly mentioned his benefactor as ‘he’, it doesn’t really matter given Manhunters can shapeshift according to their convenience. 

However, for a show which has constantly deceived viewers with its narrative choices, characterization, the most obvious answer may not be the right one. Even though Zoe qualifies in all the aforementioned markers, there is no concrete proof to pinpoint her as the Manhunter in question. In fact, more than anything, the story directing our attention to Zoe feels like a red herring, just like what Hector Gutierrez turned out to be. In all probability, Zoe might be another variant of extra-terrestrial with shapeshifting capability/tech, given how this is a fairly common trait be it with most of the alien visitors in DCU. According to some fan speculations, Zoe might be Sinestro’s secret informant, and given how much she knows about John, it won’t be that surprising if it is revealed she relayed intel regarding his and Hal’s dynamics to an imprisoned Sinestro. Moreover, Will Macon might not be sheltering a Manhunter at all, it can very well be that there is another, more nefarious kind of threat present in Rushville. Will Macon’s advanced darkness emitting weaponry which rendered the arguably strangest weapon of the universe, a power ring, useless, indicates a sinister presence in the small town. The unique weaponry might hint at the presence of the embodiment of death, the Nekron/ Black Lantern entity, whose dominion over death might lead Rushville to ‘prosper’. But aside from all these, the most significant clue which makes us uncertain about Zoe’s true identity as Manhunter, is the fact that there is another suitable candidate who similarly ticks all the right boxes while remaining under the radar. 

Before you brand this speculation as too much of a stretch, notice how things don’t feel quite right with Guardian Lianna’s presence “Lanterns”. The very fact that  Guardians, who didn’t bother considering earth as a suitable place in cosmic scheme to have a Green Lantern of its own, started hurriedly visiting potential candidates door-to-door to offer consolation and reparations, is baffling. Right when Hal received Abin Sur’s power ring and began investigating the connection of his death to Rushville, Guardian Lianna dangled the prospect of John Stewart Jr. being a Green Lantern in future in front of his family. When he was eventually moulded into a suitable candidate, she asked him to replace Hal Jordan, by deceit if necessary. Not only does she continue to motivate John to turn his back against his careless, reckless mentor, she detests John’s emotional weakness, mentioning he has inherited from his father. Lianna’s lingo matches more with a being that has been ‘programmed’ than one who has been ‘raised’, and her manipulation tactics have fooled the Stewart family for quite a long while now. It may very well be that she is pretending to be a Guardian while her true identity is that of a Manhunter, and utilizing self preservation tactics, she is igniting a conflict between Hal and John. Even though John has not shared anything with her regarding the Rushville case, she might know everything all along. Irrespective of whether she is getting Macon’s protection or not, Lianna’s machinations pose an active threat to Hal’s position as Green Lantern, and John’s future as one. 

With all that being said, these are merely speculations which might or might not match the actual causality in the end. Needless to say, the writing of “Lanterns” has been quite riveting, and has kept viewers second guessing their assumptions.