'Only one can wear the ring': Lanterns' ominous new poster might be teasing a dark fate for one of the HBO Max show's main characters

• A new poster for Lanterns has been released online
• Its tagline has put DC comic book fans in a tailspin for three big reasons
• The HBO Max show still doesn't have a confirmed release date

DC Studios has released the first official poster for its Lanterns TV show — and its tagline has created three big talking points among fans.

Posted online yesterday (April 23), the artwork depicts its two leads — Aaron Pierre's John Stewart and Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan — standing in the shadow of a giant Lantern Corps. ring. The one sheet is rounded out with an ominous-sounding tagline, 'Only one can wear the ring', as well as the series official logo and a reminder that Lanterns will premiere on HBO Max this August.

The DC Universe's (DCU) next TV project, Lanterns, will follow Jordan's experienced Green Lantern as he and Stewart, the intergalactic space cops' newest recruit, investigate a murder mystery in a rural American town.

Little else has been publicly revealed about its plot or cast of characters, but we were finally treated to some actual footage from the live-action show by way of an official teaser in early March. You can read more about that and my theories on the forthcoming program in my Lanterns trailer breakdown article.

Why has the tagline of Lanterns' first poster ignited three debates among fans?

But, back to the poster and, more specifically, the possible intent behind its tagline. Indeed, its unveiling has sparked three major discussions among fans — one of which is centered on the potential demise of a major character.

Before we get into that spoiler-based chatter, let's take a look at the other two conversations, starting with the fact that many have been left confused by its slogan.

On Reddit, a debate is raging over the tagline's exact meaning. Some have pointed out that, in DC Comics, there are usually 7,200 members of the Green Lanterns Corps, with two assigned to each space sector.

Comment from r/DC_Cinematic

The notion that "only one can wear the ring", then, has bewildered long-time readers who argue that, with 7,199 other Green Lanterns — including another Earth-based one in Guy Gardner, who we've met in Superman and Peacemaker season 2 — out there, that this is a wholly misleading statement.

However, as others have rightly pointed out, in this instance, the tagline is only specifically referring to Jordan and Stewart. Indeed, from what Lanterns' teaser tells us, Stewart will replace Jordan as Earth's second Green Lantern. That means Jordan will have to pass on his Lantern Corps. ring onto Stewart, which is what the slogan is actually alluding to.

Comment from r/DCULeaks

The second big discussion point is more amusing in nature.

With the taglines for the first three DCU movies — Superman, plus the upcoming Supergirl and Clayface — all starting with the word "look", fans had begun to joke that each DCU Chapter One production's motto will also begin with that word. Unfortunately for those hoping to turn this into a meme, Lanterns' slogan puts an end to those wishes. Clearly, everyone forgot that Creature Commandos, the first DCU project to actually come out, didn't carry a tagline with the word "look" at the start...

But, I digress. As I alluded to, one of these online conversations is centered around the possible demise of a key character in Lanterns. So, this is your one and only warning: potentially big spoilers immediately follow, so do not scroll past this point if you're wary of what could happen.

Comment from r/DCULeaks

As I mentioned, Lanterns makes no secret of the fact that Stewart will succeed Jordan. That could happen gracefully, with Jordan eventually trusting Stewart to take his place.

On the other hand, Stewart could also become the custodian of Jordan's ring if the latter dies in Lanterns. Whether that's by sacrificing himself to save the day or being killed by the show's Big Bad, Jordan shuffling off his mortal coil shouldn't be ruled out — especially as, with Stewart set to appear in Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, he'll make it out of Lanterns alive.

Of course, it's entirely possible that Lanterns could throw a major curveball at us and see Jordan become Parallax. That's the supervillain alias he adopted in the '90s era of Green Lantern comics after Jordan's hometown was destroyed and he descended into madness. That would make for a huge plot twist, especially if Stewart is forced to kill his mentor to save the day — a blindside moment that Redditors in LastCryptographer173 and AdmiralFoxythePirate believe could realistically happen.

Regardless, I suspect DC's marketing team didn't expect Lanterns' tagline to spark as many conversations as it has. But, hey, any publicity is good publicity, so I'm sure the comic giant will welcome any kind of chatter to keep it in the spotlight.

For more on the forthcoming HBO TV Original, find out everything we know so far about Lanterns.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.