Published Oct 21, 2026, 8:20 PM EDT
Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.
Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
James Gunn's DC Universe has recast quite a few characters who appeared in the old DCEU movie franchise, and that number of players will only continue to grow. While the old live-action DC franchise featured major characters like Batman and Wonder Woman, it did not include other main players like Green Lantern, which allowed the DCU to put a stamp on those heroes.
Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart have become the definitive versions of those heroes in the eyes of many DC fans. That said, Gunn's franchise will inevitably have to recast fan-favorite DCEU roles. For instance, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot are confirmed not to return as Batman and Wonder Woman, who have DCU movies in development at the time of writing.
That said, the DCU has already had to start dealing with the hard task of finding replacements for DCEU characters. While some of those roles were easier to recast, as the old DCEU franchise did not end up having certain characters amount to much or steering them too far from their classic versions, others have proved harder to recast. These are all 11 DCEU characters recast for Gunn's DCU so far:
14 Bonus: John Stewart - Wayne T. Carr Replaced By Aaron Pierre
The first DC character on the list is a special case, as Wayne T. Carr never actually made it onscreen in the DCEU. The actor was set to appear as the John Stewart version of Green Lantern in Zack Snyder's Justice League, but the appearance was blocked by the studio. Recently, Aaron Pierre debuted as John on HBO's Lanterns, playing one of the sci-fi series' two leads. John Stewart is now fully realized as Earth's Green Lantern, set to return in 2027's Man of Tomorrow.
13 Maxwell Lord - Pedro Pascal Replaced By Sean Gunn
Maxwell Lord was a major player in the DCEU for a movie, serving as the villain that moved forward the plot of the ill-received Wonder Woman 1984. He was played by Pedro Pascal in the old franchise, with the actor having since moved on to the MCU as Reed Richards, now set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday. In the DCU, James Gunn's brother and MCU star, Sean Gunn, has taken over as Lord. The character plays an overarching role in the franchise as the owner of the Justice Gang, not a villain like his DCEU counterpart.
12 Lara Lor-Van - Ayelet Zurer Replaced By Angela Sarafyan
Lara Lor-Van is Superman's Kryptonian mother, and given how Krypton's destruction happens when the hero is just a baby, she does not usually play a big role in DC projects. MCU Daredevil: Born Again's Vanessa Fisk actress, Ayelet Zurer, gave life to Lara Lor-Van in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. In the DCU, the character has appeared through a message at the Fortress of Solitude so far, with Westworld's Angela Sarafyan as Superman's mother. However, there was a twist, as Superman's Kryptonian parents sent him to conquer Earth.
11 Jor-El - Russell Crowe Replaced By Bradley Cooper
Jor-El is Superman's Kryptonian father, and like his wife, he has not appeared much in either franchise. In the DCEU, Superman's father was played by Russell Crowe, appearing both in the flesh and as a digital guide to Henry Cavill's Superman. In the DCU, Bradley Cooper gives life to Jor-El in Gunn's Superman movie. The fact that the character is the one who delivers the message that Superman is meant to take over Earth is quite haunting.
10 Steve Lombard - Michael Kelly Replaced by Beck Bennett
Steve Lombard is one of The Daily Planet workers in Man of Steel, played by House of Cards star Michael Kelly. The character gets more to do in the DCU, as does the rest of his team, as Clark Kent's and Lois Lane's personal lives are given more focus in Gunn's shared universe. Played by Beck Bennett, Steve Lombard has a sense of humor. He is set to return in the HBO Max series The People V. Gorilla Grodd.
9 King Shark - Sylvester Stallone Replaced By Diedrich Bader
King Shark was one of the funniest characters in Gunn's The Suicide Squad, played by Sylvester Stallone. The character's dialogue was limited, but he was quite deadly despite seeming so friendly. King Shark made his DCU debut in a cameo at the end of the animated Creature Commandos season 1 at Belle Reve prison, which set him up to be a core part of the team in season 2. He was voiced by legendary DC voice actor Diedrich Bader. That said, this could be a mere case of Stallone not returning for an animated role, but doing so later on in live-action.
8 Martha Kent - Diane Lane Replaced By Neva Howell
Gunn's DCU completely changed the way Clark Kent's parents looked and behaved, making them seen more like ordinary Americans than previous superstar castings. Diane Lane's Martha Kent ended up being at the center of one of the DCEU's most infamous moments, the "Martha" scene from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In 2025's Superman, Neva Howell played Martha as a charismatic older woman who cared deeply about her son and inspired Superman in return.
7 Jonathan Kent - Kevin Costner Replaced By Pruitt Taylor Vince
Jonathan Kent's handling in the DCEU was one of the most criticized aspects of the franchise. Kevin Costner's Jonathan famously scolded Clark for saving a bus full of kids and prohibited his son from saving his life as to not reveal his powers, leading to Jonathan being killed by a tornado. Pruitt Taylor Vince's Jonathan Kent performance makes the bond between father and son much more emotional and heartwarming in 2025's Superman.
6 Perry White - Laurence Fishburne Replaced By Wendell Pierce
Perry White was portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the DCEU, being true to the character's tough attitude as the Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Planet. Fishburne was replaced by Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan star Wendell Pierce as Perry White in Gunn's Superman, with the actor coming up with another comics-accurate portrayal of the Superman supporting character. Perry will return in The People V. Gorilla Grodd alongside some of his subordinates.
5 Jimmy Olsen - Michael Cassidy Replaced By Skyler Gisondo
Jimmy Olsen is one of the DC characters who had the biggest glow-up going from one universe to the other. The reason for that is how Michael Cassidy's version of the character in the DCEU was an undercover CIA operative, not the usual bubbly Daily Planet photographer, and was killed in his debut. In the DCU, Skyler Gisondo plays a comic book-accurate Jimmy Olsen, who will get to lead DC's upcoming The People V. Gorilla Grodd. Jimmy is Superman's best friend in the DCU.
English (US) ·