Superman, the primary movie within the rebooted DC movie universe, is crammed with charismatic characters. Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that Man Gardner has made one of many largest impressions, bowl-cut and all.
Portrayed by Nathan Fillion, Man is one in every of many variations of the Inexperienced Lantern – a superhero in a inexperienced go well with, outfitted with a magic ring. This overconfident and trash-talking Gardner is a far cry from the earlier incarnation portrayed by Ryan Reynolds within the notorious 2011 movie.
However who precisely is Man Gardner, and the way did he acquire his powers? Right here is all you want to know in regards to the superhero with the inexperienced ring.
And if you wish to discover out what captivated our Leisure Editor within the newest Superman film, learn her function on James Gunn’s movie.
Who’s Man Gardner in DC Comics?
The character of Man Gardner was created by comedian e-book author John Broome and illustrator Gil Kane in 1968. Nevertheless, it wasn’t till the Nineteen Eighties that this incarnation of Inexperienced Lantern obtained his signature options. The duo of comics creators, Steve Englehart and Joe Staton, turned Man right into a parody of a jingoistic ultra-macho American – the character Main Ronald Merrick from the TV sequence The Jewel within the Crown served as inspiration.
Within the comics, Man was from Baltimore, the place he grew up in a dysfunctional household. His abusive alcoholic father is accountable for the superhero’s many traumas, which have been an enormous affect on his character.
Regardless of being a delinquent in his teenagers, Man lastly managed to get out of the woods. He began to play soccer and graduated from the College of Michigan with a level in psychology and training. After school, he labored as a social welfare caseworker and later as a instructor.
At one level, it was revealed that Man is, the truth is, half alien. It got here out that generations in the past, one in every of his ancestors mated with a Vuldarian – a member of an extraterrestrial warrior race.
How did Man Gardner turn out to be the Inexperienced Lantern?
Inexperienced Lantern’s talents come from the alien artefacts – the ring powered by a particular lantern. These objects have been created by The Guardians of the Universe from planet Maltus. As a race of scientists, they performed many experiments, one in every of which led to the creation of the Multiverse.
The Guardians additionally launched the Inexperienced Lantern Corps, an intergalactic peacekeeping company. Hundreds of members of those forces, scattered all through the galaxy, are referred to as the Inexperienced Lanterns. When one in every of these superheroes dies, his ring finds an appropriate successor.
When the mortally wounded Inexperienced Lantern Abin Sur crashed out on Earth, his rings discovered two potential human inheritors: Hal Jordan and Man Gardner. Finally, Hal, being nearer to the scene of the accident, turned the brand new Inexperienced Lantern, whereas Man was thought of a backup superhero. The 2 turned pals, and Gardner accompanied Jordan in his many adventures.
Nevertheless, at one level, Hal’s lantern exploded, and the blast trapped Man in a so-called Phantom Zone – a pocket universe utilized by Kryptonians as a jail. After a while, he managed to interrupt free, however suffered mind injury and fell right into a coma. After restoration, Man’s character has modified, now changing into abrasive and unstable.

Warner Bros.
What’s up with Man Gardner’s signature haircut?
Man’s bowl minimize coiffure was impressed by the comics he learn as a baby about Common Glory and his sidekick Ernie, The Battling Boy. Within the DC universe, Common Glory is an especially patriotic parody of Captain America, whereas his assistant resembles Bucky Barnes.
What are Man Gardner’s superpowers?
Within the comics, Man’s powers come from a inexperienced ring whose energy is correlated with the proprietor’s willpower. Nevertheless, because the story progresses, he comes into contact with different rings of energy – yellow, crimson, purple, and blue – which gave him totally different talents.
Because the Inexperienced Lantern, Man Gardner can fly, take in and launch vitality, and he possesses superhuman energy, velocity, agility, and sturdiness. When wounded, he’s in a position to regenerate.
After studying about his alien heritage, Man unlocked some further powers, equivalent to the power to remodel his physique elements into weapons and bio-molecular metamorphosis, to alter his anatomy.
Will Man Gardner return in any future DC movies or sequence?
Sure! Quickly, Man will seem within the second season of Peacemaker, and we will’t wait to see his encounter with the mouthy Christopher Smith.
James Gunn additionally confirmed that Man Gardner will return within the DC sequence, Lanterns, centred round totally different incarnations of the Inexperienced Lantern.
That implies that his origin and backstory might differ barely from the supply materials listed above – we’ll discover out extra when these TV exhibits are launched.
