James Gunn responds to criticism about the replacement of Pedro Pascal with Sean Gunn, who will now take on the role of Maxwell Lord

The director has spoken out in response to online criticism regarding his decision to cast his brother Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord in the DCU, a role previously filled by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984.

Here's What We Know

Sean isn't the first to be involved in his brother's films and, for the most part, he's already a part of the DC universe as he voices Weasel in Creature Commandos. But fans, not that with much joy, reacted to the information that he will be taking on the role of Maxwell Lord.

One fan, even tried to catch James in Threads, mentioning the director's words that one actor can't play two roles in the new DC universe. Of course, Gunn Sr. responded:

"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?"

Like it or not, we'll have to accept the fact that Maxwell Lord will now be played by Gunn Jr.

As a reminder, Maxwell Lord first appeared in "Justice League #1" in 1987, first as an ally of the DC superhero group and a member of the formation of League International. However, he soon became a villain and even gained his own superpowers in the "Invasion" storyline - the ability to control minds.

It is not yet known if the character will appear in "Superman: Legacy". We'll have to wait until 11 July 2025 to find out.

Source: MovieWeb