American Gods NYCC panel reveals season 3 trailer, Shadow Moon might be a god

The NYCC American Gods panel tried desperately to avoid spoilers as they discussed the new season and unveiled a season 3 trailer. We also (sort of) have a timeline for when it premieres on STARZ.

There was a new American Gods cast member who joined the New York Comic Con panel this year: Ashley Reyes, as Cordelia, who will help Mr. Wednesday with technical stuff, unaware of the celestial war he’s waging among the conflicting gods who exist among unsuspecting mortals on earth. She was joined by cast regulars Ricky Whittle (always a delight, looking cool and casual, leaning against his wall surrounded by American Gods posters, as Shadow Moon), Omid Abtahi,  (Salim), Bruce Langley (Technical Boy), Yetide Badaki (Bilquist), Emily Browning (Laura Moon), and novel creator Neil Gaiman.

During the panel, we got the premiere date for American Gods’ upcoming season. Well, not an exact date, but expect these meddlesome gods to wreak havoc among mortals in early 2021 on STARZ.

The trailer released gave us a first glimpse at new cast member Marilyn Manson. But the big theme we dissected was that Shadow Moon seems to be accepting that Mr. Wednesday (Odin, played by Ian McShane) is his father, and he’s taken it one step further. “I am a god,” says Moon at the end of the Earth-shattering trailer.

Watch the season three trailer for American Gods here:

Apart from Shadow Moon’s complicated relationship with his father (revealed last season), he will be traveling to the famous lakeside location, a pivotal point in the original American Gods novel by Neil Gaiman. Crispin Glover’s eerie Mr. World is featured in the trailer, but so are the other iterations of the character, played by Danny Trejo and Dominique Jackson. (I’m relieved Glover isn’t gone; he really owns this role, to be honest, but I’m curious about Trejo’s and Jackson’s take on World as well.) Enemies abound everywhere. But not before we got a fun concert bit from Marilyn Manson, who will be joining the cast this year. If the trailer is any indication, the new season should be gorgeously creative.

Although American Gods has been mired in controversy since the mixed reception for the second season (with writer/showrunner issues and the shameful firing of Orlando Jones — who is, I have to admit, sorely missed on this series), the show seems to have found a new groove this season. Whittle was asked how season three compares with past ones and he noted that it was more efficient and had greater cohesion. (This is a good sign because that was badly needed last season.) He was also very happy to talk about making it to the lakeside location, where his storyline flourishes in the novel. He said he has more interaction with the gamut of actors in season three.

Emily Browning mentioned that we will find out more about her backstory and why she is the way she is. She also teams up again with Salim. Both she and Omid Abtahi talked about how their characters help each other recover from losing their connection with their loved ones. Abtahi indicated that the two of them serve as “mirrors for each other.” Browning noted that their most exciting scene is the two of them talking in a room, which she promised was far more rousing than it seemed! She also described “going from dead to more dead.” Make of that what you will. Anything is possible on this crazy show!

Bruce Langley noted that among the Mr. Worlds, Danny Trejo is the one who could most easily kill him. As seen in the trailer, Langley’s Technical Boy seems to be in a world of hurt. Langley noted that he “loses access of what makes him, him,” and that he is “stripped bare,” and does not have a “positive working environment,” noting that Mr. World (whichever one) has Technical Boy on a “short leash,” which is “getting tighter.”

Meanwhile American Gods’ Shadow Moon is embarking on an identity crisis, indicated Ricky Whittle, after the revelation that his dad is the all-powerful Mr. Wednesday/Odin. Whittle added that this has Shadow Moon questioning if he’s “meant for bigger things.” Whittle also dropped that among the characters he connects with his on his journeys this season is Peter Stomare’s Czernobog (yay!).

To check out the full American Gods panel from NYCC, click here.

So there you have it, folks. What did you think of the new American Gods trailer? Are you excited about the various Mr. Worlds? The third season of American Gods will be here early 2021 on STARZ. Stay tuned here for more NYCC news.