Amid political backlash, Nathan Fillion says Superman’s true power is hope

Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, from left to right, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific are shown in an undated handout still image from DC Studios' and Warner Bros. Pictures' “SUPERMAN.” THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Warner Bros. Pictures (Mandatory Credit)

In an age of endless remakes and superhero fatigue, Nathan Fillion says he isn’t sure the world needs another Superman movie. But he’s certain it needs what the new one represents.

• Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts on all the top Edmonton stories

“I think all the Superman iterations have had incredible value. I love them all. This one harkens back to the comic books, the very core idea of what Superman stands for: it’s about hope, it’s about choosing kindness,” says the Edmonton-born actor, who plays the Green Lantern in the James Gunn-made reboot of the DC Universe franchise.

“I think that message is well-timed right now. Do we need another Superman movie? I don’t know, but do we need a message of hope and kindness? I will say yes.”

“Superman,” soaring into theatres Friday, is the latest film to take on Krypton’s last son. David Corenswet stars as the titular hero, an alien with godlike powers trying to do good in a world that’s increasingly suspicious of his motives. As distrust mounts, tech mogul Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, exploits the paranoia, painting Superman as a threat.

The film has faced backlash from right-wing pundits following a recent interview where Gunn told “The Sunday Times of London” that the story is about “an immigrant that came from other places” and might offend some because it focuses on “human kindness.” On a Fox News segment titled “Superwoke,” host Kellyanne Conway objected, arguing audiences “don’t go to the movie theatre to be lectured to.”

Fillion’s response to the outrage is one of empathy.

“When I hear that, I simply think somebody needs a hug and to remember it’s just a movie,” he says on a call Wednesday from Los Angeles.

“I mean, I saw the movie. I don’t know how political it was.”

Still, Gunn’s film mirrors real-world anxieties: Luthor is a power-hungry billionaire pulling government strings, citizens are divided by disinformation, and the story opens with a lopsided war raging between two fictional nations.

Joining Superman are the Green Lantern, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific — a trio of metahumans known as the Justice Gang, who stand alongside him to protect humanity.

Fillion is the first actor to bring the Guy Gardner version of the Green Lantern to the big screen — a cocky, obnoxious fan-favourite from the comics who stands apart from the more straight-laced Lanterns who came before him, such as Hal Jordan, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the 2011 film “Green Lantern.”

“What I like about him is the idea that you don’t have to be good to be a Green Lantern. You just have to be fearless,” he says.

Fillion, who got his start on the soap “One Life to Live” and found cult fame with Joss Whedon’s early-aughts drama “Firefly,” says at the beginning of his career he gravitated toward “flawless” characters because he wanted to be well liked.

“I was really, really wrong about that,” he says.

“No one can relate to someone who is perfect, and no one likes a guy who is perfect. We like people who are flawed, because we can relate to that. We are, all of us, flawed.”

That realization has helped shape much of Fillion’s career, as he’s played charmingly imperfect heroes including a smug crime novelist on 2010s dramedy “Castle” and an everyman cop on police procedural “The Rookie,” which just wrapped its seventh season.

As Gardner, he sports a hairdo audiences may not be used to seeing him in: a blond bowl cut. Fillion says he fought for the look as producers considered other styles.

“I was team bowl cut all the way. It is canon. I think if we didn’t do it, we were going to hear about it,” he says.

“It says a lot about Guy Gardner. When you see a guy walking down the street with a bowl cut, he clearly does not care what you think.”

“Superman” is seen as the true kickoff for James Gunn’s revamped DC Universe under his leadership at DC Studios.

Fillion, who previously worked with Gunn on 2021’s “The Suicide Squad” and 2023’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” says he’s all-in on the new DCU. He will be reprising his role as Gardner in the forthcoming series “Lanterns” and the second season of “Peacemaker,” both on Max.

He says he’d be up for starring in a stand-alone Justice Gang movie.

“If I get the chance, I’ll ride this one until it’s in the ground. It’ll be fantastic,” he says.

Fillion says he always hopes “nobody’s a jerk” when he starts a new project, but Gunn is “incredible” at vetting the people he works with. As a result, he’s formed bonds with many actors he’s “come to love as people.”

“They hate it when I say this, but we don’t just walk away friends. We walk away super friends.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2025.

Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press