New Superman Rumor Claims How Sean Gunn’s Maxwell Lord Will Be Used, And I Find It Hilariously Ironic

Just like how he played Kraglin and the on-set Rocket Raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy saga, Sean Gunn has multiple roles under his belt over in the DC Universe, which is also spearheaded by his brother James. We’ve already seen/heard him as Weasel in The Suicide Squad and Creature Commandos, and the latter animated series, which can be streamed with a Max subscription, also saw him voicing G.I. Robot. On top of that, we’ll meet Sean’s version of Maxwell Lord in James Gunn’s Superman. There’s now a new rumor claiming how Lord will be used in the upcoming DC movie, and if it’s true, I find it hilariously ironic for source material reasons.

With just two months to go until Superman flies onto the 2025 movies schedule, Sean Gunn recently confirmed that he’s “kinda in” the reboot, and that only happened because he got permission from James, who wrote the screenplay and directed, to say something. If online scooper MyTimeToShineHello (via ComicBookMovie) is to be believed, we’ll barely see Maxwell Lord in the DC Universe’s first movie, with them saying:

Before going any further, I should point out that even if Maxwell Lord only appears in this one scene, his influence is expected to be felt throughout Superman. That’s because it seems like he’s the sponsor of the superhero team in the movie that’s comprised of Mr. Terrific, Guy Gardner, Hawkeye and Metamorpho. So while Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor has sinister plans in motion during Superman, at least Lord is looking to accomplish some good with these heroes that will fight alongside David Corenswet’s Clark Kent

That being said, to have a line like this come out of Maxwell Lord’s mouth, whether it’s the exact thing he says or just an approximation, is funny considering that like Lex Luthor, Lord also becomes a supervillain in the comics. Initially presented as the Justice League International’s benefactor, he later gained mind control powers and shifted to a full-blown criminal mastermind, with his most despicable act arguably being when he shot Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, in the head. Pedro Pascal’s Maxwell Lord also served as Wonder Woman 1984’s main antagonist, although his MO differed greatly from his printed page predecessor.

While it’s too early to say with 100% certainty if Sean Gunn’s Maxwell Lord will turn to the dark side, I’d say the chances are pretty strong. Gunn will be playing the character across the entire DC Universe, and while we don’t know yet when he’ll be prominently feature in one of the forthcoming movies or perhaps one of the upcoming DC TV shows, I find it hard to believe that he’ll just be running this superhero team. If/when the day comes he goes full baddie, then maybe there will be a fellow billionaire industrialist insulting him on TV.

It won’t be much longer until our first taste of Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, as Superman flies into theaters on July 11. We’ll also hear more of the actor as Weasel and G.I. Robot whenever Creature Commandos Season 2 premieres on Max.