HBO Max has released a new character poster for Lanterns featuring Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and the timing couldn’t be better. This week’s episode finally revealed how this abrasive Green Lantern ended up wearing the ring in the first place, and it turns out Guy was pretty far down the Guardians’ list.
Episode 5, “Lights Out,” answered one of the bigger questions surrounding the DCU series: Why has Gardner been carrying the Green Lantern ring for the past decade instead of John Stewart or Hal Jordan?
The answer comes after John takes down Hal and gets possession of the ring from his mentor. Rather than claim it for himself and recite the Green Lantern oath, John decides he wants nothing more to do with the Corps.
After everything he’s witnessed, he returns the ring to Guardian Lianna and walks away from his chance to become a Green Lantern. That leaves an opening for Guy Gardner.
The reveal makes Guy’s place in the DCU a little funnier because he apparently wasn’t the Guardians’ second choice, or even their third. Somehow, the ring eventually landed on the finger of the guy who has spent much of his screen time proving he can be an incredible asshat.
Guy will make his Lanterns debut in next week’s episode, and a recently released clip has already shown him paying a visit to an incarcerated John Stewart.
Fillion previously appeared as Gardner in Superman, and the character is becoming one of the recurring faces connecting different corners of the DCU. During an interview with EW, Fillion was asked whether Guy’s growing number of appearances makes him something of an “anchor being” for the franchise.
Fillion explained: “I don’t know if I’m an anchor being. I do think I am a thread being. The quilt of the DC universe is being assembled before us.
“We’re witnessing the pieces coming forth, and now we’re starting to see threads between those pieces tying them together. Guy Gardner is enjoying being one of those characters that is the backdrop to this universe. It affords some consistency.”
Guy doesn’t necessarily need to be at the center of every DCU story, but having him pop up across different projects gives the universe another familiar face connecting its characters and events.
Fillion also talked about getting more opportunities to play Gardner and how each appearance gives him a chance to add another piece to the character’s history:
“Anytime you get to spend time with a character, it fills out their history a little bit,” the Firefly alum added. “I feel very fortunate.
“I don’t wanna say I feel a sense of ownership because I did not invent the character, I did not write the character, I didn’t design the costume. The hairpiece is fantastic. So many other people are responsible for this character. I feel like I’m leasing the character.”
With Lanterns finally explaining how Gardner got his ring, his arrival next week should add another interesting piece to the story, especially now that we know John Stewart willingly gave up the opportunity Guy ultimately received.
The Guardians may not have gotten their first choice, but they definitely got the loudest one.
