Shadow Moon’s journey continues in American Gods season 2, and the Starz series is introducing a host of new deities as Mr. Wednesday tries to recruit allies for his war against the New Gods. As forces gather on both sides, American Gods has added cast members like Dean Winters as Mr. Town and Sakina Jaffrey as Mama-ji, while Kristin Chenoweth (Easter) and Gillian Anderson (Media) have both left the cast.
Based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, American Gods follows Shadow, an ex-convict who finds himself caught up in a war between the Old Gods who were brought to America by previous generations of immigrants, and New Gods like Technical Boy and Media, who were born in America and have grown powerful from their recent decades of devoted worshippers. Now the old and new gods are being driven into a war, led by Mr. Wednesday on one side and Mr. World on the other, and caught up in it all are Shadow and his wife, Laura, who has returned from the dead with the help of a certain lucky coin.
American Gods has experienced a shake-up behind the scenes, with original showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green leaving and Jesse Alexander taking the reins. Disputes over the show’s budget and direction meant that season 2 was a long time coming, so fans may have forgotten who’s-who in the pantheon of American Gods. Here’s our guide to the show’s cast and characters - both new and returning.
- This Page: Shadow, Mr. Wednesday, and Other Main Characters Page 2: The Jinn, Czernobog, and Other Gods and Mortals Page 3: The New Gods: Mr. World, New Media, and More
Shadow Moon - Ricky Whittle
An ordinary human, Shadow was in prison for robbing a casino when the series began. He was released slightly early with the devastating news that his wife, Laura, had been killed in a car crash while cheating on Shadow with his best friend. With the life he had planned to return to gone, Shadow found himself hired as a bodyguard by a mysterious stranger called Mr. Wednesday. As the two of them embarked on a road trip, Shadow learned about the existence of the Old Gods and New Gods, and at one point was literally lynched for his loyalty to Mr. Wednesday. That didn’t scare him off, however, and Shadow is ready to join the fight in season 2.
Mr. Wednesday - Ian McShane
Dramatically revealed to be none other than the Norse god Odin at the end of season 1, Mr. Wednesday is an experienced manipulator who always has a few tricks up his sleeve. In season 2, he calls the Old Gods to assemble at bizarre Wisconsin tourist attraction The House on the Rock, where he warns of the threat that the New Gods pose to their existence and tries to convince them that a war is inevitable.
Mad Sweeney - Pablo Schreiber
An old friend of Mr. Wednesday’s, Mad Sweeney is a leprechaun who was brought to America by Irish immigrants. His godly superpower used to be incredibly good luck, until he mistakenly gave away his lucky gold coin to Shadow Moon, who then threw it on his wife’s grave. Now Mad Sweeney is stuck following Laura Moon around in the hope of eventually getting his coin back. As for Mr. Wednesday’s war… well, Sweeney is always up for a fight.
Laura Moon - Emily Browning
That casino robbery that Shadow (almost) pulled off was planned by his wife, Laura Moon, who met Shadow when she was working as a dealer at the casino. While her husband was behind bars, Laura carried on an affair with his friend Robbie, which ended abruptly when Laura and Robbie were both killed in a car accident. However, when Shadow threw Mad Sweeney’s lucky gold coin onto Laura’s grave she was resurrected as a slowly decomposing corpse, and now has the unique ability to track Shadow wherever he goes, seeing him as a bright light on the horizon.
Bilquis - Yetide Badaki
Based on the Queen of Sheba, Bilquis is a goddess of love - but don’t be fooled into thinking she’s all hearts and flowers. She has the power to inspire adoration and lust in mortals and offer them heights of unimaginable pleasure, but Bilquis’ love is all-consuming… literally. After coming to America, Bilquis experienced a famine of worshippers and sacrifice and became weakened, but after being introduced to the wonders of the internet by Technical Boy she has since become rejuvenated.
Mr. Nancy - Orlando Jones
Mr. Nancy, also known as Anansi, hails from West Africa and was brought to America by African slaves. In the original mythology he often takes the form of the spider, and in America Gods Mr. Nancy is frequently surrounded by spiders who do his bidding. Nancy is a born storyteller, supposedly having an omniscient knowledge of all the stories in the world, and frequently tells stories to his companions (whether they want to hear them or not)
Page 2: The Jinn, Czernobog, and Other Gods and Mortals
The Jinn - Mousa Kraish
An ifrit who hails from the Middle East, the Jinn was introduced in season 1 working a humble job as a taxi driver. His true nature reveals itself through his eyes, which are filled with flames, so the Jinn must conceal them by wearing large shades whenever he is around mortals. In American Gods season 2, the Jinn returns at the House on the Rock, where he works as a kind of doorman for Mr. Wednesday - deciding who may join the meeting of the Old Gods.
Salim - Omid Abtahi
A recent immigrant to America, Salim had an unsuccessful career attempting to sell tourist baubles and trinkets before he took a fateful taxi ride with the Jinn. The two men bonded over their shared heritage and had a passionate night together, during which the Jinn revealed his true nature. In season 2, Salim desperately wants to reconnect with the Jinn, and finally tracks him down at the House on the Rock.
Mr. Ibis - Demore Barnes
One of two Egyptian gods that run the Ibis and Jacquel Funeral Parlor, Mr. Ibis appears to be based on the ibis-headed god Thoth, who represents writing and wisdom. Mr. Ibis (like Mr. Nancy) is a recorder and teller of stories, and has told some of American Gods’ “Coming to America” stories. In season 1, Mr. Ibis and his partner repaired Laura after she crawled out of her grave. Though he only made a couple of appearances in season 1, Mr. Ibis may have a prominent role in American Gods season 2, as Wednesday and Shadow will pay a visit to his funeral parlor.
Mr. Jacquel - Chris Obi
Based on the Egyptian god of death and embalming, Anubis, Mr. Jacquel runs the funeral parlor with Mr. Ibis and often takes the form of a a black jackal (in Egyptian mythology, Anubis has the head of a jackal). In season 1, we saw Mr. Jacquel usher a woman into the afterlife following her death, weighing her heart on a scale to judge whether or not she has led a good life. Mr. Jacquel is expected to return along with Mr. Ibis in American Gods season 2.
Czernobog - Peter Stormare
A death god of Slavic origins, Czernobog prides himself on being able to give a good death. After coming to America he worked as a cow-knocker at a slaughterhouse, and still wields his trusty sledgehammer. In season 1, Czernobog and Shadow played a high-stakes game of checkers that Shadow lost, with Czernobog’s prize being to hit Shadow on the head with his hammer. However, Shadow persuaded Czernobog to play a second game, and this time he managed to win. Now the deal is that Czernobog has to help Wednesday with his war, but once he’s done he still gets to hit Shadow with his hammer.
Zorya Vechernyaya - Cloris Leachman
Zorya Vechernyaya also comes from Slavic mythology, and traveled to America with Czernobog and her siblings. She is the eldest of three sisters, all called Zorya, and represents the Evening Star, with her sisters representing the Morning Star and Midnight Star. Zorya has the ability to read people’s fortunes, and did so for Wednesday in season 1. She and Wednesday are close and appear to have a romantic history. Along with Czernobog, Zorya comes to the House of the Rock to hear Wednesday’s plans for war.
Mama-ji - Sakina Jaffrey
One of the new gods introduced in American Gods season 2, Mama-ji is actually Kali, the Hindu goddess of war. That might make her seem like an easy ally for Mr. Wednesday and his planned conflict with the New Gods, but she initially dismisses his call to war as “nonsense,” arguing that the Old Gods have lived in peace for a long time, and that they should wait for the trouble to pass. In her day-to-day life, Mama-ji works as a housekeeper at a motel.
Samantha Black Crow - Devery Jacobs
Another mortal, and a new addition to American Gods in season 2, Sam Black Crow is a half-Cherokee college student, who meets Shadow when he gives her a lift as she is hitchhiking back home. In the book, Sam’s time spent with Shadow makes her a target for Mr. Town and the other spooks.
Page 3: The New Gods: Mr. World, New Media & More
Mr. World - Crispin Glover
Just as Mr. Wednesday is the ringleader and main driving force behind the upcoming war among the New Gods, Mr. World is the leader of the New Gods and is similarly eager to destroy the Old Gods. Broadly speaking, Mr. World represents globalization, making him a powerful deity, with his reach and influence extending beyond America’s shore. Unlike Wednesday, Mr. World prefers an insidious takeover to outright war, and hopes to eradicate the Old Gods through “mergers” that would incorporate them with the New Gods - killing them softly. Needless to say, Wednesday is not particularly receptive to this idea.
Technical Boy - Bruce Langley
The youngest and brattiest of the New Gods, Technical Boy is arrogant and undeniably powerful, but is nonetheless effectively Mr. World’s lapdog. He represents (as the name suggests) technology in all its forms, from computers to smartphones, and therefore has a massive amount of influence and power in America. Unlike Mr. World, Technical Boy is impatient when it comes to getting rid of the Old Gods and prefers violence and force to persuasion. He was responsible for Shadow’s lynching in season 1.
New Media - Kahyun Kim
Media may be gone, but there’s a New Media in town. Whereas Anderson’s version of the character was born in the early days of television, magazines, and pop music, manifesting in the forms of celebrities like David Bowie and Lucy Ricardo. New Media, however, is an evolved version of the character - born from social media and entertainment hubs like YouTube and Netflix, with a talent for manipulating the way that people think that surpasses even her previous form.
Mr. Town - Dean Winters
Another new addition to American Gods season 2’s cast, Mr. Town is one of Mr. World’s “Spooks,” and he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Fans have theorized that Mr. Town and the other Spooks represents people’s belief in government agents working behind the scenes to manipulate society. Like his fellow Spook, Mr. Wood, Mr. Town may have been an Old God who decided to ally himself with the New Gods when he saw them taking power.
