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Lanterns' second episode revealed the show's biggest threat: a secret Manhunter lurking in Rushville, Nebraska. But did it also sneakily introduce another Green Lantern supervillain?

SEE ALSO: Who is the secret Manhunter in 'Lanterns'? Let's investigate.

Episode 2 marks the first appearance of Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor), the leader of the aliens who were killed at the Rushville football game. He and his men kidnap Green Lantern trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and tell him how the Manhunter currently hiding in Rushville wiped out their people.

The casting announcement for Ben-Victor described Antaan as "an extraterrestrial devoted to exposing the truth and exacting vengeance against those who wronged his people. Consumed by a deep and unrelenting hatred for the law, he is determined to deliver justice on his own terms."

On social media, Green Lantern fans were quick to pick up on the fact that that description sounded like another major Green Lantern villain: Atrocitus. Just like with Antaan in Lanterns, Atrocitus, once called Atros, is an alien whose entire sector was destroyed by Manhunters. He and the four other survivors of this calamity devoted themselves to taking down the Guardians of the Universe, who created the Manhunters in an attempt to form a cosmic peacekeeping force. Atrocitus goes on to become the first Red Lantern and leader of the Red Lantern Corps. Unlike the Green Lanterns, whose power rings are fueled by willpower, the Red Lanterns channel anger.

Antaan's introductory episode neither confirms nor dismisses whether he's Atrocitus outright. His backstory matches up to Atrocitus, but there are some discrepancies. His name is the most obvious one, and he also has more than four fellow survivors from his world with him. Until he ditches his human disguise and turns into a giant red rage monster, the jury's still out on the Atrocitus theory.

Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A handheld tool.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

PLIER

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Repurpose.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 24, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

REUSE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

The sound a frog makes.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 24, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Aug. 24, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CROAK

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Figure it out.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

SOLVE

Final Hurdle hint

Helps a car run.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

MOTOR

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

An evil spirit.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

DEMON

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Courage.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 22, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

NERVE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To shake.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 22, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Aug. 22, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

TRILL

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Rabbit.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

BUNNY

Final Hurdle hint

Parable of the ___.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

SOWER

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 24, 2026 Face meaning

The good character in wrestling.

Heel meaning

The villain character in wrestling.

Jobber meaning

A wrestler whose job is to lose matches.

Kayfabe meaning

The act of pretending staged wrestling events are real.

Mullet meaning

A popular 80s hairstyle.

Pike meaning

A single-leg wrestling move.

Sole meaning

The bottom of the foot or shoe.

Tang meaning

A reef-associated marine fish.

Arch meaning

The most extreme version of something.

Chief meaning

The person in charge.

Main meaning

Something important. Also could be related to a pipe for transporting utilities.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Prime meaning

First in importance.

Beset meaning

To attack from all sides.

Deserve meaning

To be worthy (of something or someone).

Ex-love

A former partner.

Eyelet meaning

A hole in shoes used for thread laces.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

HBO's Lanterns just kicked off a Manhunter manhunt.

As revealed in the show's second episode, Manhunters are a synthetic race of aliens who are able to build entirely new bodies, disguise themselves as anyone, and embed themselves undetected within any society.

SEE ALSO: 'Lanterns' review: Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre shine bright in DC's sci-fi mystery

Alien Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor) tells Lantern trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) that they're brutal, deceptive, and capable of wiping out entire species, including his own. He and his people lost their world to the last remaining Manhunter. A Green Lantern took that Manhunter into custody and promised he would be executed. Instead, the Manhunter is alive and hiding out in Rushville. Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) guesses that his predecessor Abin Sur was the one to bring the Manhunter in, and that the Manhunter wound up killing him.

Now, the clock is ticking for Hal and John. They have 48 hours to discover the Manhunter and turn him over to Antaan, or the aliens will destroy all of Rushville. That's not a lot of time to vet the town's entire population, but I've got the sneaking suspicion that we've already met our alien adversary — or at least, we've gotten close. Of the townsfolk we've already met, here are the biggest suspects, ranked from least likely to most likely.

William Macon Garret Dillahunt in "Lanterns." Credit: John Johnson / HBO Max

As a powerful figure in Rushville, William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) certainly seems like a clear Manhunter candidate. He's amassed a militia meant to ward off any alien threats, complete with advanced technology like the alien detectors Hal discovers at the football field. But are these precautions meant to protect humans from colonizing aliens, as he's stated multiple times before? Or are they meant to let a Manhunter know when vengeful aliens are coming his way?

SEE ALSO: Did 'Lanterns' just introduce supervillain Atrocitus?

However, even though Macon is an obvious suspect, perhaps he's too obvious, and therefore a red herring. After all, when Antaan told John about the Manhunter's destruction of his people, he said it was done "quietly." Heading up a militia the way Macon does is the opposite of quiet, so that takes him down a few pegs when it comes to possibly being the Manhunter.

Sheriff Kerry Kane Kelly Macdonald in "Lanterns." Credit: John Johnson / HBO Max

While Antaan uses "he" to refer to the Manhunter who ruined his world, the Manhunter could just as easily be disguised as a woman, as they can take any form. That's why Rushville Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) is also in the running to be Lanterns' Manhunter. She's always trying to throw Hal and John off the scent of whatever alien activity is going on in Rushville, which certainly isn't suspicious at all. Could she be covering for herself... or for someone she works for?

Episode 2 also reveals that Sheriff Kane is from Gotham. Her being an outsider to Rushville seems like a perfect cover story for a Manhunter, who also came from well beyond Nebraska and embedded themselves in the community. But if Sheriff Kane isn't actually the Manhunter, what in the world could have brought her from the bustling city of Gotham to rural Nebraska?

Zoe Macon Poorna Jagannathan in "Lanterns." Credit: John Johnson / HBO Max

So far, Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan) has been a bit of a mystery, an alluring figure who kickstarts an affair with John. Her husband seems aware of their relationship but hasn't retaliated against John, suggesting some kind of intriguing arrangement or power dynamic between him and Zoe that Lanterns is slowly teasing out.

Zoe's somewhat nebulous loyalties make her an intriguing Manhunter candidate, as does her romantic connection to John. When Antaan tells John about his own experience with the Manhunter, he asks, "Have you ever been deceived by someone you love?" That question reveals that the Manhunter doesn't just destroy outright. They build deep connections and then undermine them. While it's too early to determine if Zoe and John's connection will result in love, their affair could very well be an example of Manhunter manipulation at work. After all, what better way to defend yourself from a Green Lantern who's hunting you than to get close to him and win his trust?

William Macon's mysterious benefactor

Throughout the first two episodes of Lanterns, Macon has mentioned that everything he has — his militia, his compound, his advanced technology — is thanks to his mysterious benefactor. He can't say who he is, but he is generous, and he has a vested interest in keeping aliens as far from Rushville as possible. Someone that technically advanced and that keen on alien surveillance has to be the Manhunter, right?

Hal is certain that Macon is hiding something from him on his compound. But what if that something is actually a someone, and it's the Manhunter benefactor? Of course, there's always the possibility that the benefactor is hiding in plain sight as someone like Kerry, Zoe, or even Macon himself, lying about the source of his wealth. For now, only one thing in Lanterns is certain: Trust no one in Rushville.

Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Since it's near the end of summer, it feels right to watch some movies on Netflix U.S. The first movie takes place in the Amazon rainforest, where a group of people come face-to-face with an aggressive and gigantic snake.

The Linux world has no shortage of software. A new distribution drops every other week, and more and more developers are creating FOSS alternatives to popular proprietary apps. However, the same can’t be said about the Linux hardware space. Most of what we get are laptops that ship with Ubuntu preinstalled or iterative smartphones trying to replace Android—which, all things considered, is Linux.

Genesis unveiled its first full-size flagship SUV, the GV90, on Aug. 19 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. It's the production version of the Neolun concept the brand revealed in 2024. The forthcoming SUV comes in two variants, a standard GV90 and a Neolun version with doors that open and close on their own.

Over on Prime Video this week, a couple of interesting things are afoot. Season 4 of Alan Ritchson and his chiseled jaw are at the top of the TV chart with Reacher, and Masters of the Universe—which didn't come anywhere near recouping its $170 million budget in theaters—is enjoying the top spot on Prime's movie charts. Indeed, streaming is a great equalizer.

PivotTables are great for turning thousands of rows into useful summaries in Excel, but they're only as good as the data you give them. So before I build one, I take a few moments to prepare my source data using four simple functions.

When thinking of processors, what comes to your mind first? (Outside of a food processor, that is.)

The internet has been breathlessly talking about the Grand Theft Auto VI leaks ahead of the extended look coming to Netflix this week, but one former Rockstar Games lead is telling everybody to "calm down."

An individual or group known as CyberLeek has leaked alleged clips of GTA 6 gameplay last week, including maps and videos. Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (the parent company of video game publisher Rockstar Games) subsequently subpoenaed Microsoft, Discord, and GitHub over "stolen content," confirming that at least some of the information from CyberLeek is legitimate.

But Obbe Vermeij, former technical director at Rockstar North (an Edinburgh-based Rockstar Games studio), posted on X that the leaks are a "nothing burger."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

"Calm down everybody," he wrote. "The leaks are a nothing burger."

Vermeij goes on to claim that Rockstar's marketing strategy is to keep the game under wraps longer than other publishers do, and that all that happened was that some footage escaped.

"90 [percent] of future players don't spend their time on the internet looking for video snippets. They don't have the time and don't want spoilers," he continued. "I imagine the teams are a little annoyed about it but not more than that."

"I was there during Hot Coffee," Vermeij wrote, referring to a controversy surrounding a hidden minigame in the 2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that included a sex scene. Rockstar and Take-Two settled a lawsuit over it. Vermeij said it was a "nightmare" for Rockstar's New York office, it didn't affect Rockstar North as much, and that the current leaks are far less consequential.

"It looks like gta6 will be phenomenal and sell for the next 15 years or so. The leaks are just a tiny blip," he concluded.

TL;DR: Watch Elche vs. Barcelona in La Liga for free on CazéTV. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

La Liga is showcasing some thrilling fixtures this weekend, including the return of champions Barcelona. They begin their title defense against Elche at the Manuel Martínez Valero. Fans will be expecting a strong performance and a confident win against a side that finished 15th last season.

If you're interested in watching Elche vs. Barcelona in La Liga from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Elche vs. Barcelona?

Elche vs. Barcelona in La Liga kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 23. This fixture takes place at the Manuel Martínez Valero.

How to watch Elche vs. Barcelona for free

Elche vs. Barcelona in La Liga is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Elche vs. Barcelona for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Elche vs. Barcelona for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Elche vs. Barcelona for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Elche vs. Barcelona without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for La Liga?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Elche vs. Barcelona for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch PSG vs. Rennes in Ligue 1 for free on CazéTV. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Ligue 1 is all about whether any team can truly challenge PSG. The champions have just won their second consecutive Champions League title, and they're looking to win their sixth consecutive Ligue 1 title. That's total domination.

PSG's opening game against Rennes was supposed to be at the Parc des Princes, but it has been moved to Roazhon Park due to poor playing conditions. PSG will be looking to bounce back after losing to RC Lens in the Trophee des Champions last weekend.

If you're interested in watching PSG vs. Rennes in Ligue 1 from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is PSG vs. Rennes?

PSG vs. Rennes in Ligue 1 kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET on Aug. 23. This fixture takes place at the Roazhon Park.

How to watch PSG vs. Rennes for free

PSG vs. Rennes in Ligue 1 is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream PSG vs. Rennes for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream PSG vs. Rennes for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch PSG vs. Rennes for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch PSG vs. Rennes without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Ligue 1?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream PSG vs. Rennes for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Back in the early days of Android (circa the early 2010s), I decluttered my phones of redundant files with third-party storage-cleaning apps. At one point, I even used one of those infamous RAM cleaner apps, but I quickly realized the error of my ways and banished memory cleaners from my phone for good.

Windows 11 came with a number of refreshed default apps and a sleek new user interface, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. The basic media app often struggles with unusual formats or HDR content, the UI changes were not universally popular, it still lacks the ability to interact with some kinds of files effectively, and managing your installed apps is a messy nightmare.

If you own even a moderately modern car, you may not have a CD player in your vehicle at all, but that doesn't mean you can't find some way to enjoy your high quality audio collection on the road.

If you know a thing or two about power tool brands, you're probably well aware that Black+Decker is primarily aimed at at-home DIYers looking for affordable, easy-to-use power tools. On paper, I sound like the perfect customer, but I have some real regrets a year after buying my first cordless drill from the company.

Google Maps is one of those apps I use so often that I just assume I know everything it can do. I was wrong. When I started digging, I found some features that solve surprisingly common problems and make everyday journeys easier. Here are seven hidden gems worth knowing.

An aggravating amount of software today requires a sign-in to use, even if it doesn't require a subscription or license to use. Software that just used to install and work now has an extra step.