‘Lanterns’ Just Snuck In a Huge DC Universe Easter Egg Pointing to Hawkman and Hawkgirl

HBO’s ‘Lanterns‘ has spent its first few episodes carefully laying groundwork for a much larger DC Universe than its small-town murder mystery premise initially let on. Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, the series follows rookie Green Lantern John Stewart and veteran Hal Jordan as they investigate a case that keeps hinting at connections stretching far beyond their own corner of the Corps.

That larger-universe approach has become one of the show’s defining traits, with each episode quietly dropping references that reward attentive viewers. Episode three, centered on flashbacks to young John Stewart’s upbringing, continued that pattern with a background detail that’s since caught fire among fans combing through the show for hidden meaning.

During a scene where a young John Stewart is shown walking home, sharp-eyed viewers spotted graffiti reading “Midway City Panthers” scrawled across a nearby wall. In DC Comics lore, Midway City is the longtime home base of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, the reincarnating warrior duo who’ve served as Justice Society and Justice League mainstays since their debut in the 1940s.

The reference carries extra weight given where it’s placed. Midway City is explicitly set in Michigan in the comics, the same state John Stewart hails from in his own comic book origin, meaning the graffiti isn’t just a random background gag but a detail deliberately tied to the geography of Stewart’s own backstory within the show’s flashback sequence.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s connection to Midway City stretches back to the earliest days of their publication history, with Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders first establishing themselves as museum curators in the city under their civilian identities. That setup, born out of Golden Age storytelling from creators Gardner Fox, Joe Kubert and Julius Schwartz, has remained a consistent piece of the characters’ mythology across multiple reincarnated versions over the decades.

Neither Hawkman nor Hawkgirl has been confirmed for any DC Studios project so far, making this kind of subtle, background-only reference exactly the sort of teaser James Gunn’s DCU has leaned on before to plant seeds without committing to concrete casting or storyline announcements. It’s a low-stakes way to test fan reaction while keeping the door open for a future appearance somewhere down the line.

For a show built around a slow-burn mystery in small-town America, moments like this have become part of what’s kept ‘Lanterns’ engaging on a rewatch basis, rewarding viewers willing to pause and scan the background rather than just following the main plot beats. Given how much the series has already tied its flashback structure to real comic book geography, it’s a safe bet more references like this are still waiting to be found in future episodes.

With the John Stewart-centric episode already generating plenty of discussion for its handling of his backstory, this kind of subtle world-building only adds another layer for fans to dig into.

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