Since taking the helm of DC Films and ushering in the era of the new DC Universe, James Gunn has made some big changes to characters we’ve previously seen on screen, for better or for worse. Most of those changes stem from the transition into Gunn’s take on the DC pantheon after the end of Zack Snyder’s DCEU, and comparisons between those two cinematic visions for DC’s characters aren’t likely to end any time soon, with one character whose portrayal especially seemed to surprise fans across the board
Though we’ve only seen relatively little of him, those who have watched Superman and Peacemaker have been surprised by the characterization of fictional magnate Maxwell Lord, played by Sean Gunn. Thus far, Lord hasn’t behaved like the villain he’s become in modern DC Comics or like the version of Lord played by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984.
In Superman, Lord only briefly appears, but his company LordTech are referenced throughout the film, most notably as the entity funding the Justice Gang. Lord then popped up in the season opener of Peacemaker Season 2, interviewing Peacemaker for poteintial induction into the Justice Gang. Both instances are pretty stand-up behavior, and since Lord has been an antagonist both in Wonder Woman 1984 and The CW series Supergirl, Gunn hopped on Threads to clear up any confusion regarding the character’s introduction into the DCU, harkening back to Lord’s original DC Comcis characterization.
“Max was retconned as a sort of muscular evildoer after originally being conceived by @jm.dematteis as a multi-layered character who was morally gray,” Gunn wrote. “Along with skinny Amanda Waller, it wasn’t one of my favorite comic reimaginings. Our Max is inspired by the originally version. So don’t be waiting for him to shoot Blue Beetle in the face.”
Is Maxwell Lord a DC Villain?
Maxwell Lord was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire, and made his comics debut in 1987, in Justice League #1. Born into his wealth, Lord was inspired by his father who strived to use his power and influence to always do what was right. After Lord’s father committed suicide, unable to bear the guilt that his company had created a carcinogenic product, Lord’s mother encouraged Max to follow in his father’s footsteps. From there, Lord was influential in creating a new version of the Justice League (which serves as the main inspiration for the DCU’s Justice Gang) with Max serving as the team’s financial backer and morally complex friend and ally.
That all changed in the 2000s. Lord reemerged in Countdown to Infinite Crisis, his background retconned so that he’d long been a villain gathering intel on the worlds’ heroes for nefarious purposes and purposely sabotaging his Justice League team to make them a laughingstock.
As Gunn alludes to in his post, when Blue Beetle Ted Kord — a former friend of Lord’s and member of his Justice League team — discovers Lord’s plan to eliminate all superhumans with an army of OMACs (One Man Army Corps, humanoid-looking robot killing machines), Lord shoots Kord in the face without a moment’s hestiation. This sets the DC Comics Universe on the path to the massive Infinite Crisis event of 2005-2006, during which Wonder Woman is forced to snap Lord’s neck, killing him, in order to foil his plans.
Lord recently returned to the DC Comics universe in the current run of The New Gods, by Ram V, Evan Cagle, and a string of featured guest artists, which is part of the “DC All In” initiative involving DC’s Absolute comics. Lord appears to again be a full-fledged villain, having somehow been marked by Darkseid.
For now, it seems that Gunn has opted hew his version of Lord more closely to how the character was written prior to the Infinite Crisis retcon. While it may not be what the fans were expecting from the character, having Maxwell Lord occupy a morally grey area allows for the filmmaker to get more mileage from the businessman as the Justice Gang continues to grow and likely become the Justice League in the DCU.
Furthermore, Lord’s moral greyness also makes him a fascinating foil to his rival Lex Luthor. Having the two billionaires start in different places on the morality spectrum adds much more texture and possibility to the DCU too, ensuring that all who occupy universe are three-dimensional and entertaining to watch.
Do you agree with James Gunn’s take on Maxwell Lord? Let us know the comments!
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