James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s rebooted DC Universe has found its Maxwell Lord in Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn.
As broken by Deadline, Sean Gunn has been cast as the DCU‘s Maxwell Lord, an evil businessman and frequent adversary of Wonder Woman. The outlet reports that Maxwell Lord will be “referenced in the background” of James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, the first big-screen entry in the new DCU. It’s currently unclear if Sean Gunn will make a physical cameo in the film. Nevertheless, he will definitely appear as Maxwell Lord in future DCU installments.
Pedro Pascal previously played a version of Maxwell Lord in Patty Jenkins’ 2020 DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman 1984. The Wonder Woman villain is the latest character to be recast for the new DCU. For instance, Superman: Legacy stars David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, and Jesse Eisenberg previously occupied those respective roles in the DCEU.
That said, not every role will be recast. James Gunn has confirmed the DCEU alums John Cena, Viola Davis, and Xolo Maridueña will reprise their roles as Peacemaker, Amanda Waller, and Blue Beetle, respectively, in the DCU.
Sean Gunn’s various comic book movie roles
All that being said, Maxwell Lord will not be Sean Gunn’s only role in the DC Universe. The actor is also set to voice both Weasel and G.I. Robot in the upcoming Max animated series Creature Commandos — which kicks off the new DCU in 2024.
On that note, Sean Gunn is certainly no stranger to playing multiple characters in big superhero franchises. He actually originated the role of Weasel in brother James Gunn’s 2021 DCEU film The Suicide Squad. Sean also made a brief cameo as the DC villain Calendar Man in that film.
Additionally, Sean starred as Kraglin Obfonteri in James’ Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy of Marvel Cinematic Universe films. While Kraglin was technically Sean’s only on-screen MCU role, he also provided motion-capture performances for characters like Rocket Raccoon and Thanos.
As for Maxwell Lord, it remains to be seen how big a role the character will play in James Gunn’s new DCU. Thus far, the only directly Wonder Woman-related project on Gunn and Safran’s slate is the live-action Max series Paradise Lost. However, that show is a prequel of sorts, taking place on Themyscira prior to Wonder Woman’s birth.
DC Studios‘ Superman: Legacy opens in theaters on July 11, 2025.
