One of the most exciting supervillains of the rebooted DC Universe might not be a villain at all, according to his actor from 2025’s Superman. James Gunn’s Superman reboot got the new DCU off to a strong start by pitting David Corenswet’s Clark Kent against some powerful villains. As well as Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), Ultraman (Corenswet), and Angela Spica’s Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), another new DCU villain made his debut in Superman ahead of further development in upcoming projects, but new comments suggest he might not be as villainous as we first thought.
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“To call the character a villain is certainly not something that is leading the way for me as I tackle the character,” Sean Gunn mentioned during conversation with TheWrap at Fan Expo Chicago, when speaking about his debut as DC villain Maxwell Lord in Superman. “I think he’s a lot more nuanced than that. And I don’t really see the problem with what he’s doing so far.” Gunn takes over from Supergirl’s Peter Facinelli and Wonder Woman 1984’s Pedro Pascal in the role of Maxwell Lord, but his iteration is very different.
How Will Sean Gunn’s Maxwell Lord Differ From the DCU’s Other Villains?
We haven’t seen much of Maxwell Lord yet, but Gunn has already spoken about how he differs from other iconic DCU villains, such as Lex Luthor. “I can tell you that I mean it when I say Lex Luthor sucks,” revealed Gunn. “Our companies, LordTech and Luther Corp., are in direct kind of conflict with each other. But he’s the evil side of corporate greed, and I think that LordTech is the altruistic corporation that really wants to make the world a better place, and I’m putting my money where my mouth is by trying to help this Justice Gang achieve a better world for everybody.”
Briefly seen in Superman, Maxwell Lord laughed about Lex Luthor’s arrest at the end of the movie, highlighting their rivalry. Lord is the billionaire founder of LordTech, and often depicted as an adversary to Wonder Woman and the Justice League in DC Comics, but he is the benefactor of the Justice Gang in Superman – comprising Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and, now, Metamorpho – and seems to want to do good. While this could change in upcoming DCU projects, he has more complexities and deeper layers than other outright evil villains, which makes him a very exciting new character.
Sean Gunn will next be seen as Maxwell Lord in the upcoming Peacemaker season 2 alongside returning members of the Justice Gang. It’s unclear where Lord’s story will go from there, but his obsession with controlling and manipulating superpowered individuals could make him a threat to any number of upcoming DCU characters. Maxwell Lord is more than just a villain in the DCU, but he could still become a significant danger working behind the scenes.
Did you enjoy Sean Gunn’s cameo as Maxwell Lord in 2025’s Superman? Let us know in the comments!
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