Key Points
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Nathan Fillion unpacks his history voicing Green Lanterns in animated projects before debuting as Guy Gardner in the live-action Superman.
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On that bowl cut: “It started with something that looked very much like He-Man…”
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Fillion will return as Guy in HBO’s Lanterns, teasing, “I’ve dropped more f-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together.”
Nathan Fillion is the Green Lantern guy.
Yes, he plays Guy Gardner, one of a handful of Earth-based Green Lanterns (and by far the most pompous of them all) from DC comics, in this summer’s Superman. He also has been the industry’s go-to for this particular character set for about 25 years. (He celebrates his 31st anniversary as a working actor this year.)
Fillion’s long history in the Green Lantern Corps, the intergalactic league of space cops, played out largely in animation. It began with the Emerald Knights movie in 2011, voicing Hal Jordan, one of the more recognizable comics characters to pick up the Green Lantern mantle. This was followed by returns in Justice League: Doom (2012), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015), The Death of Superman (2018), Reign of Superman (2019), and a collection of Robot Chicken specials — all animated.
By our count, Fillion collectively played a Green Lantern of some form 10 times, not including the new live-action Superman. It’s almost like the actor is a living Easter egg for those nerdy fans who followed him over the years.
“That has not escaped my attention,” the actor tells Entertainment Weekly, Zoom-ing in from Los Angeles ahead of the Superman premiere in a hot pink t-shirt. “Yes, it’s fun like that. The people who are making it, giving a sly nod to the audience: ‘If you know, it’s an inside joke.'”
DC Studios/ Warner Bros.
Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern in DC’s ‘Superman’ (2025).
Fillion vaguely remembers when he became the Green Lantern guy. He was on a hit show, Firefly, which got him through the door at DC animation, first voicing various characters in the Justice League Unlimited series (2005) and then as notable Diana Prince paramour Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman (2009).
“I think once they started sliding me into the Hal Jordan DC animated [movies], Robot Chicken said, ‘Well, it makes sense then to use him for our Green Lantern,'” he recalls. “When you have that kind of consistency, it lends truth to the DC universe that is out there. That’s something I’m actually really looking forward to with James Gunn being in charge of the DC universe.”
Gunn, Fillion’s longtime cohort, dating back to their indie horror-comedy Slither (2006), now serves as co-head of DC Studios with Peter Safran. With Superman, which he wrote and directed, the filmmaker further expands the DCU he built. Fillion is now a part of that DCU, first with this summer’s event movie (out this Friday), then with Peacemaker season 2 on HBO this August, and then again with Lanterns, another series that’s currently shooting.
It was at the afterparty of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 where Fillion first learned about his DC casting. That film, which featured Fillion as Master Karja, was the last Marvel movie Gunn wrote and directed before shifting into his new role spearheading the creative at DC Studios. “Peter Safran puts his hand on my shoulder and says, ‘Has James told you what we have for you next?'” Fillion recollects. “‘No, he hasn’t.’ ‘I’ll let him tell you.'” Cut to Gunn whispering the news in Fillion’s ear, surrounded by throngs of revelers.
Warner Bros.
Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) in ‘Superman’
Unlike Hal or even the other well-known Earth-based Lantern, John Stewart, Guy Gardner is not your typical Lantern. Fillion routinely describes him as the one you’d least want saving you. One chief example is his uniform. The guy is never seen outside of his uniform. There was one diner scene where Fillion says they did have a civilian outfit waiting in the wings, but the team ultimately decided against it. Why? Because Guy wants to be recognized all the time.
“Guy Gardner is about 98 percent flawed. So he is a goldmine of opportunity for comedy,” the star says. “I always felt it was difficult to make people laugh, but it’s easy to let people laugh at you.”
Guy still comes equipped with a power ring, the chief weapon of the Lantern, a ring so powerful it can create just about anything he can think of — even, in Guy’s case, a giant fist flicking the bird. In Superman, however, Guy is a member of a super-trio known as the Justice Gang, a team backed by tech billionaire Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn). Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders (Isabela Merced), a reincarnated winged warrior, and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), a tech genius, are his work chums.
He’s also got a bowl cut to end all bowl cuts. There was some debate behind the scenes between the pro- and anti-bowl cut factions, but Fillion was always pro. “It started with something that looked very much like He-Man, then moved towards more of a Justin Bieber, and then finally settled into the bowl cut itself,” he explains. “It is not a small decision to have a character have a goofy haircut like that. So there were thoughts about other hairstyles, but my opinion was, this is canon. If you don’t do it, you’re going to hear about it.”
Between Superman, Peacemaker, and Lanterns, Fillion is wearing the hell out of this bowl cut. The latter is particularly intriguing because we’ll see what the other Green Lanterns think of Guy in this series from Chris Mundy (showrunner), Damon Lindelof (writer/executive producer), and Tom King (writer/executive producer/comic book scribe). Aaron Pierre of Mufasa: The Lion King and Rebel Ridge stars as John Stewart, a new recruit to the Green Lantern Corps who teams up with veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) to investigate a murder in the American Heartland.
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage
Nathan Fillion at the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3’ world premiere in Hollywood
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“Aaron, he’s got a voice like butter. And he’s statuesque, like he’s carved out of marble,” Fillion describes. “He’s very, very specific about his character and what his character’s going through. His character’s clearly going through something. And then along comes this gregarious, smug son of a bitch in Guy Gardner. And in that show…boy, Guy Gardner. I’ve dropped more f-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together.”
He says Guy comes across quite smug in his first scene with Pierre’s John, “but by the end of it, you can tell there is a shift,” Fillion adds. “Guy Gardner is no longer comfortable. He is no longer feeling smug. Then you can see where John’s strength really lies. That is a strong individual. I don’t really have any scenes directly with Hal Jordan, but meeting Kyle, he’s everything you’d hope he would be. Very fun, very nice man, very lighthearted, and fun to be around.”
From there, who knows? Gunn hasn’t fully clued Fillion in on the entire plan for Guy Gardner in the DCU, but it’s safe to say it’s just the beginning. Funny enough, it could even entail a return trip to animation. Gunn made clear his intentions for his DCU actors to also voice their live-action roles in any animated title.
“There’s been a bunch of people now who have played Hal Jordan,” Fillion comments, “but I’m the first live-action Guy Gardner. If there’s to be another, I’ll still be the first. So I think I’m in a great spot.”
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