credit: American Gods
It’s a little saddening to realize that there won’t be a season 4 of American Gods, but it’s also kind of easy to think that the show was going downhill in a very real way since the level of exposition far outweighed the action and excitement that was going into the series. Even the storytelling was beginning to fall apart in a way, and it’s not tough to see that the fans were beginning to drift away. There is the possibility of a movie, as the author, Neil Gaiman, has been heard to state, but until that happens, it’s best not to hold your breath simply because this is an idea that felt as though it was about to be something great, at least until the story derailed itself in a very confusing way. Trying to draw upon so many different mythological tales is kind of difficult since, at one point or another, they were bound to collide with one another and expose inconsistencies in the history of the world that would end up affecting the story in a manner that wouldn’t be easy to come back from. But the adherence to Norse mythology was interesting for a while since it was a big focus. But as far as the characters went, the storylines were a lot of fun since they went off in a number of different directions.
With that in mind, here are five of the best characters from American Gods.
5. Mr. World
credit: American Gods
The simple name might have sounded a bit silly at first, but when attached to the implications of who this character really is and what he/she can do, it became a little tougher to laugh since Mr. World showed up in a few different forms over the course of three seasons. This character is dangerous largely because in a world as connected as ours, Mr. World can be anywhere and everywhere all at once it would appear, especially since, from one connection to another, there are so many different ways that this new god could appear. Using its many servants, this technological deity could end up making life very difficult for the old gods whenever the desire arose.
4. Mr. Nancy
credits: American Gods
One would need to read up a little on the history of the deities featured throughout the three seasons of this show since some of them are fairly accurate as they were written, while a few others might have needed a bit of a touch here and there just to be kept on the level. But Anansi, or Mr. Nancy, was a fun character portrayed by Orlando Jones since he was all attitude and yet was very practical at times as well. His appearance as a tailor in this series is kind of amusing, but his place in the pantheon of gods that take part in the preparations for the war to come was kind of a conditional one. It’s a little upsetting that he didn’t get to take part in season 3.
3. Mad Sweeney
credit: American Gods
Ah, poor Mad Sweeney, to go from being a man of power and respect to being a Leprechaun of tall, powerful stature but ill repute all the same. This guy could have lasted a little longer, save for the fact that he lost his lucky coin and therefore started to experience some of the worst luck of anyone alive. His intro into the series was great since he presented a challenge to Shadow Moon that felt insurmountable, given that his strength and ability to take pain was more than Shadow could overcome that easily. But the fact that he didn’t survive to the third season was kind of sad since he would have been a great addition that might have made things go a little smoother.
2. Shadow Moon
credit: American Gods
It’s very easy to feel sorry for Shadow Moon in this series since the guy loses his wife initially, finds out she was cheating on him at the time of her death, and eventually, he ends up being taken on by Mr. Wednesday as his man. In other words, Shadow’s world was shattered when he was sent to prison, which is where he started out this series, but it was torn apart when he was released, and even being in Mr. Wednesday’s employ doesn’t really do much to put the pieces back together. If anything, his story is one that doesn’t have an abundance of happy moments since the flashbacks that show his past aren’t always that great. But somehow, he keeps going, which makes him one of the toughest characters in the story.
1. Mr. Wednesday
credit: American Gods
There have been a few different representations of Odin throughout the years, and this one is kind of playful but in a very deceitful and even playful manner. Mr. Wednesday doesn’t deny being a liar, a manipulator, a swindler, and many other things, but he does his best to justify his deeds as one of the old gods. His path from the beginning is hard to figure out since he seeks to ally with several old gods but sends a few of them off to dispatch for one reason or another. His fight against the new gods feels doomed at times, but as it’s established throughout three seasons, Mr. Wednesday is never without a trick up his sleeve.