The Best Nathan Fillion Movies, Ranked By Fans

Nathan Fillion has one of those careers that makes you say, “Wait… he was in that too?”
Most people know him as the charming captain from Firefly, the mystery-writer-cop magnet from Castle,
or the steady-hero grown-up from The Rookie. But his movie résumé is a surprisingly fun scavenger hunt:
cult sci-fi, Shakespeare in a living room, gooey horror-comedy, heartfelt indies, and enough animated superheroes
to qualify for frequent-flyer miles to Gotham.

This ranking follows a fan-vote snapshot from a major “ranked by fans” list (with a few items sitting near the bottom
because fans are still voting). Think of it like a crowd-sourced playlist: it’s not “objective cinema law,” it’s
what people rewatch, recommend, quote, and defend at midnight screenings.

How This “Ranked by Fans” List Works

Fans vote movies up or down, and the list order shifts as votes change. To keep this article useful (and not just a
list of titles), each entry includes: what Fillion does in the movie, the vibe/genre, and why fans tend to keep it
in rotation. Consider it a watch guide disguised as a ranking.

The Best Nathan Fillion Movies, Ranked By Fans

#1. Serenity (2005)

Fillion’s role: Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds

If you want Exhibit A for “Nathan Fillion can lead a movie,” this is it. Serenity delivers space-western swagger,
found-family loyalty, and a captain who can threaten someone while still sounding weirdly polite. Fans love it because
it feels like a proper send-off (and a victory lap) for the Firefly universetight, emotional, and still funny
when it counts.

#2. Waitress (2007)

Fillion’s role: Dr. Jim Pomatter

This one is a tonal swerve in the best way: warm, bittersweet, and powered by small-town details that feel lived-in.
Fillion plays the town doctor with a gentle, awkward sweetnesslike a golden retriever who learned how to prescribe antibiotics.
Fans rank it high because it’s an easy rewatch that hits big feelings without making a big speech about it.

#3. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Fillion’s role: “Minnesota” Ryan

Not a Fillion-led moviemore like a “spot him and point at the screen” momentbut it matters because the film itself is iconic.
His role is brief but memorable in a story built on tension, confusion, and humanity under pressure. Fans often include it
because being part of a landmark war film is a résumé flex, even if you’re not the headline.

#4. Much Ado About Nothing (2012)

Fillion’s role: Dogberry

Shakespeare, but make it modern and surprisingly cozy. Fillion’s Dogberry is comedic chaos with a badgeearnest, officious,
and gloriously overconfident. Fans adore this pick because it shows his comedic timing in a different sandbox: wordplay,
rhythm, and “I’m helping!” energy that’s both ridiculous and lovable.

#5. Slither (2006)

Fillion’s role: Police Chief Bill Pardy

Horror-comedy that refuses to be normal for even one minute. Fillion plays the small-town lawman reacting to a situation
that keeps getting worseand grosserwhile trying to stay the most competent person in the room. Fans rank it high because
it’s funny, freaky, and proof that Fillion can anchor absurdity without winking so hard the movie falls over.

#6. Blast from the Past (1999)

Fillion’s role: Cliff

A rom-com with a high-concept setup and a very specific late-’90s charm. Fillion plays the “in the way” boyfriend type
the guy who looks like a safe choice until the movie politely asks him to step aside. Fans keep it on the list because it’s
breezy, sweet, and a fun early-career Fillion sighting.

#7. Trucker (2008)

Fillion’s role: Runner

An indie drama with grit and heart. This isn’t “quips and hero poses” Fillionthis is grounded, human Fillion, showing up
in a story about hard choices and messy lives. Fans who like his more dramatic side point to Trucker as proof he can
play real-world stakes just as well as space stakes.

#8. Outing Riley (2004)

Fillion’s role: Luke Riley

A smaller comedy-drama that leans on family tension and personal truth rather than big set pieces. Fillion’s presence helps
sell the sibling dynamicsometimes supportive, sometimes complicated, always believable. Fans often appreciate it as a “quiet”
pick: not flashy, but sincere and character-driven.

#9. Justice League: Doom (2012)

Fillion’s role: Green Lantern (voice)

Here’s where Fillion becomes a superhero regularat least vocally. He voices Hal Jordan with confidence and just enough edge
to make the space-cop swagger work. Fans rank it because it’s a sharp, plot-forward DC animated entry and because his Green Lantern
performance has become a long-running fan favorite across multiple projects.

#10. Wonder Woman (2009)

Fillion’s role: Steve Trevor (voice)

Fillion’s voice work shines in a role built for him: the brave, charming, slightly outmatched human who keeps up anyway.
Fans like this one because the banter is strong, the pacing moves, and his Steve Trevor brings warmth without turning the story
away from Wonder Woman herself.

#11. White Noise 2: The Light (2007)

Fillion’s role: Abe Dale

A supernatural thriller that gives him heavier emotional material. Fillion plays a man trying to make sense of trauma and strange
new abilities, and fans who prefer their spooky stories more somber than silly tend to champion this one. It’s not the loudest movie
on the listbut it’s one where his performance is front and center.

#12. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011)

Fillion’s role: Hal Jordan / Green Lantern (voice)

More Green Lantern, more Fillion. Fans like it as a “mythology sampler” of the Corps, with interlocking stories and a classic
animated-adventure feel. If you enjoy his confident, heroic cadence (and you don’t mind your superhero stories delivered in animated form),
this is a go-to.

#13. Dracula 2000 (2000)

Fillion’s role: Father David

Early-career Fillion in a vampire thriller that screams “turn-of-the-millennium goth lighting.” Fans include it because it’s a time capsule
of the eraand because it’s fun to watch him pop up before he became the internet’s favorite charismatic leading man.

#14. Water’s Edge (2003)

Fillion’s role: Robert Graves

A lesser-known thriller/drama entry that appeals to completionists and fans who like discovering “deep cuts.”
Fillion’s role is central enough to matter, and the movie’s smaller scale makes it feel like you stumbled onto a hidden shelf at a video store
(yes, some of us remember those).

#15. Super (2010)

Fillion’s role: The Holy Avenger

Darkly comedic superhero deconstructionbefore that became a whole streaming category. Fillion shows up as a gleaming, poster-perfect hero figure,
which is hilarious in a movie that’s actively poking at hero worship. Fans like it for its oddball energy, and because seeing him in cape-adjacent mode
feels like a preview of later comic-book connections.

#16. Hollywood Division (2004)

Fillion’s role: Detective Tommy Garrett

A TV-movie pick that fans still vote into the mixoften because they’re following his work chronologically.
If you enjoy “cop story with character focus,” it’s a curiosity worth trying. Think of it as a bridge between early roles and the law-and-order charisma
he’d later perfect on television.

#17. Ordeal in the Arctic (1993)

Fillion’s role: Master Warrant Officer Tom Jardine

Another TV-movie entryand one of the earliest items in the fan ranking. People vote it up for the “look how far he’s come” factor and because survival dramas
tend to age well when they focus on human decisions under pressure. It’s not a starter pick, but it’s a neat historical bookmark in his career.

#18. Reign of the Supermen (2019)

Fillion’s role: Green Lantern (voice)

By now, Fillion’s Green Lantern voice is basically a recurring character in the DC animation universe.
Fans who like the DC animated continuity appreciate this entry for its larger storyline and because it’s another chance to hear him deliver heroic lines
with effortless confidence.

#19. The Suicide Squad (2021)

Fillion’s role: T.D.K. (The Detachable Kid)

A gloriously weird role in a movie that treats “comic-book logic” like a dare. Fillion’s part is small but unforgettableexactly the kind of “I can’t believe he did that”
cameo fans love to bring up at parties. It’s a reminder that he’s willing to be silly, even in big studio chaos.

#20. Superman (2025)

Fillion’s role: Guy Gardner

Fans are still voting this one into position, but the appeal is obvious: Fillion playing Guy Gardner is a “casting chemistry” match. Guy is brash, confident, and
occasionally a walking problemtraits Fillion can play with a wink without turning him into a parody. For superhero fans, it’s also a fun evolution from voicing Green Lantern
to showing up in live action as one.

#21. Night Hunter (2018)

Fillion’s role: Matthew Quinn

A darker thriller option near the bottom of the fan rankingoften discovered by viewers working through his credits. It’s moodier than his most famous work and leans into suspense,
making it a different flavor of Fillion. If you like him best when the charm is dialed down and the tension is dialed up, this is the “try it” pick.

What Fans Seem to Love Most About Nathan Fillion on the Big Screen

• Competence with comedy: Even when the plot turns ridiculous (Slither, DC animation, certain detachable-body-part situations),
  he plays it like a grown-up in the room. That grounded delivery is the jokeand the glue.
• Captain energy: Whether he’s literally a captain (Serenity) or just acting like one, fans respond to the “I’ve got this” vibe,
  especially when it’s paired with visible concern for other people.
• Voice acting that actually acts: His Green Lantern and Steve Trevor performances aren’t “celebrity voices.” They’re character voicesconfident,
  reactive, and emotionally present.
• Range without whiplash: Romantic warmth (Waitress), Shakespearean comedy (Much Ado), horror-comedy (Slither),
  and thrillers (White Noise 2, Night Hunter) all feel like different lanesbut still him.

Where to Start If You’re New to Nathan Fillion Movies

If you want the “most Nathan Fillion per minute,” start with Serenity. If you want a softer, character-first movie night, go Waitress.
If you want proof he can be hilarious in a completely different register, pick Much Ado About Nothing. And if you want to understand why people say
“he should be in more horror-comedy,” hit Slither and enjoy the ride.

Fan Experience: What It’s Like to Marathon “The Best Nathan Fillion Movies”

Watching Nathan Fillion movies back-to-back is its own little fandom vacationpart comfort-watch, part genre roulette.
One minute you’re in a spaceship arguing about survival and loyalty, and the next you’re in a diner where pie is basically a love language.
The fun isn’t just in the plots; it’s in noticing how Fillion’s “screen personality” adapts without disappearing. Fans often describe it as
watching the same core charisma get re-mixed: sometimes it’s a heroic speech, sometimes it’s a perfectly timed “are you kidding me?” look,
and sometimes it’s just a voice line that somehow sounds like a smirk.

A classic fan-marathon move is to pair movies with “matching snacks,” because fandom is nothing if not committed to vibes.
Waitress inspires pie (obviously), Serenity inspires anything you can eat with one hand while you pretend you’re steering a ship,
and Slither inspires… honestly, maybe not chili. You want food that doesn’t make you think too hard about parasites. Fans learn this the hard way.
For the animated DC movies, the snack choice becomes “comic shop energy”: soda, popcorn, and something you’d buy impulsively because the wrapper looks cool.

Another shared experience is the “Fillion Moment” gamewhen everyone in the room calls out the exact second he does the thing people come for:
the half-grin before a risky plan, the calm confidence when everyone else panics, or the sudden sincerity that makes a silly scene feel real.
In Serenity, it’s that captainly steadiness under pressure. In Much Ado, it’s the comedy that comes from taking nonsense very seriously.
In the DC animated entries, it’s the voice that says “space cop” without sounding like it’s trying too hard.

Fans also tend to appreciate the “career timeline whiplash” in a good way. You can jump from an early appearance like Saving Private Ryan
(where it’s a rewarding “hey, that’s him!”) to later work where he’s unmistakably in command of the frame. That contrast makes the marathon feel like a story
about crafthow an actor goes from supporting pieces to anchoring scenes, and how the same strengths (timing, warmth, clarity) scale up as the projects get bigger.

And yes, there’s always a debate segment, because it’s fandom. Someone will argue that Waitress should be #1 because it’s the best movie,
not just the most beloved by sci-fi loyalists. Someone else will say Slither is criminally underappreciated and deserves a higher rank because it’s a cult classic
with genuine comic bite. The DC fans will start naming other animated titles they wish were on the main list, and the group will eventually agree on the one universal truth:
Nathan Fillion is most entertaining when he’s allowed to be brave, funny, and just a little bit exasperated by the world.

If you want the ideal marathon structure, fans often recommend this rhythm: start big (Serenity), go cozy (Waitress),
get weird (Slither), get clever (Much Ado), then finish with animated heroics (Justice League: Doom or Wonder Woman).
It’s the best of all worldsspace, pie, Shakespeare, slime, and superheroesaka a perfectly reasonable weekend plan for a person with excellent taste and zero shame.

Conclusion

Fan rankings are ultimately love letters with numbers attached, and Nathan Fillion’s movie list reads like a fandom mixtape:
the obvious classics (Serenity), the heartfelt crowd-pleasers (Waitress), the “wait, he’s great in this” surprises (Much Ado, Trucker),
and the animated superhero runs that prove he’s as good with a microphone as he is with a sidearm.
Whether you’re here for space-western heroics, smart comedy, or comic-book chaos, the fan consensus is clear: when Fillion shows up, the watchability goes up.

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