Which gods will you meet on American Gods?

American Gods / Starz

Brush up on your mythology and get to know the powers that be in the Starz adaptation of American Gods.

The April 30 premiere of American Gods is almost here and to get you good and ready, Starz has been rolling out brief promos introducing the key deities of the show. In addition to the core group of gods, the show appears to have increased the roles of some of those featured in the “Coming to America” interludes that appear throughout Neil Gaiman’s novel.

Here’s who you can expect to see grace the screen, but first some housekeeping.

While major characters and members of the social media #GodSquad, Shadow Moon and his undead wife Laura are not included here as they are not, strictly speaking, gods.

Also, there’s a certain degree of spoiler inherent to this guide. Part of the fun of Gaiman’s novel, and presumably the show as well, is seeing how the gods have blended into society. The reveal of who they really are and once were, then, is both puzzle and, in some cases, plot twist. Proceed with fair warning.

Mr. Wednesday / Old Gods

Played by Ian McShane, Mr. Wednesday is the self-proclaimed leader of the Old Gods. He’s also the one who hires Shadow for his quest to recruit and unite the other Old Gods for war. Mr. Wednesday is introduced as a “con man,” but he and his nom de guerre come from ancient Norse mythology, if your interested in learning more about his leadership lineage.