Superman, the first film in the rebooted DC film universe, is filled with charismatic characters. However, there’s no doubt that Guy Gardner has made one of the biggest impressions, bowl-cut and all.
Portrayed by Nathan Fillion, Guy is one of many versions of the Green Lantern – a superhero in a green suit, equipped with a magic ring. This overconfident and trash-talking Gardner is a far cry from the previous incarnation portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the infamous 2011 film.
But who exactly is Guy Gardner, and how did he gain his powers? Here is all you need to know about the superhero with the green ring.
And if you want to find out what captivated our Entertainment Editor in the latest Superman movie, read her feature on James Gunn’s film.
Who is Guy Gardner in DC Comics?
The character of Guy Gardner was created by comic book writer John Broome and illustrator Gil Kane in 1968. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that this incarnation of Green Lantern got his signature features. The duo of comics creators, Steve Englehart and Joe Staton, turned Guy into a parody of a jingoistic ultra-macho American – the character Major Ronald Merrick from the TV series The Jewel in the Crown served as inspiration.
In the comics, Guy was from Baltimore, where he grew up in a dysfunctional family. His abusive alcoholic father is responsible for the superhero’s many traumas, which were a big influence on his character.
Despite being a delinquent in his teens, Guy finally managed to get out of the woods. He started to play football and graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in psychology and education. After college, he worked as a social welfare caseworker and later as a teacher.
At one point, it was revealed that Guy is, in fact, part alien. It came out that generations ago, one of his ancestors mated with a Vuldarian – a member of an extraterrestrial warrior race.
How did Guy Gardner become the Green Lantern?
Green Lantern’s abilities come from the alien artefacts – the ring powered by a special lantern. Those items were created by The Guardians of the Universe from planet Maltus. As a race of scientists, they conducted many experiments, one of which led to the creation of the Multiverse.
The Guardians also launched the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic peacekeeping agency. Thousands of members of these forces, scattered throughout the galaxy, are called the Green Lanterns. When one of these superheroes dies, his ring finds a suitable successor.
When the mortally wounded Green Lantern Abin Sur crashed out on Earth, his rings found two potential human inheritors: Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. Ultimately, Hal, being nearer to the scene of the accident, became the new Green Lantern, while Guy was considered a backup superhero. The two became friends, and Gardner accompanied Jordan in his many adventures.
However, at one point, Hal’s lantern exploded, and the blast trapped Guy in a so-called Phantom Zone – a pocket universe used by Kryptonians as a prison. After some time, he managed to break free, but suffered brain damage and fell into a coma. After recovery, Guy’s personality has changed, now becoming abrasive and unstable.
Warner Bros.
What’s up with Guy Gardner’s signature haircut?
Guy’s bowl cut hairstyle was inspired by the comics he read as a child about General Glory and his sidekick Ernie, The Battling Boy. In the DC universe, General Glory is an extremely patriotic parody of Captain America, while his assistant resembles Bucky Barnes.
What are Guy Gardner’s superpowers?
In the comics, Guy’s powers come from a green ring whose strength is correlated with the owner’s willpower. However, as the story progresses, he comes into contact with other rings of power – yellow, red, purple, and blue – which gave him different abilities.
As the Green Lantern, Guy Gardner can fly, absorb and release energy, and he possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility, and durability. When wounded, he’s able to regenerate.
After learning about his alien heritage, Guy unlocked some additional powers, such as the ability to transform his body parts into weapons and bio-molecular metamorphosis, to change his anatomy.
Will Guy Gardner return in any future DC films or series?
Yes! Soon, Guy will appear in the second season of Peacemaker, and we can’t wait to see his encounter with the mouthy Christopher Smith.
James Gunn also confirmed that Guy Gardner will return in the DC series, Lanterns, centred around different incarnations of the Green Lantern.
That means that his origin and backstory may differ slightly from the source material listed above – we’ll find out more when these TV shows are released.
