We’ve all heard the phrase, “a storm is coming,” but the one that is currently happening on Starz is a brewing battle-frenzy amongst gods. It is, of course,American Gods, the long-awaited and long-gestating adaptation ofNeil Gaiman’s magnum opus.
With the author’s blessing, showrunnersBryan Fuller(NBC’sHannibal) andMichael Green(ABC’sThe River) offer their dizzying cinematics to the story of Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), an ex-convict who, upon release, hears the devastating news of his wife’s death and the adultery that caused it. His grief is put on hold though when he’s enlisted by a mysterious man calling himself Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). Wednesday needs some muscle as he recruits beings from classical mythology to fight for place in the world against the New Gods, entities of modernity such as media, technology, celebrity, and the like.
It’s a show fans of Gaiman are hoping to be worthy of the sacred text — and from what has been seen so far, it is; critics have been worshipping at the altar ofAmerican Gods. But with changes that have come about in the jump from page to screen, the show is taking on a life of its own, featuring characters both fresh and familiar, as well as an updated thesis for the nation’s current political climate. To aide you alongside Shadow’s odyssey through America, here’s a guide to the humans, gods, and creatures you’ll encounter.
Note: Those of you wishing to keep spoilers to a minimum may not want to read the Book Comparison sections, as they dive into how each character appears on the page.
Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle)
Description:Shadow’s long-awaited release from prison yielded the worst news of his life: his wife, Laura, was killed in a car accident. Worse still, she died while giving a blowjob to Shadow’s best friend, Robbie. While on a plane to her funeral, Shadow encounters a mysterious man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. After taking a job as this con artist’s bodyguard, Shadow soon realizes Wednesday — and all of his friends — are gods looking to reclaim a world that has forgotten about them.
Book Comparison:Shadow was a small, bullied boy, but puberty prompted a growth spurt. As an adult, he remains stoic, even upon hearing of his wife’s death. “Shadow in the book doesn’t translate to the screen as well [as the other characters]. People don’t really wanna watch a man on the road running through internal monologue for weeks on end,” WhittletoldCollider. “So what Michael and Bryan have done is introduce more color and they said they wanted to bring a few more layers, a bit more charisma, something that’s gonna entice people to join him on this incredible road trip around the states.”
Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane)
Description:When Shadow first spies Mr. Wednesday at an airport, he’s pretending to be a senile old man in order to get a free plane ticket. He celebrates his small grift in First Class by throwing back drinks and enlisting Shadow for a special job. Taking his name from the day of their meeting (“Today’s my day,” he says), the crafty and charismatic swindler somehow knows all about Shadow, while flaunting an impossible mastery of magic.
Book Comparison:Initially described as “the man in the pale suit,” Mr. Wednesday retains much of the characteristics and plot beats as his book incarnation. However, the show isn’t just about his trip with Shadow. According to Fuller, it’s much more of an ensemble. “If there are three faces on the poster, it’s Wednesday, Shadow, and Laura,” he said. There are many hints to Wednesday’s true identity, from the ravens that act as his sentries to the story about the All-Father that kickstarts the first episode to the fact Wednesday ishisday. Mr. Wednesday is Odin, the one-eyed leader of the Norse pantheon and the head of the Old Gods.
Bilquis (Yetide Badaki)
Type:Old God
Pantheon:Christian
Description:Once a renown goddess of love and sex, Bilquis now only gets the worship she craves as a prostitute. Taking both men and women into her bed, her erotic rituals climax by literally swallowing her lovers inside of her.
Book Comparison:Bilquis’ more recognizable name is the Queen of Sheba, a Biblical figure who’s had many elaborations in Arabian, Ethiopian, and Jewish cultures. One of the ways to expand upon the source material for the show was to give the female characters more to do — especially Bilquis. The character only appears briefly in the beginning of the novel and towards the end, but on the small screen, “she’s got a huge arc and is a very important character,” Fuller said.
Czernobog (Peter Stormare)
Pantheon:Slavic
Description:Shadow and Wednesday find Czernobog living with three sisters in a rundown flat. A god of darkness and evil, he makes ends “meat” by bludgeoning cattle at a slaughterhouse, though he complains new, more humane ways of killing are making his skills obsolete. He’s reluctant to join the coming war, but perhaps a high-stakes game of Checkers with Shadow will change his favor.
Book Comparison: Gaiman describes the Old God as having a grey face and yellowing teeth. When Wednesday recruits him, he says he really needs his brother, likely Belobog, a god associated with light and goodness. In 1940’sFantasia, Czernobog was envisioned as a dark, gargoyle demon in the “Night on Bald Mountain” sequence.
Mr. Nancy (Orlando Jones)
Pantheon:West African
Description:As with any trickster god, Mr. Nancy (a.k.a. Anansi) is one of Wednesday’s more unreliable recruits. Often appearing as a prismatic spider that Jonessaidmimics South African street fashion, the deity from folklore loves to spin tales for anyone who’ll hear them — even to a ship full of slaves about to be sold in the Americas.
Book Comparison:Mr. Nancy appears on the page as a small, elderly man with “mahogany” eyes, a pencil mustache, lime-green fedora, lemon-yellow gloves, and checked suit. He’s the only character tapped for a book spinoff,Anansi Boys, which Jones confirmed was part of the casting discussions with Fuller and Greene. So, with the goal developing a shared universe under theAmerican Godsbanner, maybe there’s a TV show with Jones and the sons of Anansi in the future.
Easter (Kristin Chenoweth)
Pantheon:Germanic
Description:Easter is desperate to stay relevant. Once known as Ostara, the goddess of spring, she now bears the title Easter and welcomes offerings of jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. As Chenowethsaid, she’s “very, very pissed that Jesus took her holiday.”
Book Comparison:A curvaceous woman with platinum blonde hair, Easter is found in San Francisco having a free picnic in the park for anyone who’ll come and eat. Shadow and Wednesday take her to a coffee shop, reminding her that she’s only doing well for herself in the new world by virtue of eggs, bunnies, and the Christian holiday.
Low Key Lyesmith (Jonathan Tucker)
Pantheon: Norse
Description:Low Key is Shadow’s cellmate in prison, one who offers sage advice to prepare him for the outside world. Not all of the novel will be featured in Season 1 ofAmerican Gods, but Tucker’s Low Key still only appears in the pilot episode because of scheduling conflicts with his role onKingdom. The actor promises to return in some capacity for Season 2.
Book Comparison:Low Key is described as “a grifter from Minnesota” with a “scarred smile” and “orange-blonde hair.” One big change from the book is the character is now blind. “That’s not in the script,” TuckertoldCollider. “That’s just something that Bryan and I were jamming about and he was like, ‘Yeah, give it a shot.’” As the name suggests, Low Key is actually Loki, the trickster god of chaos from Norse mythology.
Mr. Ibis (Demore Barnes)
Pantheon:Egyptian
Description:Mr. Ibis, more commonly known as Thoth, is the keeper of stories and knowledge. He often recounts tales of those who brought their beliefs in the Old Gods to America through a series of vignettes dubbed “Coming to America.” In the new country, he runs Ibis and Jacquel’s Funeral Parlor in Cairo, Illinois with his partner and fellow member of the Egyptian pantheon, Mr. Jacquel.
Book Comparison:Ibis is a slender “cranelike man” with “gold-rimmed spectacles,” towering at more than 6 feet in height. Much of him is the same on the screen, but his “Coming to America” and “Somewhere in America” tales are often used in the beginning of the episodes to introduce a character or theme.
Mr. Jacquel (Chris Obi)
Description:Mr. Jacquel traded in his deity name, Anubis, for one referencing his signature animal, the jackal. As the god of the dead, he peacefully ferries souls to the beyond. Though, nowadays, he operates a funeral parlor with his partner Mr. Ibis.
Book Comparison:Mr. Jacquel first appears to Shadow as a talking jackal. His story, like so many of the other characters, is expanded upon in the series as he encounters Laura Moon, who becomes somewhat of an annoyance.
Jesus (Jeremy Davies)
Description:There are many Jesuses in the world ofAmerican Gods: one is hispanic, one is black, and then there’s this one who enjoys sharing Ostara’s Easter holiday. Described as “overly empathetic,” he would be devastated if he knew the resentment Ostara holds for him.
Book Comparison:Jesus only really appears in Gaiman’s “preferred text” version of the book, but is mentioned by name a couple times in the wide-release format. Carrying over is the existence of a multiplicity of Jesues, who will be making appearances in the show.
