The first trailer for James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy gave fans plenty of stuff to be excited about, and one of those is the first glimpse of Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern character. However, we didn’t get the polished Hal Jordan or stoic John Stewart — Guy Gardner is a hotheaded, over-the-top Green Lantern that brings the jingoistic charm that perfectly mirrors the sarcastic, edgy tones Gunn is well-known for. Funny as it may seem, Guy Gardner’s bowl cut tells us everything we need to know about Gunn’s approach to the new DCU: its quirks, humor, and character-driven storytelling.
But before we dive into what exactly Guy Gardner’s bowl cut says about James Gunn’s approach to the new DCU, let’s dive into the history of Green Lantern: a character created in the 1940s during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The first Green Lantern was Alan Scott, a railroad engineer who came into the possession of a magic lantern that spoke to him and gave him power through a magic ring that had to be recharged once a day by touching the lantern and couldn’t affect objects made of wood.
Alan Scott initially fought ordinary human villains and a few paranormal ones. The popularity of Green Lantern rose but eventually declined following WWII. The character was reintroduced in 1959 as Hal Jordan, whose powers more or less mirrored those of Alan Scott. However, the character of Green Lantern was completely rewritten: his name was changed, as was his costume, and his origin story introduced the Green Lantern Corps as an interstellar law enforcement agency that was overseen by the Guardians of the Universe.
Guy Gardner was first introduced in 1968, though the character was significantly changed in the 1980s and turned into a parody of an ultra-macho “red-blooded American male,” which remains the character’s archetype to this day. His origin story was retconned in The New 52 but later reinstated in DC Rebirth, which had him physically abused by his alcoholic father, Roland. His only escape during his childhood was General Glory comic books, and he modeled his iconic haircut on Ernie, General Glory’s sidekick.
When it comes to receiving the ring, Gardner and Jordan were both in close proximity to Abin Sur’s crash site, but since Jordan was nearer, he was chosen over Gardner, and Guy was relegated to being a backup for Jordan. The two later actually partner up after Jordan’s training with Kilowog. Guy goes on a series of adventures with and without Jordan, assuming the mantle of Green Lantern, and even becomes a founding member of Justice League International after the original Justice League of America disbanded.
There’s also a famous panel in which he challenged Batman’s leadership and got knocked out by the Dark Knight in a fistfight. He woke up only to bang his head on a console and knock himself out again, which affected his personality and turned him into a kind and gentle person. That later changed after he banged his head again. All in all, while he isn’t as known as Hal Jordan or John Stewart, Guy Gardner remains a fan-favorite Green Lantern for many readers of the comics, and we’re glad that he is finally receiving some spotlight — as opposed to previous cinematic adaptations of Green Lantern.
This paints a very interesting picture regarding Gunn’s take on the cinematic DC universe, signaling his intent to elevate DC’s B-listers, such as Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, Lobo, Clayface (which we’ve seen in Creature Commando), into the spotlight. Actor Nathan Fillion has a long and fruitful professional relationship with James Gunn, having appeared in Slither, Super, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as well as a short-lived (and short-limbed) cameo in 2021’s The Suicide Squad as the Detachable Kid (this joke makes sense in the context of the movie). His role in the upcoming Superman movie signals that a number of heroes are already established within the new DC cinematic universe.
The choice of Guy Gardner’s version of Green Lantern, though unconventional, helps differentiate and solidify Fillion’s take on the character as entirely different from any previous iterations seen on screen. Considering just how dreadful Ryan Reynold’s take was, this is actually a good idea. Plus, there’s a history of conflict between Superman and Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern due to the latter’s tendency to challenge authority figures, which could provide the foundation for some interesting storytelling.
Whatever the case may be, Fillion is a fantastic actor whose performances can easily swing between lovable rogue to absolute jerk, aligning well with Gardner’s personality. Furthermore, this casting choice and the addition of Guy Gardner’s flawed Green Lantern to the upcoming film reflects Gunn’s approach to the new DCU. Paired with the fact that we saw Superman and Gardner seemingly on the verge of exchanging some not-so-nice words, it appears that Gunn’s approach emphasizes the human side of all superheroes, regardless of the planet they hail from — complete with plenty of sarcasm and humor on the side.