Lanterns: who is Guy Gardner really? Nathan Fillion’s explanations

“Guy Gardner becomes a common thread in the background of the new DC Universe.” Nathan Fillion shares how he envisions the most arrogant Green Lantern in the galaxy.

After being absent from the first five episodes of Lanterns, the HBO Max series which is currently a hit, Guy Gardner is finally making his comeback.

Nathan Fillion, who reprises the role of the Green Lantern introduced last summer in Superman, talks about how he envisions this character as arrogant as he is popular.

Spoiler alert!

We had to wait until the sixth episode of Lanterns to see the strange Guy in his green costume again. And Nathan Fillion was seriously starting to have trouble convincing those close to him that he was in the series. We find him here in 2026, after John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) has definitively given up the ring. He finds John in prison after receiving the distress signal from Rushville. At first reluctant to help, he finally gives in when John reminds him of everything he owes him: “Everything you have is because I didn’t take what was yours…”

A sentence that directly touches Guy Gardner’s ego, explains Nathan Fillion in Variety:

“Wearing the ring and having the status of Green Lantern is much more important to Guy’s ego than to that of Hal or John. It is essential to his personal identity, he defines himself in relation to this ring.”

For the first time, Guy finds himself indebted to someone. A situation that he hates, but which will push him to act.

Guy is, however, far from being the first choice when it comes to appointing a Green Lantern on Earth, behind Hal Jordan and John Stewart. A position which obviously feeds his complex:

“I think he has a hell of a revenge to take, but he is also satisfied with being the only guy on Earth to wear the ring. This status suits him very well…” analyzes Fillion. “Guy is someone who loves to jostle for position.”

And above all, Guy Gardner wants it to be known. In Lanterns, he is revealed to be obsessed with his image, sponsors and money.

“He wants to open a bar, he’s thinking about retiring. He’s not an idiot. I think he’s mastered TikTok and understands the trends. He’s probably done a dance or two in fact…”

The actor admits to having been surprised when he learned that he would be reprising Guy in Lanterns, a series much more down-to-earth than the character’s usual universe.

“What worried me was the consistency. I knew the tone was going to change. What I didn’t want is for the character to change too,” he explains. He compares this evolution to a stay in the different cities of the DC universe: “If you spent a weekend in Metropolis or in Gotham, you would remain the same person, but you would spend very different weekends…”

Because Nathan Fillion had already had to build his version of Guy Gardner for Superman:

“Since we’ve never really explored his past in great detail, I can go through his story and pick and choose what I want from it. To me, Guy is, above all, a great asshole. He’s someone who loves to show off in public, and I think that says a lot about who he is.”

And such behavior must necessarily have an origin: his father, his education, but also the fact of having been pushed aside in favor of Hal and John. “He constantly needs to prove his worth. And that’s what makes him fearless.” Through him, Nathan Fillion especially sees a link emerging between the different parts of the new DC Universe:

“It’s nice to be several people to witness the birth of this new DC universe, which comes to us in small pieces. And Guy Gardner becomes a common thread in the background.”