Which Guardians Of The Galaxy Cast Members Could Be In Superman: Legacy?

With the release of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" in the rearview mirror, James Gunn is going to be more focused on his new job as the co-head of DC Studios. Yes, Gunn is moving from Marvel to DC after nearly a decade and, what's more, he's going to be personally directing "Superman: Legacy," which will be the big coming out party for the new DC Universe he and Peter Safran are putting together. Gunn has also confirmed that several actors he's worked with in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be coming with him to the DCU.

On Twitter, Gunn was responding to some fan questions and someone asked if any of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" actors will be appearing in "Superman: Legacy." Gunn simply replied "yes," offering no further context whatsoever. Time to speculate recklessly! (Though applying some actual logic as well so we're not letting this devolve into meaningless nonsense.) So, which MCU actors are joining Gunn at his new base of operations? Let's discuss.

James Gunn and his DC Studios partner Peter Safran have revealed their initial slate of DCU projects and, perhaps unsurprisingly, they are going for a near-total reboot of what came before. We are getting a new Superman, a new Batman, and everything moving forward will share a multiverse. However, some characters and elements will be carried over. Again, not surprisingly, many of those will come from Gunn's work, particularly "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker."

Bearing that in mind, there are a few actors from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies who are already in the DCU. We have Jennifer Holland, who played Emilia Harcourt in both "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker," who also had a small role in "Vol. 3." Then we have Chukwudi Iwuji, who played Clemson Murn in "Peacemaker" as well as the High Evolutionary in "Vol. 3." There's also Gunn's brother Sean Gunn, who appeared briefly as Calendar Man in "The Suicide Squad," in addition to playing Weasel. He's already been confirmed to return as Weasel in the "Creature Commandos" animated series, so that's that. Lastly, Maria Bakalova will be joining the DCU as Ilana Rostovic in "Creature Commandos" as well, having previously voiced Cosmo in "Vol. 3."

Rather crucially, James Gunn has confirmed that the intention is to have the same actors play the same characters across all mediums in the DCU. So Bakalova will play Ilana first in animation, but likely in live-action as well, if that character ever makes the jump. As for Emilia and Clemson? It's a little tough to imagine the need for them in a "Superman" movie, but Emilia having a small role wouldn't at all be out of the question. (Sorry Weasel fans, but that character probably has no business crossing paths with the Man of Steel.)

What about the original, main cast members? Will we see Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Vin Diesel (Groot), or Bradley Cooper (Rocket) making the jump to the DCU? Honestly, it seems incredibly unlikely that any of them would appear in anything other than a cameo. There are various reasons for that but, largely, it boils down to all of them being tremendously busy, in-demand actors. For example, it's hard to imagine Bautista signing up to play Lex Luthor (although, obviously, it's also not impossible).

Meanwhile, Saldana has spent the last decade and change locked into huge franchises like "Avatar" and "Star Trek" in addition to the MCU. James Gunn nearly killed Gamora in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" knowing Saldana didn't want to do this forever, so she's not likely to join the DCU in a meaningful way. As for Pratt, he's as busy as they come, whereas Diesel and Cooper only ever did voice work on the "Guardians" films. So don't get too wild with your fan castings when it comes to this group.

As for the other main actors? Pom Klementieff joined the fold as Mantis in "Vol. 2" and, much like everyone else, loves working with Gunn. While she had a very tiny cameo in "The Suicide Squad," it's seemingly nothing that would prevent her from taking on a more significant role in the DCU. That's to say, she seems like someone who could make the jump. Similarly, Nebula actor Karen Gillan is a big star who stays busy, yes, but also doesn't seem like she'd be too busy to pass up a big new franchise. Lois Lane maybe? Let's not get too carried away, but a big role for Gillan is not hard to picture.

Now, there are a couple of actors who work with James Gunn so regularly that it seems difficult to imagine they won't appear in some way, shape, or form in "Superman: Legacy" (and if not that movie, then somewhere in the DCU down the line). First up, we have Michael Rooker, who is one of Gunn's very close friends and a longtime collaborator. Rooker has been working with the filmmaker for years now, long before taking on the role of Yondu in "Guardians of the Galaxy." Fans of Gunn's 2006 horror movie "Slither" will recognize him as Grant Grant. This to say, Rooker is a lock to play someone in Gunn's "Superman" movie. It's crucial to point out that he played Savant in "The Suicide Squad," though he died very quickly. However, the incoming soft reboot could pave the way for him to portray another DC character. There's a lot of wiggle room for Gunn to play with, most certainly.

Would Rooker get a meaty role like Lex Luthor? Another villain perhaps? Maybe. It also wouldn't be hard to imagine him as Daily Planet editor Perry White. Elsewhere, there's Nathan Fillion, another actor who traces his time with Gunn back to "Slither" and who appeared in "Vol. 3." Fillion is a lock for someone in the DCU, be it a big or small role. There is almost no question. Maybe a low-level thug who our new Clark Kent has to deal with earlier on in the movie? Yes, Fillion played TDK in "The Suicide Squad," but would that really be enough to prevent Gunn from using him again? Probably not.

Let's talk about one last major actor who could (and let us stress could) end up having a huge part to play in the DCU. As of this writing, James Gunn still needs to cast his new Superman and dare we say, it could be Will Poulter. The actor joined the MCU as Adam Warlock in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," and he went through quite a transformation. This is no longer the kid from "We're the Millers" — he's absolutely shredded now. He's also 30 years old, meaning he's young enough to play the part for some time and, again, he's definitely got the physique now.

For as much as this would have seemed like an impossible-to-picture choice just a year ago, after seeing Poulter in full-blown superhero shape, and seeing his performance in "Vol. 3," it would almost be more surprising if this didn't come to pass. Seeing him flying through the air as Adam Warlock makes it easy to imagine him in blue and red, sailing through a crystal blue sky as a different, wildly iconic hero from the pages of DC Comics.

"Superman: Legacy" is currently set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.