Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie. In a new interview, The Rookie actor made his sentiments clear about the character he is playing in the DCU franchise and called the Green Lantern Corps member a “jerk.”
Guy Gardner ‘is not very good’ as Green Lantern, says Superman’s Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion dubbed his Superman character, Guy Gardner, a “jerk” in a recent interview with TV Guide. He also observed that one does not have to be “good” to be a Green Lantern. If they are “fearless” like Gardner instead, they will become part of the intergalactic law enforcement agency.
Fillion said, “He’s a jerk! What’s important to know is, you don’t have to be good to be a Green Lantern; you just have to be fearless. So Guy Gardner is fearless, and he is not very good.” He continued by underscoring that it was liberating for him to play such a role. “He’s not nice, which is very freeing as an actor because you just think to yourself, what is the most selfish, self-serving thing I can do in this moment? And that’s the answer. That’s what you do in that moment,” he explained.
As Fillion describes Gardner, the DC character is significantly different from John Nolan, the character he plays in The Rookie. Although Nolan is quite fearless, he is also compassionate and patient.
Fillion said that Gardner was overconfident and falsely believed he could take on Superman. “I think if he has a superpower, it might be his overconfidence, in that he thinks he could take on Superman. He can’t,” the Firefly actor remarked.
Active in the industry for decades, Fillion has accumulated an impressive resume in films and TV. Besides Nolan, he has portrayed Mal Reynolds on Fox’s Firefly and its cinematic sequel, Serenity and Richard Castle on ABC’s Castle. Fillion is a frequent collaborator of James Gunn, DCU co-head and Superman’s director. He made a voice cameo as Blue Alien Prisoner in Guardians of the Galaxy and played Cory Pitzner / T.D.K. (The Detachable Kid) in The Suicide Squad and Master Karja in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He has also voiced Hal Jordan / Green Lantern in several animated projects.
Superman debuts in U.S. theaters on July 11, 2025.
