As if the casting for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU wasn’t exciting enough, we now know who will portray the villainous Maxwell Lord: None other than Sean Gunn, brother of Superman: Legacy helmer James Gunn. While we don’t know yet if Lord will appear in Legacy (a film already bursting with iconic characters), the casting of Sean Gunn in the role confirms a long-gestating rumor that some of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast members would join the DCU. Nathan Fillion (who appeared in a cameo for Guardians of The Galaxy: Volume 3) is set to appear as the Green Lantern Guy Gardener.
Sean Gunn’s Got Big Shoes to Fill
Sean Gunn won’t be the first actor to bring Maxwell Lord to screen. That honor went to The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984. While that film was received quite divisibly among critics and audiences, most championed Pascal’s turn as the wish-granting businessman as a bright spot in the proceedings.
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However, presuming Superman: Legacy performs well and the rest of the universe moves forward, Gunn will likely have multiple movies to put his stamp on Maxwell Lord whereas Pascal had a one-and-done appearance. That also means that Gunn will have a larger role than ever before (he appeared previously in the Guardians movies, Super, and a bevvy of other James Gunn projects), so we’ll get to see more of his presence and acting range.
Maxwell Lord’s Place in the DCU
While we don’t know when Maxwell Lord will debut in the DCU as of this writing, him being a part of it opens the door for speculation. Given that Lord is commonly a foe for Wonder Woman, him being the universe and the fact that the first “Phase” of that universe is called “Gods and Monsters” implies we could see a new iteration of Wonder Woman soon.
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Until then, we’d likely be seeing the DCU lean into Lord’s status as a prominent businessman, either keeping him as a good Samaritan or slowly revealing him to have malicious intentions. We recently learned that Nicholas Hoult will portray the DCU’s Lex Luthor, so it’s possible those two could be in each other’s circles or eventually team up to try and take down the Justice League.
A Fascinating Future
Of course, James Gunn and Peter Safran haven’t announced any plans for a new Justice League movie yet, so that aspect of Lord’s character likely won’t be in play for a while, if at all. As is normally the case, we won’t know how Maxwell Lord will play into the DCU until James Gunn and Peter Safran want us to know. Given the sheer number of major characters that have been announced to appear in Superman: Legacy (and James Gunn’s assurance that each one is there for story reasons), I imagine that if Lord is introduced there, it will be as a background detail or passing mention.
Gunn has shown his ability to juggle large ensemble casts well with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, so there’s little doubt in my mind that everyone in Legacy will have an important part to play, big or small. For now, we can wait in anticipation for Sean Gunn’s debut as the DCU’s Maxwell Lord, whenever he appears.
What are your thoughts on Sean Gunn’s casting as Maxwell Lord in the DCU? Did you enjoy him in the Guardians of the Galaxy films? How would you use Maxwell Lord in the DCU? Let us know on our Social Media.
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Source: Deadline
