During the 2026 San Diego Comic Con “Lanterns” panel, the show’s cast and crew had been answering questions for about 20 minutes before a voice interrupted things, yelling, “Stop the panel!” It quickly became apparent that this wasn’t a fan, but Nathan Fillion, clearly out of breath as he ran into Hall H.
“Hey Guys, so sorry. Somebody left my email off the invite list for this panel,” he said as he bent over, trying to catch his breath. “I don’t know if you guys know this, I’m kind of a big deal at the Comic Con. I’ve been on shows like ‘Castle,’ ‘The Rookie,’ ‘Firefly…'” At the word “Firefly,” the crowd erupted into cheers and whistles.
There’s a building outside with my face on it,” he continued. “Legally, I’m required to be here.”
“I brought my ring!” The “Superman” star added.
‘I Brought My Own Clip’
After welcoming him, host Gerrad Hall admitted that they didn’t have a clip of Fillion as Guy Gardner to show the audience. Fillion was prepared for that answer.
“Not my first rodeo,” he replied. “I brought my own clip.”
Fillion unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a T-shirt underneath that read: “Best Gardner Ever,” in reference to his character. Then he began explaining how it felt to be someone who seems to show up everywhere in the DC Universe.
“When you’re jumping on a moving train, you’re just hoping that everybody’s going to be cool and relaxed and really nice. And that’s your day, you spend the day with these people. Everybody was very sweet, very kind, very nice to me. And then just before they say action, it’s like a cloud rolls over, and everything gets really dour and everything starts to sink down. Everybody starts to brood a little bit. And then, ‘Cut!’ And they’re back. And everybody’s like, cool again.”
“It’s kind of like that,” he added.
Playing Someone Who’s ‘Not Very Good’
In HBO Max’s new series, Fillion is reprising his role as Green Lantern, aka Guy Gardner, from “Superman,” complete with a blond bowl cut and snarky attitude. He was part of the “Justice Gang,” fighting criminals alongside Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Superman (David Corenswet).
In a 2025 TV Guide interview, Fillion acknowledged that Guy is “not nice,” which was one of his favorite aspects of playing him. He described it as “very freeing as an actor because you just think to yourself, what is the most selfish, self-serving thing I can do in this moment? And that’s the answer.”
“He’s a jerk!” He said. “What’s important to know is, you don’t have to be good to be a Green Lantern; you just have to be fearless. So Guy Gardner is fearless, and he is not very good.”
‘Lanterns’ Cast and Premiere Date
The series also stars Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Garret Dillahunt, and Poorna Jagannathan. Laura Linney has also been revealed to have a small role. “Lanterns” will premiere on HBO Max on August 16.
HBO
