HBO's DC Universe series Lanterns is delving into the lore of Green Lantern mythology, focusing on the threat of the Manhunters and introducing classic villains. Episode four brought Hector Hammond into the fold, a character whose significance may not be immediately clear to viewers unfamiliar with the comics.
Hector Hammond was first introduced in a 1961 issue of Green Lantern by John Broome and Gil Kane. His early comic origins were tied to a meteor that bestowed superintelligence and psionic powers, which he used to enhance his own intellect and compel scientists to create inventions for him. A later revision in the 2008 storyline Green Lantern: Secret Origin retconned the meteor's source to be part of Abin Sur's crashed spacecraft.
The character was notably adapted for the 2011 Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds, where Peter Sarsgaard portrayed Hammond. In that adaptation, Hammond, a friend of Hal Jordan working for the Department of Extranormal Operations, becomes infected by Parallax after performing an autopsy on Abin Sur. This infection grants him telekinetic and telepathic abilities but also leads to mental instability and physical deterioration.
In Lanterns episode four, Hammond is identified as the owner of Atlas Inc., a company linked to a satellite that attacked John Stewart and Hal Jordan. The investigation into Atlas Inc. reveals a high-tech slaughterhouse facility that uses extradimensional portals for processing. When confronted by the Lanterns, Hammond initially claims to be an engineering student named Hector Gutierrez, bribed by the Manhunter with advanced technology. He reveals that the Manhunter is actually William Macon, and that Hammond was a deliberate misdirection to divert the Green Lanterns.
This revelation positions Hammond as a smokescreen, a tactic that resonates with his comic book history where he has often served as a significant, albeit sometimes manipulated, antagonist for the Green Lanterns.