Nathan Fillion thought Ant-Man was a lower-rung hero to get a film until he saw Paul Rudd in the role.

Nathan Fillion thought Ant-Man was a low-rung superhero before he saw Paul Rudd carrying the role easily. He was surprised when Rudd made the character almost endearing to him. Earlier it was rumored that Fillion was considered for the Ant-Man role. The rumors started after Joss Whedon directed The Avengers, as he and the director had worked together on Firefly.

Fillion debunked the rumors, sharing that there was no truth in them. Interestingly, Fillion had an affinity to play a comic book supervillain, which came true when he was cast as T.D.K. in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.

Nathan Fillion Belittled Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man Only To Be Taken Aback By His Performance

Nathan Fillion is playing fan-favorite superhero Guy Gardner aka Green Lantern in James Gunn‘s DCU. He will make his debut in the role in the upcoming 2025 film, Superman. His working relationship with Gunn began in the 2012 superhero film Super and he also played a role in Gunn’s films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Suicide Squad.

Fillion expressed his love for these kinds of superhero roles in an interview with the Advocate. He shared his love for Marvel films and opened up about how his feelings changed about the film Ant-Man. His initial thought upon hearing about the film in the MCU was that Ant-Man was a pretty lower-rung hero in the comics.

However, Paul Rudd‘s goofy portrayal changed his mind about the superhero. He praised Rudd and called him a charming actor. He added that it was so neat to watch him act in any role. The Castle actor shared with Advocate:

I think all the really great heroes have been taken. And they’ve really done some wonderful jobs with goofy heroes. When Ant-Man came out I thought, ‘This is really a lower-rung hero for comics.‘ That movie was spectacular. Boy, Paul Rudd? I like to think I’m a charming guy. That Paul Rudd makes me look like an idiot manchild, he’s so charming. It’s so neat to watch him.

Fillion also shared in the Advocate interview that he would like to take a crack at a villain role in the superhero genre. He shared that for every hero in the comics, there were at least 50 villains. Since all the heroes are already out there, he shared that he would happily play a supervillain character.

Nathan Fillion Dismissed Rumors About Getting Cast As Ant-Man

Before Paul Rudd was confirmed as Ant-Man in the MCU, Nathan Fillion was rumored to play the role. Joss Whedon, the director of The Avengers, was the creator of Fillion’s acclaimed series Firefly. The series was canceled after one season due to low ratings which resulted in an outcry from fans of the series.

They speculated that Whedon would work together with Fillion for a Marvel movie and Ant-Man appeared to be a perfect fit for Fillion. Fillion dismissed the rumors, sharing that his tight TV schedule made it almost impossible to commit to such a project even if the rumors were true. He shared with Comic Book Movie:

You know what, the internet is a vast wealth of information, 90% of it false. I’m working ten months out of the year doing a television program where I don’t get a lot of opportunities to sneak out after work and do other projects, so I’m kind of locked in. If you just look at the logistics of it, I’m really busy. Even if all of the stars were to align, I wouldn’t have time to do it.

Fillion would be an interesting addition to James Gunn’s universe, but he still has a tight TV schedule as he is currently working on the ABC series The Rookie. Fans will get to see him in Superman and the Lanterns series that’s being developed. Lost creator Damon Lindelof, Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy, and Tom King are confirmed as the writers of the Lanterns show.

Ant-Man is now available for streaming on Disney+.