Nathan Fillion Hints the DCU’s Guy Gardner Might Have Been “Hit by a Bus”

And while the hype surrounding James Gunn’s DCU is real, and fans cannot wait for Superman to premiere, there is one character – who will appear in the movie – who’s been polarizing the fans ever since his reveal.

Played by Nathan Fillion, who has experience with comic book characters, the character of Guy Gardner is going to appear in the DCU, but his visual appearance is something that sparked a lot of debate.

Fillion’s character looks a bit off, in more ways than one, but the actor has recently suggested that there might be a very good, lore-accurate reason for his odd behavior in the DCU.

You’ve seen Fillion’s Guy Gardner. With that wacky, out-of-place haircut, the character looks strange, but also intriguing at the same time. On top of that, he is going to be a bit of a jerk and somewhat aggressive, which is strange, but not that odd considering his comic book origins.

In a recent guest appearance on the DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast, Fillion discussed his role and revealed one interesting detail about his character’s DCU origins:

We’ve highlighted the most important part, but we advise you to watch the whole thing, as there are several interesting moments there. But, back to the point.

As we’ve said, Fillion discussed the origins of his Guy Gardner and he actually revealed that there might be a good reason why Guy Gardner is as he is, and it’s not as funny as you might have thought:

Part of his origin was he was, at one point, hit by a bus and was in a coma… So I just say that’s the thing that flipped the switch. That’s the thing that caused a little bit of brain damage. Now he’s just…off a little bit.

So, it seems that Guy Gardner was in an accident that altered his brain and his personality. This would explain the state he is now and would actually provide for a great in-universe explanation of Gardner’s personality.

And if you thought this was something they came up with just like that, take a look at the panel we have for you here:

So, in the pre-Crisis continuity, Guy Gardner is, indeed, hit by a bus and the accident caused some brain damage. Paired with his later traumatic experiences, like being trapped in the Phantom Zone, this caused Gardner to become a very violent and volatile character.

He remains a loyal hero, but a person profoundly shaped by the trauma he experienced. If that is the version we’ll see in the DCU, then we’re in for a treat, as this clearly shows that Gunn and his writers care deeply about the characters and the lore, and that is always a good trick when it comes to comic books.

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