Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern has been generating quite a bit of controversy since his first appearance in the first Superman trailer. Appearing in all his glory with a horrible bowl-cut and smug face, many viewers have been turned off by his appearance and have been questioning why he looks so terrible. However, that’s exactly the point.
As seen in the first Superman trailer, the new Man of Steel played by David Corenswet will be interacting with members from the JSA, including Isabella Merced’s Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific. However, Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner has by far generated the most buzz due to his looks. That said, anyone who’s mad about the new DCU’s Green Lantern is really missing the point (and missing out on the fun).
Why Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern Is So Controversial
People Think He Looks Goofy (But That’s Intentional)
While there are some concerns about Fillion’s age, the primary concern seen online has to do with Guy’s ridiculous bowl-cut. Even though the style comes straight from the pages of the original DC Comics, many feel as though the bowl-cut is too dumb and is far too outdated to be taken seriously. However, that’s exactly the point of Guy Gardner’s bowl-cut to begin with, whether it’s on the screen with his live-action debut or in the comics.
As a character, Guy Gardner has always been a stubborn, macho, a**hole. It’s honestly part of his unique charm that helps make him distinct as a Green Lantern. He literally has the willpower to be as stubborn as he needs or wants to be, and cares very little for the rules or powers that be. To that end, his bowl-cut is representative of those predominant character traits, as he couldn’t care less about what other people think or feel about him. At the end of the day, Guy Gardner is meant to look like a big dumb jerk (because that’s exactly who he is).
Guy Gardner Fits The Tone Of The DCU
This New Universe Is Not Always Going To Be Dark
In a similar vein, a dumb, comical, jerk-like character like Guy Gardner has a much better chance of fitting into the new DCU than he would have in the older DCEU, at least not with the same faithful look and style. This new universe isn’t going to be predominantly dark and serious across the board. Instead, there’s going to be brightness with places and spaces for humor and characters who aren’t meant to be taken so seriously; characters like Guy Gardner who’re meant to provide humor, and a big part of that will come from how he looks and carries himself.
“DCU fans should fully expect Guy’s fellow heroes to roll their eyes at the Green Lantern and his stupid haircut just as much as anyone in the audience…”
The haters can keep harping about how dumb and stupid the DCU’s Guy Gardner looks if they want to, but that’s exactly how he’s supposed to look. It would be one thing if that wasn’t who Guy Gardner was as a character. Instead, it really does look as though Nathan Fillion is going to nail it in terms of both character and appearance when Superman releases this summer. DCU fans should fully expect Guy’s fellow heroes to roll their eyes at the Green Lantern and his stupid haircut just as much as anyone in the audience.
The New Green Lantern Is Exactly As He Should Be
A Goofy-Looking Jerk Who Doesn’t Care What Anyone Thinks
All things considered, the DCU’s Guy Gardner looks exactly the way he should for the new Superman movie and potentially beyond. To that end, I’m very excited to see how he might interact with his fellow Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), the stars of the DCU’s upcoming Lanterns series. Seeing how a first-look image was just revealed of Hal and John out of uniform, the duo does look far more serious and grounded than Guy does, and that looks to very much be intentional.
Guy’s unique and ridiculous appearance is what will set him apart from other Lanterns and heroes as a character who shouldn’t be taken as seriously by any means. The point of Guy Gardner is that he’s not supposed to be taken seriously. As such, anyone complaining about his unserious look is simply missing the point of his character entirely.
Superman releases on July 11th, 2025 from DC Studios.
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