Superman: Legacy is set to bring DC into a whole new era of movies, and in addition to new faces as Clark Kent (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), several other superheroes have been announced as part of the project. The movie will be one of the first new chapters for the DC Universe that is being rebooted by James Gunn and Peter Safran. While some actors from earlier DC projects, like John Cena as Peacemaker, will remain in the DCU, most of the projects are seeing a complete reset.
Not much is known about Superman: Legacy just yet. In addition to Superman, however, the movie will feature heroes from DC Comics like Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Metamorpho, and one of the Green Lanterns. The Green Lantern in question is Guy Gardner. With so many heroes making their big screen debuts in Superman: Legacy, fans who aren’t familiar with all of them will want to know more about them.
Who Is Guy Gardner In DC Comics?
Guy Gardner is a member of the Green Lantern Corps in DC Comics. Like other Green Lanterns, his power comes from a ring that allows him to create hard light constructs in a fight. The ring also grants him the power of flight and the use of a force field. It’s also capable of translating any language. While the first Green Lantern appeared in All American Comics in 1940, Guy Gardner debuted several years later.
Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Guy Gardner made his comic book debut in 1968 in Green Lantern #59. Though his backstory wouldn’t be revealed until the 1990s, Gardner grew up in an abusive home in which his father ridiculed him but doted on his older brother. He dabbled in crime as a teenager, but supported himself through college, earning degrees in both education and psychology and playing football until an injury sidelined him. Retcons would change this background up a few times, but that’s the most used background for the character.
Guy Gardner could have been the first Green Lantern as the story unfolds in DC Comics. He and Hal Jordan are both considered candidates for the Green Lantern Corps when a member crashes on Earth. Hal Jordan is picked first, and Guy Gardner becomes his backup, even meeting Jordan when Jordan discovers that the ring could have gone to Gardner in the first place. The two end up working together until Gardner is seriously injured saving a student.
His injury results in brain damage that alters his personality, making him angry, rash, and arrogant. Those personality traits dominate a lot of his modern appearances in DC Comics, including the time when he’s actually training to be a member of the Green Lantern Corps. He resents not having the freedom to do whatever he wants with the ring given to him, but he does eventually learn the ropes and become the official Green Lantern for the sector of the universe that includes Earth.
Guy Gardner has also briefly been a member of the Justice League, and even became a Red Lantern when his rage at witnessing the death of a fellow Green Lantern completely transformed him. The character has appeared in numerous comic book continuities, video games, and animated projects, but has never appeared in live-action until Superman: Legacy.
Who Is Playing Guy Gardner In Superman: Legacy?
Announced alongside a slew of other superheroes for Superman: Legacy, Guy Gardner will be played by Nathan Fillion. TV fans will likely know Fillion from crime shows like The Rookie and Castle, but he’s got a long career in both movies and TV. Fillion has worked with James Gunn on several previous projects. He was one of the stars of Slither and had cameos as three different characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Fillion has also already played DC characters in the past. Most recently, he appeared in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as The Detachable Kid, or TDK. With that film not a part of James Gun and Peter Safran’s reboot of the DC Universe, Fillion isn’t playing two characters in the same continuity, which is interesting since Gunn previously hinted that TDK actually did survive the events of The Suicide Squad. Gunn has also confirmed on social media that Fillion will be Guy Gardner for the DCU moving forward, hinting that he could appear in more projects outside of Superman: Legacy.
Funnily enough, Fillion has also played a Green Lantern before. He’s provided the voice of Lantern Hal Jordan in several animated projects featuring the character. He’s also voiced the heroes Vigilante and Steve Trevor in other DC projects.
Is Guy Gardner Part Of The Green Lantern TV Series?
It’s not yet clear if Fillion’s Guy Gardner will appear in the upcoming Green Lantern TV series being developed for HBO Max. Previously, a series was in development as part of Greg Berlanti’s deal with Warner Bros. And DC. That series would have featured Finn Wittrock as Guy Gardner, as well as numerous other Green Lanterns. The Green Lantern Corps series was scrapped in 2022.
A new series for HBO Max is in active development for the Green Lanterns as part of Gunn and Safran’s revamp of the DCU. The new series is expected to center on John Stewart and Hal Jordan, but could still feature other Green Lantern characters in supporting roles. Either way, it’s likely the first taste of a Green Lantern in the DCU will come as part of Superman: Legacy since the movie is expected out in 2025 and the television series is expected to be in development for longer.