"That has not escaped my attention": Nathan Fillion unpacks his decade-long history with Green Lantern

On July 10, 2025, Nathan Fillion, who plays a human Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) in James Gunn's Superman, reflected upon his past with the Lantern Lore. While many think that Superman is Nathan Fillion's first go around with the Lanterns, hardcore DC fans will know that Fillion has been associated with these characters for at least a decade and a half before Superman.

But Fillion's involvement with the Lantern Corps was in animation, and therefore, we could hear him. The actor made his debut as a Lantern in 2011's Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, a direct-to-home animated movie. In that movie, Fillion served as the voice of Hal Jordan, which he continued to do so till 2019's Reign of the Supermen.

Apart from voicing the Lantern characters in DC animated movies, Fillion also appeared as Lantern characters in several Robot Chicken specials as well. Now, while promoting Superman, Fillion looked back at his legacy with these characters, stating:

"That has not escaped my attention. Yes, it's fun like that. The people who are making it, giving a sly nod to the audience: 'If you know, it's an inside joke,'" he told Entertainment Weekly.

Nathan Fillion reveals that Robot Chicken specials planted the idea of him being Green Lantern

As mentioned earlier, Fillion debuted as a Green Lantern in 2011 by voicing Hal Jordan. Later, he continued voicing the character until 2019. While he was appreciated for his voice acting in the 2011 direct-to-home animated flick, it was his voice work in several Robot Chicken specials that cemented Fillion's legacy with Hal Jordan in the 2010s. The actor himself alluded to this:

"I think once they started sliding me into the Hal Jordan DC animated [movies], Robot Chicken said, ‘Well, it makes sense then to use him for our Green Lantern.'"

Adding that consistently voicing Jordan in Robot Chicken caused many to associate his voice with the character, Fillion said:

"When you have that kind of consistency, it lends truth to the DC universe that is out there. That's something I'm actually really looking forward to with James Gunn being in charge of the DC universe."

After appearing as Guy Gardner in Superman, Fillion is set to reprise his role in Peacemaker Season 2 in August this year, and HBO's Lanterns next year. Fillion had some interesting teases to offer last week.

HBO's Lanterners might not be suitable for kids

Last week, Nathan Fillion was interviewed by ScreenRant's Ash Crossan at the Superman premiere. In that interview, Crossan asked the actor about how Guy Gardner would be different in the HBO series Lanterns. Fillion teased a comparatively foul-mouthed Green Lantern in HBO's Lanterns, saying:

"I'll tell you — it's the same character, but in different circumstances. In his circumstances in Peacemaker, it's very lighthearted and fun; and his circumstances in Lanterns, the stakes are a lot higher. It doesn't change the character, but he's certainly dealing with that situation that he's in. And I'll say this — I dropped more F-bombs on my first day on Lanterns than I had in my entire career put together."

When asked whether the F-bombs were a part of the script or out of frustration, Fillion clarified:

"That was in the script."

This means that HBO's Lanterns might be aiming for a more mature tone with the series.

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