{"id":1249096,"date":"2026-03-01T01:16:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T01:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=612238"},"modified":"2026-03-01T01:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T01:16:07","slug":"who-is-maxwell-lord-and-why-is-he-funding-the-justice-gang-in-james-gunns-superman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/who-is-maxwell-lord-and-why-is-he-funding-the-justice-gang-in-james-gunns-superman\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Maxwell Lord and why is he funding the Justice Gang in James Gunn\u2019s Superman?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sean
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James Gunn\u2019s Superman<\/em><\/a> <\/em>is a reset for the DC Comics Universe on the big screen, moving away from Zack Snyder\u2019s portrayal of superheroes as godlike beings, and favoring a sillier world where metahumans are commonplace. That includes the Justice Gang, a questionably named superhero squad funded by billionaire Maxwell Lord. His name is referenced several times during the film, and the character (played by Gunn\u2019s brother and frequent collaborator Sean Gunn<\/a>) gets a cameo where he mocks rival billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).<\/p>\n

Lord and the Justice Gang also make an appearance in the first trailer<\/a> for Peacemaker <\/em>season 2, where John Cena\u2019s anti-hero<\/a> fails to pitch himself as a new member of the group. The character\u2019s presence has big implications for the DCU that could stretch beyond that show.<\/p>\n

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Who is Maxwell Lord?<\/h2>\n

Maxwell Lord<\/a> has been appearing in DC Comics since 1987, when he was introduced playing very much the same role he does in Superman<\/em>: a businessman helping to found the Justice League. Given that the Justice Gang is headquartered in a building that looks like the classic Hall of Justice from the Super Friends <\/em>cartoon of the 1970s and \u201980s, and the group\u2019s name is repeatedly called a work in progress, it\u2019s likely they will eventually become DC\u2019s most iconic band of superheroes.<\/p>\n

But Lord\u2019s motivations are far from philanthropic. In the comics, he wants the Justice League to be a force he can use to take over the world with the help of an alien computer. Superman inspiring the Justice Gang to intervene in a war might be playing right into Lord\u2019s hands by making governments fear their power.<\/p>\n

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