Nathan Fillion Delivered His Best DC Performance Way Before ‘Superman’

Nathan Fillion has built an extensive list of films and television series in his 32 years of acting that have defined his career, and now, he’s about to make his DC Universe live-action debut in James Gunn’s Superman (2025) as Green Lantern. Before landing his big TV break in the soap opera One Life to Live, Fillion worked on the stage and took on smaller roles. His magnetic performances have made him a pillar in television ever since.

He’s ventured into every possible acting avenue there is, from films and TV shows, like Castle and The Rookie, ​​​​​​to stage work and voice-over roles in video games. As an established actor, he’s done it all, and to many DC fans, he’s no newcomer to superheroes, especially DC and the DC Universe Animated films and Green Lantern. He voiced Hal Jordan in six DC animated films, so he’s proven he’s capable of taking on a different iteration in Gunn’s film.

Nathan Fillion has appeared in several DC Comics films including Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011), Justice League: Doom (2012), Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015), The Death of Superman (2018), and Reign of the Supermen (2019). His charisma as an actor translated brilliantly into Hal Jordan’s character, but the film that stands out among the six in which he portrayed the character is Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox​​.

The film centers primarily on the Flash, Barry Allen, as he travels back in time to prevent his mother’s murder, which creates an alternate reality of a war-torn world where the Justice League never came together to protect the planet, and Superman, Clark Kent, doesn’t exist either. The Flash has to align himself with the alternate versions of his superhero colleagues and find a way to correct the course. While Hal Jordan isn’t the center of the film, Fillion’s performance remains nothing short of impressive.

‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’ Is Considered One of the Best DC Animated Films

DC’s animated films are considered top-tier storytelling among DC Comics fans for their loyalty to the source material, idiosyncratic narratives, and the overall animation and voice acting. In fact, these animated films have outperformed the live-action DC Cinematic Universe movies. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is one of those films, as it received critical acclaim and a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, for its faithful adaptation of the comic it’s based on, and for executing its dark tone. Directed by Jay Oliva, the movie is based on the DC Comics graphic novel Flashpoint, written by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert.

The story revolves around the Flash, Barry Allen (played by Justin Chambers), as he travels back in time to prevent his mother’s death. In the process, however, he creates an alternate timeline of a fractured reality in which the Justice League was never formed, Wonder Woman (Vanessa Marshall) and Aquaman (Cary Elwes) are at war, and Superman doesn’t exist. Throughout the film, Flash aligns himself with the alternate versions of his teammates to restore the original timeline.

One of those characters is Green Lantern, Hal Jordan (Nathan Fillion), who plays a significant role in both timelines. Green Lantern is one of the founding members of the Justice League in the original timeline, and in the Flashpoint timeline, he’s a pilot who works for the U.S. Government. The government personally chooses him to fly Abin Sur’s aircraft and lead an airstrike, led by Aquaman, who is at war with the Amazons, led by Wonder Woman. This mission resulted in Hal’s heroic death, and his sacrifice mirrors that of what the Green Lantern in the original timeline would’ve done to save lives. In both timelines, Hal Jordan was destined for something greater, and he lived up to it.

Nathan Fillion’s Voice Acting Work in the DCAU

Warner Bros. Pictures

To those not involved in Hollywood, voice acting may seem more straightforward than it is. However, behind-the-scenes features give viewers an inside glimpse into what animated roles entail and just how demanding they are on the actors tasked with emoting through their voices, as they would in a live-action movie. In a behind-the-scenes clip of the 2013 film, Fillion discussed how each DC project progressively demanded more from him as more action sequences were incorporated into the movies.

“When we did ‘Emerald Nights’, that was, I’ll say, that was the easiest, being that it was just reading. You didn’t have to do a lot of action-y kind of throw a whole lot behind it. It was just a calm voice reading, the tone was easy. Doing ‘Doom,’ a lot more action, a little more emotion stuff going on in there. It’s the yelling, it’s the grunts, it’s the groans, it’s the impacts. Those things make you walk away going ‘This voice work, I’d thought it’d be easier.'”

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While making the animated film was easier because his appearance was brief, Fillion was still tasked with portraying two different versions of the same character. He had to learn about this alternate version of Hal Jordan, what distinguishes him from the original, and how mannerisms and voice acting contribute to making the characters distinct. The foundation of the characters is the same, meaning they’re both dedicated to helping others and willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, but one version is the Green Lantern, while the other wasn’t able to reach that potential.

Nathan Fillion Is Bringing Green Lantern to Life in ‘Superman’

Fillion and James Gunn Work Well Together

Warner Bros. Pictures

Fillion has picked up the Green Lantern ring once again as he’s starring alongside David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult in James Gunn’s DC Cinematic Universe reboot, Superman. He has portrayed the character since 2011, over a decade since the release of Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.

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​​​From that film, Fillion went on to voice the character in five other DC animated features, and now he’s bringing a new version of the character to live-action. In the 2025 film, Fillion is portraying Green Lantern, but instead of Hal Jordan, it’s Guy Gardner. He will once again demonstrate why he’s one of the best actors in Hollywood and why he’s remained a DC favorite for almost 15 years. Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is streaming on Max. Superman soars into theaters on July 11, 2025.

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