Summary

Sean Gunn, known for his collaboration with brother James Gunn, will play Maxwell Lord in the DCU franchise. James Gunn frequently works with actors he trusts, including Michael Rooker and Nathan Fillion. Other actors have worked with Gunn on multiple projects, such as Sylvester Stallone and Daniela Melchior.

James Gunn has responded to online criticism over his decision to cast his brother Sean in the role of Maxwell Lord in the DCU, a part previously played by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984. Sean Gunn has been a part of many big movies written or directed by brother James Gunn, and it looks like he is going to continue to do so after reportedly being cast in a new villain role within the DCU. Of course, Gunn is already part of the universe being developed by his brother and Peter Safran, providing the vocalizations of Weasel in Creature Commandos, a role that he will seemingly reprise in any live-action project featuring the misfit group that comes along in the future, but that hasn’t stopped him being given another on-screen role according to a report by Deadline.

Now James Gunn has responded to one fan’s comments on Threads, which suggested that the director was lying when he previously discussed actors not playing multiple roles within the DCU. Gunn said:

“I said, very clearly, actors will generally only be playing one character on screen, and said, in the same response, that for voice actors it’s not the same. Sean, Alan Tudyk, Maria Bakalova, Steve Agee, etc, all play multiple roles in Creature Commandos. That doesn’t mean they won’t play different characters onscreen. So, what’s the need you have (and a handful of others) to [so] desperately need to believe I’m lying that you seem to purposefully ignore certain parts of what I said?”

Sean Gunn first played Weasel in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, wearing a motion capture suit and giving the character a voice. However, the role itself was not a substantial one, with the character seemingly meeting his demise in the opening minutes of the movie, only to be revealed to be alive in the movie’s post-credits scene. However, he also played a second role of Calendar Man in the movie as well. Gunn was announced to be part of the voice cast of Creature Commandos when his brother laid out the first wave of movies and shows coming as the new DCU.

As per Deadline’s report, Gunn will now take on the role of Maxwell Lord in the franchise, the evil businessman previously portrayed by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984. The website’s sources do not know whether the character will actually make an appearance in Superman: Legacy, but he “will be referenced in the background,” before making appearances in future projects.

Maxwell Lord made his first appearance in Justice League #1 in 1987, first as an associate of the DC superhero group and helping to form Justice League International. However, he soon became a villain and even gained his own superpowers in the Invasion crossover; the ability to control minds. Whether this will be part of the character’s appearance in the DCU is something that we will probably not discover for a few years yet.

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James Gunn is Known for Sticking with Actors He Knows Can Deliver

Although some fans don’t necessarily see it as a good thing, James Gunn has frequently surrounded himself with actors that he has worked with time and time again. Sean Gunn has previously appeared in all three of his brother’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, playing Kraglin, The Suicide Squad, Super and Tromeo and Juliet, one of James Gunn’s first feature credits as a writer, and several other projects. But it is not just Sean Gunn that has been returning to James’ casting lists multiple times.

Two names in particular that stand out among those to have worked with James Gunn on multiple occasions are Michael Rooker and Nathan Fillion, who have appeared in every movie Gunn has directed to this point. Fillion will be continuing this feat by taking on the role of Green Lantern Guy Gardiner in Superman: Legacy, but last month Gunn debunked a rumor that Rooker would be appearing in the film as Lois Lane’s father, General Sam Lane.

It has recently been rumored that another actor from Gunn’s Marvel movies could be joining the upcoming Superman reboot, in the form of Kurt Russell. The veteran actor played the role of Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the father of Peter Quill aka Star Lord, and he recently responded to suggestions that he could be taking on another fatherly role, as Jor-El in the DCU.

Other stars who have already appeared in multiple Gunn projects include Sylvester Stallone, Steve Agee, Mikaela Hoover, Daniela Melchior and Jennifer Holland. Gunn previously responded to online complaints about his casting “favoritism,” making it clear that he works with people who he trusts to deliver the best performance for a role, which just happens to sometimes be those he has worked with before.

Superman: Legacy is set to be released on July 11, 2025.