Every Crime Hal Jordan Committed In Lanterns

Published Sep 28, 2026, 9:31 AM EDT

Derek is the Training Lead for ScreenRant. Before his current position, he spent 20 years working in games, TV, and film while also writing for several entertainment sites.
Derek is also the co-host of three pop culture podcasts: Across the Omniverse, The Bad Batch, and Watch Men.

DC Studios has a certified hit with Lanterns, as millions of people tune in each week to watch the mystery of Rushville unravel. The show has turned Hal Jordan and John Stewart into big-time superheroes in the eyes of the non-comics reading world, revealing that these characters are so much more than what they first appear to be. But in the aftermath of the attack on Rushville in 2016, some viewers have questions about what happened over the next decade.

One of the bigger debates has surrounded Hal Jordan and his time in prison. The issue is that, considering the alien Antaan and his cronies were the ones blowing themselves up, and Zoe the Manhunter was shooting the space lasers on the town, why would Hal Jordan be the one who was locked up for it? After all, Hal was there to try and stop all the death and destruction from happening, so why is he the one that ended up taking the blame?

In the sixth episode, set in 2026, Hal tells John Stewart that he took the fall for their actions. But, in the eyes of the public and the law, what fall did he need to take? As it turns out, Hal Jordan committed quite a few crimes while in Rushville. Whether or not he should have had to do the time is up for debate, but there is no denying the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, who has no actual legal authority on Earth, broke quite a few laws.

Hal Jordan Created Counterfeit Money

While at the bar, Hal Jordan comes up with a plan to anger the other patrons so they will get confrontational, leading to a fight. To do this, Hal tosses a $20 into the jukebox and plays Melanie's classic tune "Brand New Key" on repeat. And while playing the same song over and over again at a bar isn't a crime (though perhaps it should be) how Hal went about it was.

Hal used the ring to construct a perfect recreation of a $20 bill that would fool the jukebox into taking it. In that moment, Hal was counterfeiting legal tender, which is a serious federal crime that can land a person in prison for 20 years. Chances are, unlike John's bird construct, Hal's counterfeit bill quickly faded away after serving its purpose, leaving behind no evidence. But just because you don't get caught, that doesn't mean a crime wasn't committed.

Hal Jordan Purposely Started A Bar Fight

In what was probably the smallest of his crimes, Hal Jordan purposely started a bar fight in the first episode. His goal was to get arrested so he would be locked up with the one surviving suspect from the Rushville high school football game shooting, but Sheriff Kane was too quick for the Green Lantern and locked him in a closet.

While he would likely get time served for this, since he spent the night locked up (and Kane would hopefully face some consequences for her actions: you can't lock someone in a closet), Hal Jordan would still be guilty of disorderly conduct or breach of the peace. This would be a misdemeanor, but any prosecutor worth their salt would certainly bring it up during Hal's trial to show a pattern of his actions while in Rushville.

Hal Jordan Broke Into A Government Facility And Tampered With Evidence

In his journey to solve the Rushville mystery, Hal Jordan went to the town morgue and took the bodies of the men who were killed at the football game. Hal needed them in order to test his theory that they were all aliens, and he tried to get Sheriff Kane to work with him before snatching the bodies, but none of that makes it legal.

In the course of getting the bodies, Hal broke into the morgue, which is a government building, and stole corpses that were part of an active investigation. That's breaking and entering, abuse of corpses, and tampering with evidence. Each of these are pretty serious crimes, even if the reasons for committing them are righteous. These crimes alone could land Hal in prison for 20 years, which suggests that his 10-year sentence was a sign that the judge went easy on him.

Hal Jordan Knowingly And Unlawfully Entered Private Property

The first time Hal Jordan went to the Macon Ranch, he was invited. The second time, he was shot after being told to stay off the property. Then, while in the hospital, he was again told to stay away from the ranch by Sheriff Kane. But, Hal being Hal, he picked up John Stewart and the two of them returned to Macon Ranch, burrowing under the ground with a construct John created.

Once on the land, Hal and John entered a building filled with some very wild sci-fi tech. Weapons that Hal was very sure could not have been made with human know-how. Then security showed up, shot some black smoke at the duo and brought them to Will Macon who showed them what he was working with. After getting to see more of Macon than they wanted, Hal and John are saved by Sheriff Kane, who takes them off the land. But Hal would still be responsible for breaking and entering private property. That's a felony that could land a person in prison for a decade.

Hal Jordan Committed Reckless Endangerment Twice

On two separate occasions, Hal Jordan jumped out of a car he was driving, leaving John Stewart in the passenger seat as the car careened out of control. The first time was a test to see what John would do with the Green Lantern ring in order to save himself. The second time, John didn't have the ring to save himself. In both cases, Hal directly endangered John's life, and while he didn't intend it to be as bad as it was the second time, he did leave John trapped in a car that exploded.

Both instances would be considered reckless endangerment. Depending on the severity of the crash, a person charged with reckless endangerment could be given a sentence ranging from probation and a loss of their license to 7 years in prison. Considering both events could have led to John Stewart's death if not for other factors (the ring in the first, Zoe in the second), Hal would likely be facing the stiffest sentencing possible for these crimes.

Hal Jordan Knowingly Misled Antaan To Kill Will Macon

On the day Rushville was under attack by Antaan and his men, Hal Jordan met with them at the diner and lied about whom the Manhunter was, leading them to the Macon Ranch where they killed several unnamed people and Will Macon. By purposely misleading Antaan into thinking Will was the Manhunter, Hal knowingly caused these deaths. Not only that, but Hal had the power to stop the exploding aliens himself and chose not to.

By not only refusing to stop the alien terrorists with his powers, Hal committed manslaughter. And by freely giving them information — even if it was false info — in order to use them to help him achieve his own goals — getting the Manhunter to blow her cover — Hal wouldn't be able to claim he did so under duress. At that point, he is also aiding and abetting them. The manslaughter charge could lead to 15 years in prison, while the aiding and abetting charge would match whatever Antaan and his men would have been charged with if they lived, which would likely be life sentences, of not the death penalty.

Hal Jordan Stole A Helicopter

As a test pilot, Hal Jordan is an aviation expert who knows how to fly anything that can lift off the ground. But knowing how to control an aircraft doesn't mean Hal can just take one whenever he feels like it. If it wasn't his to fly, he shouldn't be controlling the stick.

With his ring nearly out of power and a Manhunter to take out, Hal Jordan rushed over to where Zoe was and, after holding her against her will — which he likely wouldn't be charged with since she was actively blowing up Rushville by that point — Hal stole her helicopter. By taking the helicopter, Hal commits aircraft theft, a form of grand larceny that could land him 20 years in prison. But, considering the circumstances of the moment, he would probably get a reduced sentence.

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  Kyle Chandler

  Hal Jordan

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  Aaron Pierre

  John Stewart