James Gunn’s Superman has several breakout characters, but few are as memorable as Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). Fillion is a longtime collaborator with Gunn and the perfect fit to portray the arrogant and sarcastic Gardner, a member of the “Justice Gang” in the new DC Universe.
Fillion is already confirmed to reprise his role as Gardner in Peacemaker Season 2 and Lanterns, meaning he’s in the DCU to stay. Meanwhile, he boasts the most potential to become the DCU’s equivalent of Deadpool.
Guy Gardner’s Brash Humor Shines In Superman
Gardner stands out in Superman as the film’s most prominent source of comedic relief. In the movie, Gardner is a member of the Green Lantern Corps who joins Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) in forming the Justice Gang team. With his Green Lantern ring, he can create, shape, and manipulate physical constructs. For example, to fight a kaiju-creature, he makes a giant jackhammer construct. While he and the Justice Gang aid Superman in defeating the kaiju, he’s a reluctant and abrasive hero.
He dismisses Superman as a “wuss” for wanting to subdue the kaiju without killing it and later suggests Superman is an “alien threat.” Later, when Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) approaches the Justice Gang for help, Gardner rudely refuses due to his “Green Lantern vow.” However, that’s really just an excuse he uses to avoid doing anything he personally doesn’t want to do. In the end, Gardner comes through, showing up to stop Boravia from invading Jarhanpur, where he easily takes out swarms of invaders with constructs in the shape of vulgar hand gestures.
Gardner doesn’t get extensive screen time in Superman, but the time he gets proves he’s a comic book-accurate version of the character. In early DC Comics, Gardner is, for lack of a better word, a jerk. He’s arrogant and brash with a vulgar sense of humor and no filter. Later comics changed his personality to make him more vulnerable, but many comic fans still view the more brash version of the character as his proper form. However, in bringing the original Gardner to life in Superman, Fillion also seems to channel another superhero.
How Guy Gardner Parallels The MCU’s Deadpool
Fillion’s depiction of Gardner in Superman brings to mind the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). 20th Century Fox began the Deadpool series with Deadpool and Deadpool 2 before the character came under the MCU umbrella in Deadpool & Wolverine. Whether under the MCU or Fox, though, Deadpool’s behavior is always consistently outlandish. He’s a reluctant hero, forced into the superhero realm because of an experiment that gave him a healing factor, rendering him nigh immortal. Known as the “Merc with a Mouth,” he’s cocky, over-confident, and never stops speaking his mind.
Deadpool has several characteristics that set him apart from Gardner, including his hyper-violent nature, tendency to break the fourth wall, and a far more extreme sense of humor. However, fundamentally, the two are incredibly similar as heroes who defy convention. While clean-cut, intense heroes like Superman and Captain America are considered the archetype, Gardner and Deadpool make fans reconsider who gets to be a hero.
They demonstrate that one doesn’t have to be vulnerable, have strong moral convictions, or even be nice to be a hero. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time and doing what needs to be done, but not without some grumbling and sarcasm. Gardner already matches some of Deadpool’s energy, and, with a little more time, he can carve his own unique path in the DCU as Deadpool did in the MCU.
Why The DCU Needs A Deadpool
What’s particularly exciting about Gardner’s parallels to Deadpool is that there really isn’t a Deadpool equivalent in the DCU. Deadpool is wildly popular in the MCU because he brings a sense of humor and a mature approach to the superhero genre. In DC Comics, there are plenty of darker, more mature heroes, but not those with a penchant for raunchiness and absurdity like Deadpool. In many ways, it’s good that the DC doesn’t have an exact ripoff of Deadpool. However, having a Deadpool-esque figure who still has his own unique personality, like Gardner, means the DCU can still capitalize on unconventional, irreverent superheroes, too.
Where To Watch Guy Gardner And Deadpool Online
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