James Gunn Reveals How Bradley Cooper Landed the Superman Role

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James Gunn explains how he landed Bradley Cooper for that Superman cameo.

Note: Spoilers follow.

What did James Gunn say about Bradley Cooper and Jor-El?

In the film, Bradley Cooper portrays Jor-El, who is the Kryptonian father figure to the human character David Corenswet’s Man of Steel. It’s worth noting that Cooper has also lent his voice to Rocket Raccoon in the Marvel movies directed by James Gunn.

In simpler terms, Gunn stated that Bradley is one of his friends and he was searching for someone to portray Jor-El. Since it’s not a secret, everyone knows about this, he needed an actor who resembled the character as commonly imagined, and moreover, someone capable of following in the footsteps set by Marlon Brando, as reported by Deadline.

In my perspective, it’s often the case that Jor-El is portrayed by an actor who is 70 years old, which means he would have been of advanced age when having a child. To ensure a more believable portrayal, I was looking for someone who wasn’t as old in this role. Unfortunately, many actors proposed were too old for my preference. I believe Bradley was an ideal choice, and he graciously agreed to take on the role out of our friendship. I truly value his assistance in bringing Jor-El to life.

The controversy

Gunn hasn’t spoken out about the major transformation of Jor-El in the film, a development that’s sparked intense discussion among fans on the internet.

According to Gunn’s interpretation, Superman is dispatched by Jor-El to Earth as a means of perpetuating the Kryptonian lineage and potentially assuming control. This scenario bears resemblance to Omni-Man in the comic series “Invincible”, with some fans humorously suggesting that Jor-El has transformed into a Viltrumite character.

Even Nerdrotic criticizes the change as being more detrimental than how Zack Snyder handled Pa Kent in “Man of Steel,” and feels it negatively impacted the film.

I don’t fully agree with this at the moment; time will tell if the change and the idea take hold permanently. Although the film portrayed the message as valid, some viewers are expressing hope that it may still be altered, possibly through Brainiac or Sean Gunn’s character, Maxwell Lord.

Also worth a mention is if Jor-El is evil, what does that mean for Supergirl?

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2025-07-14 05:02