Who is Guy Gardner? Taking a look at the Green Lantern's origins amidst Nathan Fillion's casting in Superman: Legacy

It looks like Superman won't be the only superhero appearing in Superman: Legacy. Confirmed by director James Gunn himself, the film will also star Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern/Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mr Terrific, and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. This trio of stars will join David Corenswet (Superman) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) on the big screen.

Guy Gardner’s addition to Superman: Legacy is interesting, as it will mark the first time Green Lantern will appear in a live-action film after more than a decade. While Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart are the more popular Lanterns today, one can't deny that Gardner is also an important part of the Green Lantern Corps' legacy.

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Guy Gardner is the second Green Lantern chosen from Earth and is set to appear in Superman: Legacy

Guy Gardner was created by John Broome and Gil Kane. He first appeared in Green Lantern Vol 2 #59, which was released in March 1968. An interesting fact about the character is that he was the second human from Earth who was chosen to become Green Lantern.

According to Fandom, Gardner grew up in a really abusive household where his father would constantly beat him up, and his brother Mace would be heralded as the good child.

When they grew up, Mace became a successful cop, while Gardner took a completely opposite life trajectory and became a juvenile. Years later, Gardner got caught by his brother, who loaned him some money and told him to make his life better.

This inspired Gardner, who then went on to do well in school and work extremely hard in college while channeling his anger through college football.

Unfortunately, Mace took his own life when he was ousted as a dirty cop. However, this did not stop Gardner's personal growth, and he became a Liberal Arts Major. After Gardner went through some jobs like counseling prisoners and more, he finally settled on becoming a gym teacher.

Years later, it was revealed that when Abin Sur, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, crash-landed on Earth, his ring had two potential successors in mind: Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan. Since Jordan was closer to the ring, he ended up getting the ring and became the Green Lantern of Earth purely by chance.

However, Hal soon realized that if something were to happen to him, Gardner would become the Green Lantern of Earth. So, he decided to visit Gardner and struck up a friendship with him.

Eventually, Gardner realized that Hal was actually a Green Lantern, and this led to Jordan giving him a ring as well, thus making him the second Green Lantern of Earth.

They continued to go on a whole bunch of missions, and this practically kickstarted Guy Gardner's career as a Green Lantern.

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Nathan Fillion cast as Guy Gardner in Superman: Legacy

Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner in Superman: Legacy will be the second live-action Green Lantern that fans will see on the screen since Ryan Reynolds' critically panned 2011 film, Green Lantern. What Gardner's role will be in Superman: Legacy remains to be seen, considering these superheroes reportedly already exist in the upcoming new DCU.

Nathan Fillion is best known for starring in the cult-classic show Firefly and has also appeared in many iconic projects and videogames like Destiny 2 and more.

This will be James Gunn's second time working with Fillion on a DC project, as he was also cast in The Suicide Squad, where he played the character of T.D.K., aka The Detachable Kid.

Fillion was also seen in Gunn's Marvel film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, where he played the small role of Mestre Karja.

Guy Gardner was originally scheduled to appear in the now-reworked Green Lantern series, and Finn Witrock was supposed to play the character. Fillion's casting is certainly interesting, and his appearance alongside David Corenswet's Superman will be fun to see.

You can check out Superman: Legacy when it releases in theaters on July 11, 2025.