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| Lanterns Season 1: What Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner Return Means for the DCU. (Photo: HBO) |
Nathan Fillion is returning as Guy Gardner in HBO’s Lanterns, but fans will have to wait before the loud-mouthed Green Lantern properly enters the picture. The character is notably absent from the opening episode, despite already being established as one of the DC Universe’s more recognisable Lanterns, leaving viewers wondering whether Guy Gardner is actually part of the season or simply being saved for a later surprise. The answer is considerably less mysterious: Guy is confirmed to return, and Nathan Fillion is stepping back into the role.
Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, Lanterns takes a rather different route into the Green Lantern corner of the DC Universe. Instead of dropping viewers straight into another cosmic superhero adventure, the series follows Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder mystery in Rushville, Nebraska, with the possibility that something decidedly more unusual is lurking behind it.
It is a surprisingly earthy setting for characters who normally spend their time dealing with problems considerably further from home.
That structure also explains why Guy Gardner is missing from the first episode. Much of the story takes place in 2016, while the episode only briefly jumps forward to 2026. Guy’s absence therefore appears to be more about the show's timeline than a decision to leave him out altogether.
He presumably becomes a Green Lantern sometime between those periods, while his established presence in Superman, which takes place in 2025, suggests that his transformation into the superhero happened well before the events viewers are seeing in the earlier sections of Lanterns.
The more interesting question is what happens when Guy finally arrives. According to Nathan Fillion, this version of the character is even more tightly wound than the one audiences saw in Superman.
That is saying something, considering Guy was hardly the picture of calm, measured diplomacy in his first DCU appearance. Fillion has indicated that Guy begins Lanterns in an increasingly uncomfortable position before the story starts exposing a different side of him, particularly as John Stewart’s strengths become clearer.
That development could give Guy considerably more purpose than simply being the comic relief who storms into a room, says something outrageous and leaves everyone regretting inviting him.
Fillion has teased a character who changes across the series, with Guy gradually losing the confidence and smugness that once defined him. The contrast with John could become one of the show's more interesting relationships, especially if their partnership becomes central to the later timeline.
Interestingly, Fillion does not appear to share much screen time with Kyle Chandler, who plays Hal Jordan. That detail has fuelled speculation that Guy's story is more closely tied to the show's 2026 sections, potentially putting him alongside John rather than Hal.
If that proves correct, Lanterns could effectively use its shifting timeline to introduce different combinations of Green Lantern characters without forcing everyone into the same storyline at once.
There is also a much bigger reason Guy Gardner matters to the developing DC Universe. Fillion has described the character as something of a marker for the wider franchise, with Guy appearing across projects including Superman, Lanterns and Mister Miracle.
Rather than treating each appearance as an isolated cameo, the character can help audiences understand where different stories sit within the developing DCU timeline. It is a fairly clever use of one particularly difficult personality.
Guy's appearances could therefore become more important than they initially look. If his character evolves from the abrasive superhero seen in Superman into someone noticeably different by the time Lanterns reaches its later chapters, viewers will have another way of tracking how the DCU is changing around him.
That makes Fillion's return more than a bit of continuity housekeeping; it gives the franchise a recurring character whose personality and development can connect several otherwise separate projects.
Fan reaction to Guy Gardner's return is likely to remain mixed, and that is hardly surprising. Some viewers will be pleased that Fillion is getting another chance to explore the character beyond his introduction in Superman, particularly if Lanterns gives Guy more room to develop.
Others may have been hoping for a stronger Hal-and-Guy dynamic, especially given the importance of Hal Jordan to Green Lantern mythology. There is also the simple question of how much Guy viewers actually want. For some, more Nathan Fillion is an easy yes; for others, one highly energetic Guy Gardner is already quite enough for one universe.
Still, keeping Guy Gardner out of the opening episode may ultimately work in the show's favour. Lanterns has plenty of time to establish Hal, John and its mystery before throwing another very loud Green Lantern into the mix.
With seven episodes still to come, Fillion has plenty of opportunity to turn Guy from the brash figure introduced in Superman into a more complicated part of the DCU. And if his arrival does shake up the relationship between John and the wider Lantern story, it could make his delayed entrance one of the season's most entertaining developments.
Are you looking forward to seeing Guy Gardner return in Lanterns, or would you rather the series keep its focus on Hal and John?