Following years of him including his friends and collaborators in his films, director James Gunn has confirmed which Guardians of the Galaxy stars make a cameo in Superman. The principal cast of the latter film includes David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Edi Gathegi, Isabela Merced, Anthony Carrigan, and Nathan Fillion. Previously, several Guardians of the Galaxy stars were either confirmed or speculated to appear in Superman, including Smallville’s Lex Luthor, Michael Rosenbaum.
Recently, however, Gunn outright stated who from his prior superhero trilogy will be in the film and in which roles. Speaking with Buzzfeed, he stated: “I will give you something that nobody knows, but Pom Klementieff is one of the robots. It’s Bradley [Cooper] and then it’s also Pom and Michael Rooker is another one of the robots.” When asked about other Guardians of the Galaxy actors Dave Bautista and Zoe Saldana, the director quipped that he was “keeping them in the wings.”
This reveal contextualizes previous comments the director made regarding potential connections between Superman and Guardians. When asked by a fan, Gunn, rather than confirming any references, responded: “I didn’t place any Guardians Easter eggs… but I may have placed a few Guardians who are Easter eggs. If that makes sense.“
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The director’s confirmation suggests that all of the robots who work as Superman’s helpers in the Fortress of Solitude are voiced by his friends or collaborators. This theory has been prevalent since Alan Tudyk was confirmed as voicing one of them. Gunn is known for sprinkling in cameos, so former Guardians of the Galaxy stars cropping up seemed inevitable. Though speculation naturally wandered to the robots, previous reports have indicated that some of these cameos may be more substantial. For example, Cooper was suspected to play Superman’s birth father, Jor-El.
While Cooper portraying Jor-El would be a more substantial role, including the Guardians of the Galaxy cast in smaller voice parts is a fun nod to the audience and Gunn’s filmography. Moreover, performing a speaking-only role doesn’t preclude any of the actors from appearing as a more significant character down the line. As for Bautista and Saldana, both are talented performers who could fit a myriad of DC heroes and villains, though Saldana may be harder to book after her Academy Award win. Nonetheless, Superman’s numerous cameos continue Gunn’s tradition of including his entourage while winking at his Marvel past.
