American Gods cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the 2017 fantasy drama adaptation?

Based on Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel of the same name, American Gods premiered its first season in 2017. The third and final season aired in 2021, and after that, the show was canceled. The official synopsis of American Gods reads,

“Ex-convict Shadow Moon roams a world he doesn't understand, left adrift by the recent, tragic death of his wife. Little does he know his life is about to change after he meets a crafty, charismatic con man named Mr. Wednesday, who offers Shadow a job as his bodyguard.”

The synopsis continues,

“As their journey begins, Shadow encounters a hidden America where magic is real and fear grows over the ascending power of New Gods like Technology and Media. In a grand plan to combat the threat, Mr. Wednesday attempts to unite the Old Gods to defend their existence and rebuild the influence that they've lost, leaving Shadow struggling to accept this new world and his place in it.”

The show featured great actors, which further elevated the story. Let us now explore the cast and character details of American Gods.

Cast and character guide of American Gods

Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon

Ricky Whittle plays Shadow Moon, the protagonist, in American Gods. His character is introduced as a convicted felon who has only a few days before he can leave for home. However, as a result of a tragedy, he gets home earlier than expected, though he has no home to call his own. Shadow has the strength of an ox and is also great with coin tricks.

Ian McShane as Mr. Wednesday

Ian McShane stars as Mr. Wednesday in American Gods, and one of his eyes is fake. He sees potential in Shadows, which prompts him to hire him as a bodyguard and enlist him for the war that would inevitably come. Mr. Wednesday is also secretly a god of old.

Yetide Badaki as Bilquis

Bilquis is another addition to the list of Gods, who operates on a complicated sense of loyalty. A creature of ancient origin, Bilquis feeds on lust, love, and sexual devotion. In the comics, she features in one of the best and most terrifying scenes in the first episode of the show. Moreover, her role and character were expanded to give her more space in the show.

Other characters in American Gods

Besides them, several other cast members portraying new and old gods are featured in the show. This list includes,

Pablo Schreiber as Mad Sweeney, who loves a good fight and is included by Mr. Wednesday in his troop
Cloris Leachman as Zorya Vechernyaya, who is one of three Slavic gods
Orlando Jones as Mr. Nancy, another one of Mr. Wednesday’s troop, is an African god who is capable of tricking people into acting on his behalf
Peter Stormare as Czernobog, who is another one of the Slavic gods and possesses a huge hammer with which he likes to smash heads
Bruce Langley as Technical Boy, who is a new god and vapes on dehydrated skins of toads
Crispin Glover as Mr. World, the one heading the new gods and inevitably coming heads with Mr. Wednesday and his troop.

American Gods can be streamed on the Starz app.