The first trailer for James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy has given fans a lot to be excited about, and one of them is the first look at Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern character. However, we didn’t get the elegant Hal Jordan or the stoic John Stewart – Guy Gardner is a hot-headed, over-the-top Green Lantern who brings the jingoistic charm that perfectly reflects the sarcastic, edgy tones Gunn is known for. As fun as it may sound, Guy Gardner’s Bowl Cut tells us everything we need to know about Gunn’s approach to the new DCU: his quirks, his humor, and his character-driven storytelling.

But before we delve into what exactly Guy Gardner’s Bowl Cut says about James Gunn’s approach to the new DCU, let’s take a look at the history of Green Lantern: a character created in the 1940s during the Golden Age of Comics . The first Green Lantern was Alan Scott, a railway engineer who came into possession of a magic lantern that spoke to him and gave him power through a magic ring that had to be charged by touching the lantern once a day and had no effect on objects wooden.

Alan Scott initially fought against ordinary human villains and some paranormal ones. Green Lantern’s popularity rose but eventually declined after World War II. The character was reintroduced in 1959 as Hal Jordan, whose powers were more or less equivalent to Alan Scott’s. However, Green Lantern’s character was completely rewritten: his name was changed, as was his costume, and his origin story introduced the Green Lantern Corps as an interstellar law enforcement agency overseen by the Guardians of the Universe.

Guy Gardner was first introduced in 1968, however the character was significantly altered in the 1980s and transformed into a parody of an ultra-macho “red-blooded American male”, which remains the character’s archetype to this day. Its origin story has been linked again The new 52 but later reinstated DC Rebirth, which led to him being physically abused by his alcoholic father Roland. His only escape in his childhood was General fame comic books, and he modeled his iconic haircut after Ernie, General Glory’s sidekick.

When it came to obtaining the ring, Gardner and Jordan were both in close proximity to the Abin Sur crash site, but since Jordan was closer, he was chosen over Gardner and Guy was demoted as Jordan’s replacement. The two actually team up later after Jordan trains with Kilowog. Guy goes on a series of adventures with and without Jordan, taking on the role of Green Lantern and even becoming a founding member of the Justice League International after the original Justice League of America disbanded.

There’s also a famous panel where he challenged Batman’s leadership and was knocked unconscious by the Dark Knight in a fist fight. When he woke up, he hit his head on a console and knocked himself out again, which affected his personality and made him a kind and gentle person. That changed later when he hit his head again. All in all, while he may not be as well-known as Hal Jordan or John Stewart, Guy Gardner remains the Green Lantern fan favorite for many comic book readers, and we’re glad he’s finally getting the spotlight – unlike previous ones Big screen adaptations of Green Lantern.

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This paints a very interesting picture regarding Gunn’s view of the DC cinematic universe and signals his intention to challenge DC’s B-listers like Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, Lobo and Clayface (which we saw in ) to highlight Creature Command), into the spotlight. Actor Nathan Fillion has had a long and fruitful professional relationship with James Gunn, in which he has appeared Slide, SuperAnd Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3as well as a short-lived (and short-lived) cameo in 2021 The Suicide Squad as the removable child (this joke makes sense in the context of the film). His role in the coming Superman The film signals that a number of heroes are already established in the new DC film universe.

The choice of Guy Gardner’s version of Green Lantern, while unconventional, helps to differentiate and solidify Fillion’s take on the character, as it is completely different from any previous iteration that has appeared on screen. Considering how terrible Ryan Reynolds’ attitude was, this is actually a good idea. Additionally, there is a history of conflict between Superman and Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, as the latter has a tendency to challenge authority figures, which could form the basis for some interesting storytelling.

Whatever the case may be, Fillion is a fantastic actor whose performances can easily veer between lovable villain and complete idiot, and fit Gardner’s personality well. Additionally, this casting choice and the inclusion of Guy Gardner’s flawed Green Lantern in the upcoming film reflect Gunn’s approach to the new DCU. Coupled with the fact that Superman and Gardner appeared to be on the verge of exchanging a few not-so-kind words, Gunn’s approach seems to emphasize the human side of all superheroes, regardless of the planet they come from – complete with plenty of sarcasm and Humor by the way.