Sean Gunn has had a lot of roles in both DC and Marvel for someone who didn’t join either universe until 2014, some of which are not readily apparent.
Sean Gunn’s first role in either a DC or Marvel project was in Guardians of the Galaxy, and in the 10 years since then, he has worked up quite the resume in both franchises. Before Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn was likely best known for his role as Kirk on Gilmore Girls, and he also had parts in some of James Gunn’s earlier projects, like Super. While Sean Gunn wasn’t a complete unknown, it is still impressive that he has managed to collect so many roles in major superhero franchises in a relatively short time.
It is true that Sean Gunn’s brother, James Gunn, has helped him secure many of these roles. However, DC and Marvel are both major studios with a lot of say over their projects. If Sean Gunn had failed to deliver good performances, he likely wouldn’t have kept being put into these movies regardless of who his brother is. Gunn’s solid comedic timing as well as his physical performances have proven he belongs in these big budget franchises.
8. Sean Gunn Played Rocket Raccoon On Set
Sean Gunn Played Rocket On Set In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trilogy
A lot of work went into creating Rocket Raccoon for the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Apart from Bradley Cooper’s voice work, and the work of visual effects artists, Sean Gunn also performed as Rocket on set. Gunn would be dressed in fully blue or green suits that could be keyed out in post-production, but he would do more than simply stand where Rocket was supposed to be. Behind the scenes footage shows Gunn crouched down walking next to the other Guardians, or performing tasks like setting up the first Guardians movie’s prison escape.
Having Gunn on set as Rocket likely helped the other actors connect better with Rocket in emotional scenes. One scene where Gunn was on set is when Rocket is crying over Groot’s destroyed body in Guardians of the Galaxy. Footage from the scene shows Gunn fully acting out the scene, despite knowing he wouldn’t end up on camera. Putting in this kind of effort for the benefit of his co-star in the scene, Dave Bautista, shows Gunn’s contributions as Rocket weren’t simply as a placeholder.
7. Sean Gunn Has Also Played Rocket’s Best Friend, Groot
Sean Gunn Did Somoe Motion Capture For Groot In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trilogy
Rocket Raccoon wasn’t the only member of the Guardians of the Galaxy that Sean Gunn helped bring to the big screen. Gunn was also one of several actors who provided motion capture work for Groot behind the scenes. Gunn’s work as Groot didn’t seem to be as extensive as it was for Rocket, since Groot didn’t require as much of an emotional performance. Instead, Gunn was more helpful for just providing a visual reference for Groot. Still, this means Sean Gunn played two of the original Guardians in some form.
Sean isn’t the only Gunn to perform as Groot, as James Gunn has also done some motion capture for the character. Specifically, James Gunn provided the motion capture for Groot’s dance scenes. This started with the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, and was a tradition that carried through all the way to the final dance scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
6. Sean Gunn Was Briefly DC’s Calendar Man
Sean Gunn Played Calendar Man In The Suicide Squad (2021)
Sean Gunn made a brief appearance in The Suicide Squad as the obscure Batman villain, Calendar Man. Though Gunn was only on-screen for a short time, he managed to imbue Calendar Man with a lot of personality. His brief moment of bullying Polka-Dot Man helped establish Calendar Man as a joke, and set the tone for the rough nature of Belle Reve prison.
Calendar Man has more recently been characterized as a darker, creepier villain, but Gunn’s version plays nicely into the earlier versions of the character that were more of a joke. It seems unlikely that Sean Gunn will reprise his role of Calendar Man in the DCU, since he has been cast as another, more important character. Still, even if it was just a short cameo, Gunn managed to get off a memorable line and a good laugh in his brief stint as Calendar Man.
5. Sean Gunn Will Replace Pedro Pascal As Maxwell Lord
Sean Gunn Has Been Cast As Mawell Lord In The DCU
The main reason Sean Gunn is unlikely to return as Calendar Man is that he has been cast as the DCU’s version of Maxwell Lord. Lord is a clever business person who helped found Justice League International, but later turned into a villain. Given that several Justice League International members, Metamorpho and Guy Gardner, are set to appear in the upcoming Superman (previously Superman: Legacy). It’s possible Gunn’s version of the character could follow this story arc.
Previously, Maxwell Lord appeared in Wonder Woman 1984 as the main antagonist, played by Pedro Pascal. This version was a bit more on the side of a struggling con man, which was a slight departure from how he is typically characterized. Given the DCU seems to be taking a lot of inspiration from DC Comics, Gunn’s version of the character will likely be more faithful to the source material. However, Lord has been a Wonder Woman villain in the comics as well, so Gunn may be facing off against the DCU’s version at some point.
