Why Did John Stewart Reject the Power Ring in ‘Lanterns,’ and What Happens to It Now

In the fifth episode of ‘Lanterns’ on HBO Max, the series finally answers a question it had been building toward since the pilot, namely why John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, ultimately chooses not to become the Green Lantern of Earth despite a lifetime spent working toward exactly that role. After feeling manipulated by the Guardians of the Universe into taking Hal Jordan’s ring, Stewart rejects their offer to become the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. The moment caps off a season long thread that has framed Stewart’s journey as far more complicated than a simple passing of the torch.

The central storytelling arc of ‘Lanterns’ has followed Stewart’s long path toward inheriting the power ring belonging to veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler. That path culminates in a physical confrontation between the two men before Stewart makes his choice, and the decision reshapes how audiences should understand both his character and the season’s broader mystery.

What Happens to the Power Ring After John Stewart Walks Away

Stewart rejected the Green Lantern ring in episode five because wearing it left him feeling completely empty, and he refused to lose himself the way Hal Jordan did while clinging to the ring’s power. Stewart witnessed firsthand how the ring corrupted Hal’s moral compass throughout their conflict in Rushville, and he recognized that the same destructive cycle could consume him if he accepted the power.

Part of the rejection also stemmed from how Stewart obtained the ring in the first place, since he beat Hal in a brutal fistfight at the motel and pried the ring from his unconscious hand. Taking the ring through violence and deception made the victory feel hollow rather than earned, which weighed heavily on his decision.

Stewart placed the ring on the bar and walked away from the Guardian after delivering his verdict, telling her that Hal betrayed everything to keep the ring, including his code, his oath, and himself, and that it broke him. He then admitted that he no longer remembered why he had wanted the ring either.

His decision to walk away represented perhaps the first genuine choice he ever made for himself, and the act of refusing the ring preserved the moral identity that accepting it would have destroyed. That framing matters because it turns what could have read as a simple refusal into a statement about who Stewart is willing to become.

Why John Stewart Rejected Hal Jordan’s Ring in the First Place

In episode five, the two strong willed men literally punch it out over who gets to wear the ring, and John ultimately chooses against taking it, telling the Guardians of the Universe he will not do the job for them. The confrontation is less about power and more about what accepting that power would cost him after everything he witnessed Hal go through.

The show has spent much of its run exploring systemic inequality tied to the ring, including the fact that it failed to even consider John’s mother despite her being one of the most fearless characters in the story. Writer Vanessa Baden Kelly has said the heart of the series ties back to growing up Black in America, which is why John Stewart’s backstory carries so much weight for the writers’ room.

John’s origin in the HBO series marks one of the biggest departures from his comic book roots, since his father, John Stewart Sr., played by J. Alphonse Nicholson, failed a test from the Guardians when Abin Sur’s ring was searching for a candidate and ultimately succumbed to fear. That failure eventually led a Guardian, played by Laura Linney, to reveal herself to John’s mother, Bernadette Stewart, played by Jasmine Cephas Jones, striking a bargain that set John on his own path toward the ring.

Not every critic has embraced how the show handles this backstory. One review argued that the series rewrites how Green Lanterns are chosen and gives John Stewart what it called a baffling new origin story, calling the third episode the season’s weakest to that point.

Hal Jordan’s Fate and the Ring’s Role in the 2026 Timeline

The rejection does not end the story of the ring, since ‘Lanterns’ has always unfolded across two timelines. The series premiered on HBO and HBO Max on August 16, 2026, and its first episode ended with John Stewart and Sheriff Kerry discovering Hal Jordan dead on football bleachers in Rushville, Nebraska, with a bullet wound to his head and his Green Lantern ring notably missing from his finger.

Episode five closed the book on the 2016 storyline, and the promo for episode six confirms that the next chapter shifts to 2026, meaning the series can finally return to solving Hal Jordan’s murder. The episode six trailer confirms that Jordan died from a single gunshot to the head, with a forensic pathologist noting he showed no signs of fighting back and that the shooter faced him directly when pulling the trigger.

Stewart is shown investigating why someone killed Jordan, and a local character named Kerry Kane warns him that the Green Lantern is not welcome in Rushville, even as she admits she wanted someone around who would care about Jordan’s death. With the ring back in the Guardians’ possession after Stewart’s refusal, the mystery of who took it, and why it vanished from Jordan’s body years later, becomes one of the season’s central open questions heading into its final stretch.

Where the Green Lantern Story Goes From Here

Despite Stewart’s rejection, there is reason to expect the character will eventually return to the role, particularly given his presence in ‘Man of Tomorrow.’ The show has been careful not to frame his refusal as a permanent exit from the mythology, instead using it to establish the emotional cost of the ring before he potentially picks it back up on his own terms.

Chandler plays a more seasoned Hal Jordan while Pierre plays a more rookie John Stewart, a dynamic that has anchored the series since DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed the casting. The show has drawn strong viewership, with its third episode reaching 10 million viewers worldwide, and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has said the series could continue beyond its first season.

Writer Christopher Cantwell has already joined the project to work on a potential second season, and the current season is set to conclude on October 4. Episode six, titled “Bad Optics,” is scheduled to air the following Sunday, continuing the investigation into Hal Jordan’s death.

With John Stewart now empty handed and Hal Jordan’s killer still unidentified, what do you think really happened to that ring between the moment Stewart set it down and the day it vanished from Jordan’s finger in 2026.