James Gunn has cast several actors in multiple roles across both his Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC movies and series, as well as his work before joining the two major comic book studios. Gunn directed a few of the MCU’s best movies, with the director being responsible for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and its Holiday Special. Now, Gunn is developing all of DC’s future movies.
Gunn is the creative chief of the new DC Universe. As such, he is hard at work plotting out the next ten years of DC releases, leaving Marvel behind. As the DCU gets going, multiple actors who have previously worked with Gunn in other superhero projects have already been announced to play DC characters. Gunn has the habit of frequently collaborating with the same actors, which has become a point of debate among some fans, and here is every actor Gunn has cast in multiple roles in his superhero projects.
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20 Terence Rosemore
The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, And More
First off is Terence Rosemore, who has played minor roles in some of Gunn’s superhero projects. The actor has appeared in four of Gunn’s Marvel and DC movies. At Marvel, Rosemore played Narblik in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gurb in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and Xlomo Smeth in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. At DC, the actor had a cameo as a Crew Chief in The Suicide Squad.
19 Stephen Blackehart
Super, The Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy, Peacemaker, And More
Stephen Blackehart has mostly played small roles for Gunn; however, the actor has appeared in seven of the director’s superhero projects. Blackehart’s Marvel roles include Steemie Blueliver in Guardians of the Galaxy, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and the Ravager Brahl in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. At DC, the actor played Briscoe in The Suicide Squad and Charlie the Gorilla in Peacemaker.
18 Lloyd Kaufman
Guardians Of The Galaxy, Peacemaker, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, And More
Lloyd Kaufman is another long-time collaborator of Gunn’s, having four superhero movie appearances. Kaufman portrayed a prisoner in Guardians of the Galaxy, with the actor returning as Gridlemop, a Knowhere resident, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for Marvel. At DC, Kaufman had a cameo as a dancer in the bar that the title team visited in The Suicide Squad.
17 Elizabeth Ludlow
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 & Peacemaker
Elizabeth Ludlow has only appeared in two of Gunn’s superhero projects. At Marvel, she had a minor role as an Easik Mother in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Ludlow had a bigger part at DC, where she played Keeya Adebayo in five episodes of Peacemaker.
16 Gregg Henry
Super & The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trilogy
Gregg Henry started working in Gunn’s superhero movies back in 2010’s Super, where he played Detective John Felkner. Henry then joined the MCU alongside Gunn, playing Jason Quill — Star-Lord’s grandfather — in all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s ending included the emotional reunion between Henry’s Jason Quill and Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill.
15 Rob Zombie
Super, Guardians Of The Galaxy, And Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Musician Rob Zombie has made voice cameos in three of Gunn’s superhero movies. In Super, the actor voiced God. Zombie then made a cameo as Ravager Navigator Voice in Guardians of the Galaxy. His Marvel cameos would conclude with Zombie voicing an Unseen Ravager in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
14 Mikaela Hoover
Guardians Of The Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, And More
Mikaela Hoover first appeared in a Gunn superhero movie in the role of Holly in Super. The actress then played Nova Prime’s Assistant in Guardians of the Galaxy, returning in a bigger way as one of Rocket Raccoon’s childhood friends in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, playing Floor the Rabbit. Hoover also followed Gunn over to DC, playing Camila in The Suicide Squad.
13 Pete Davidson
The Suicide Squad & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Pete Davidson and Gunn have collaborated on two superhero movies, one at Marvel and one at DC. The Suicide Squad saw the actor play his biggest superhero role to date, with Davidson’s Blackguard betraying the Suicide Squad and getting immediately killed. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 featured a cameo from Davidson as Phlektik, an alien guard.
12 Flula Borg
The Suicide Squad & The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special
Flula Borg is another of Gunn’s most recent collaborators. The actor had a hilarious role as Javelin in The Suicide Squad, and while the character died early in the film, his weapon would get a moment to shine as it saved Harley Quinn’s life later in the DC movie. Borg also made a cameo as a bartender in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
11 Linda Cardellini
Super & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Linda Cardellini played a pet store employee in Gunn’s Super. The actress, who gives life to Laura Barton, the wife of Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye in the MCU, would then team up with the director again for another Marvel role. Cardellini played one of the most emotional roles in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, giving life to Lylla the Otter in the film.
10 Kevin Bacon
Super & The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special
Kevin Bacon and Gunn have collaborated on two superhero movies. The actor portrayed Jacques in Super. Bacon would then join the hall of a select few in the MCU, with the actor having played himself on Disney+’s Guardians of the Galaxy The Holiday Special, which was certainly a different experience from his villain role in X-Men: First Class.
9 Chukwudi Iwuji
Peacemaker & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Chukwudi Iwuji played the complex Clemson Murn in Peacemaker, Gunn’s The Suicide Squad spinoff series starring John Cena. Gunn liked working with Iwuji so much that he brought the versatile actor with him for his final MCU movie. Iwuji was perfect as the evil High Evolutionary, the main villain of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, making the character one of the MCU’s most feared and hated foes.
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8 Daniela Melchior
The Suicide Squad & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Daniela Melchior was the surprise standout in Gunn’s first DC movie, The Suicide Squad. The actress gave life to the charismatic Ratcatcher 2, with the character possessing the power to control rats. Gunn then called Melchior to appear in a minor but impactful role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Melchior played Ura in the movie.
7 Pom Klementieff
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Franchise & The Suicide Squad
Pom Klementieff is most commonly known for giving life to Mantis in Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. While Mantis is not part of the new Guardians of the Galaxy team led by Rocket Raccoon, the actress might continue her superhero journey with Gunn at DC, as the actor has teased a role for her in the DCU. In fact, Klementieff already has a DC role under her belt, as she made a cameo as a dancer in The Suicide Squad.
6 Sylvester Stallone
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Franchise & The Suicide Squad
The legendary Sylvester Stallone also has Marvel and DC roles under Gunn. The action movie star plays Stakar Ogord in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, with Gamora staying with his crew of Ravagers at the end of Gunn’s cosmic trilogy. At DC, Stallone voiced King Shark in The Suicide Squad.
5 Steve Agee
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, And More
Steve Agee played a comic book store jerk in Super, with the actor later teaming up again with Gunn as Gef in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Agee would then get bigger roles with Gunn at DC. The actor played John Economos in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker — being confirmed to return as the character in the new DCU — and also served as the stand-in for King Shark in the Suicide Squad movie.
4 Jennifer Holland
The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, And Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Jennifer Holland is Gunn’s wife and a talented actress in her own right. Holland played Emilia Harcourt in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and its spinoff series, Peacemaker. The married couple teamed up again for Gunn’s last Marvel movie before he took over the DCU, with Holland playing the stern Administrator Kwol in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
3 Nathan Fillion
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trilogy, The Suicide Squad, Superman: Legacy, And More
Nathan Fillion is one of the actors who have collaborated with Gunn the most. Fillion gave life to The Holy Avenger in Super. The star played a giant blue alien prisoner and Master Karja in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Fillion also portrayed the ridiculous T.D.K in The Suicide Squad, and the actor has been confirmed as part of the cast of Superman: Legacy, with Fillion playing the Green Lantern Guy Gardner in Gunn’s DCU.
2 Michael Rooker
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Franchise, The Suicide Squad, And Super
Michael Rooker is another of Gunn’s long-time collaborators. The actor played Abe in Super. Then Rooker gave life to Yondu, the character who had one of the saddest deaths in the entire MCU, in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The actor also teamed up with Gunn at DC, playing the short-lived Savant in The Suicide Squad.
1 Sean Gunn
The Guardians Of The Galaxy Franchise, The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos, And More
James’ brother, Sean Gunn, has also appeared in many of the director’s superhero projects. Gunn played Toby in Super. He later was the on-set actor for Rocket and portrayed Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, with the character’s role growing with each movie until he became a member of the new version of the team at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. At DC, Gunn played Calendar Man and Weasel in The Suicide Squad, the latter being a role he will reprise in the DCU’s Creature Commandos — alongside his new G.I. Robot character — which had all of its episodes written by James Gunn.
