How Superman's Maxwell Lord Is Different From DCEU Version Teased By Veteran James Gunn Actor

The DC Universe actor portraying Maxwell Lord in Superman opens up about how the franchise will tackle the character. While Gunn's DC Universe will start this December with the Creature Commandos TV show on Max, the franchise's film presence won't commence until 2025 with the Superman film. Gunn's Superman movie is currently in post-production, following principal photography having been completed very recently.

In a new interview with TheWrap, James Gunn's brother and fellow actor Sean Gunn, who is set to play multiple roles in the DC Universe, was asked if he could reveal anything new about Maxwell Lord in the Superman movie. While keeping spoilers under wraps, Gunn teased that this take on Maxwell will be significantly different, sharing the following:

I can’t talk too much about it. I can say that my brother James and I did discuss… what reference materials from the canon were relevant to my process. I love doing my own music. I can’t say that much, other than we did talk about relevant materials, and we discussed the character in detail on before I dove in. We referenced, no live performances of the character. It’s all from written materials with things that we figure we’re looking at.

How Maxwell Lord Fits Into James Gunn's Superman Movie

It Might Have To Do With LordTech.

Even though Gunn wasn't seen in any of the Superman set photos, Maxwell's presence in the movie has been made clear in the form of his company, LordTech. The LordTech company logo was spotted in many set photos, confirming that Maxwell is indeed factoring into the story. It may simply be that all of Gunn's scenes as Maxwell were not part of the exterior shoots.

However, a storyline that may have already been revealed thanks to Superman set photos is that several heroes are seemingly working for LordTech. During the principal photography, the LordTech logo was seen on Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific's costumes, suggesting that they may actually be working for him. It sets up the idea of some superheroes in this version of the DC Universe working for corporations, while David Corenswet's Superman is more of a traditional superhero.

Despite Metamorpho not being seen in any set images, he might likely be working for LordTech, too. It would certainly put Maxwell in a new light from past live-action versions that have leaned more into him being a supervillain. Hopefully, whenever the first Superman trailer is released, Maxwell's full role in the film will get teased in some capacity.