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What the comic history of the Man of Steel's powers tells us Superhero Movies Superman release date, trailer, cast, and everything you need to know about the new movie Superman: The enigmatic villain The Hammer of Boravia explained Superman director James Gunn shares a twisted new look at one of the film's most mysterious characters Superhero Movies Upcoming DC movies and TV shows: every DCU title coming soon Superhero Movies DCU Chapter One: Every movie and show in the new DC cinematic universe Entertainment Action Movies Maxwell Lord - The comic history of the villain who mind-controlled Superman and almost destroyed the Justice League George Marston 30 June 2025 Sean Gunn's Superman character Maxwell Lord has a complicated and deadly history in comic books When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: HBO Max) He's one of the most important people in Justice League history. He's one of the most sadistic villains in the DC Universe. His name is Maxwell Lord, and you've probably only heard his name a few times. But he'll play a major role in the new cinematic DC Universe starting in James Gunn's Superman reboot movie, where he's played by none other than Sean Gunn, the writer/director's own brother. If you've heard of Maxwell Lord before, there's a good chance you recognize him from Wonder Woman 1984, where he was played to maximum '80s guy kitschiness by Pedro Pascal (who is now starring as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in this summer's other big superhero blockbuster, Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps). But in comics, he's a very different character, with a history that swings wildly between good and evil. And considering how closely James Gunn's non-Justice League in Superman resembles the League of Maxwell Lord's era with the team, we're expecting a version of Lord who looks very little like ones we've seen in the movies before. You may like Meet Metamorpho, the weirdest member of the Justice Legaue in James Gunn's new Superman movie How strong is Superman and does James Gunn even know? What the comic history of the Man of Steel's powers tells us Superman release date, trailer, cast, and everything you need to know about the new movie Bankrolling the Justice League (Image credit: DC) Maxwell Lord IV first appeared all the way back in 1987's Justice League #1 by writer JM DeMatteis, co-writer and layout artist Keith Giffen, and artist Kevin Maguire, in which Lord begins funding the Justice League while organizing them into an all-new, worldwide entity rather than focusing simply on America. This version of the League became the Justice League International, or JLI, with a separate branch operating in Europe at the same time. And though Lord had the semi-comical veneer of a stereotypical '80s businessman, his designs for the League were complex and longterm - and secretly driven by an alien computer with designs on world domination. This led to a moment in which Lord, driven to madness by the computer, staged a false-flag terrorist attack for the Justice League to quash, though the false attack goes awry leading to actual deaths. After this, Lord's methods calmed down somewhat, but he remained the Justice League's financial backer, somewhat ruthlessly pursuing financial gain through the team's exploits. While the League does have some positive influence on him, Lord remains, at his heart, a wheeler-dealer. And what's more, it turns out, he's hiding a huge secret, even bigger than having been mind-controlled by an alien computer. Because as it turns out, Lord had mind control powers of his own, which he hid from the Justice League. It all comes to a head when Lord is once again taken over by the villain Dreamslayer, who enhances Lord's hidden powers, controlling the minds of thousands of people at once before Dreamslayer is finally defeated through the sacrifice of the Silver Sorceress, a member of the League at the time. With Dreamslayer's defeat, it was believed that Lord's powers had become completely dormant, essentially burning themselves out. But the truth was far, far worse. A monster in plain sight (Image credit: DC) After leaving the League behind, Maxwell Lord laid low for some time, staying out of the public eye - though he did attempt to reorganize his Justice League as a team-for-hire, affectionately nicknamed the "Super Buddies," though the reunion was relatively short-lived. All the while, even through the Super Buddies era, Lord was surreptitiously creating a worldwide government surveillance network known as Checkmate, and hoarding secret information about the world's heroes, as seen in the 2005 story The OMAC Project. Though Lord heavily covers his tracks to hide his schemes for world domination, even outwitting Batman, it's actually one of his own Justice League recruits who uncovers his plans - Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, who discovers Lord's plot to collect information on the world's heroes, without yet knowing the person behind it. Sneaking into the base where the secret project is headquartered, Ted encounters Maxwell Lord, realizing that he's been playing a long con nearly the entire time they've known each other. And though Ted threatens to expose Lord's schemes, Max brutally shoots the Blue Beetle in the head, killing him in cold blood. This in turn leads Ted's best friend Booster Gold to take up the investigation, while Ted's death paves the way for the introduction of his successor as the Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, to take up the mantle. But Maxwell Lord's schemes go far deeper, ultimately resulting in Lord revealing his still-intact mind control powers in order to take control of Superman, possessing the Man of Steel to wreak global havoc as the Justice League desperately tries to keep up. In the end, only Wonder Woman is able to stop Lord, by snapping his neck and killing him, one of the most dramatic moments in Wonder Woman's comic book history. Maxwell Lord in the new DC Universe (Image credit: HBO Max) We have yet to see much of Maxwell Lord in the new cinematic DC Universe, with most of our exposure to Sean Gunn's character coming from a comedic appearance in the first trailer for Peacemaker season 2. What we know for sure is that he's one of the organizers of the Justice Gang, a team of heroes for hire which includes Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho. The concept of the Justice Gang is pretty close to the 'Super Buddies' era of Maxwell Lord's Justice League, which is essentially the same type of enterprise, a team of superheroes who work for money. It seems that, in Superman, some of that money may come from Superman's arch-enemy Lex Luthor, who apparently enlists Metamorpho to use his elemental abilities to create Kryptonite to weaken Superman. That said, we also know that Superman and the Justice Gang are usually allies, so he's definitely got a complicated relationship with the team. This leaves the big elephant in the room: will Sean Gunn's Maxwell Lord wind up being a bloodthirsty villain hiding in plain sight? It would be an interesting twist that could be the catalyst that eventually turns the Justice Gang into a Justice League (assuming that's the team's ultimate evolution). And it would be especially interesting to see the always-affable Sean Gunn take on the role of a sadistic mastermind. We likely won't get that level of twist for Max Lord in Superman, as we already know he'll appear in Peacemaker. But we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any hint that there's a mind-controlling supervillain lurking below the surface in Sean Gunn's performance. Superman hits theaters this July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has on the way. See more Movies Features George Marston Social Links Navigation I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them) You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Meet Metamorpho, the weirdest member of the Justice Legaue in James Gunn's new Superman movie How strong is Superman and does James Gunn even know? What the comic history of the Man of Steel's powers tells us Superman release date, trailer, cast, and everything you need to know about the new movie Superman: The enigmatic villain The Hammer of Boravia explained Superman director James Gunn shares a twisted new look at one of the film's most mysterious characters Upcoming DC movies and TV shows: every DCU title coming soon Latest in DC Movies James Gunn says Marvel boss Kevin Feige was a "really great role model" for what he's trying to achieve at DC: "He let me do my thing, but he also was really honest with what he thought" James Gunn reveals that Superman has a secret voice cameo from a DC star playing a totally different role: "I actually recorded her on my phone" Superman has a twist from an obscure 1970s comic book to explain why no one realizes Clark Kent's identity, because "the glasses always bothered" James Gunn James Gunn says we'll see Superman again in "less than a couple of years", and DC fans are already speculating when and how Superman star Nicholas Hoult sized up David Corenswet after auditioning for the role himself and knew he was "perfect for it" Superman actor Anthony Carrigan explains how Metamorpho is the film's most conflicted villain "There's this struggle to want to be good" Latest in Features 70 hours later and with a full launch imminent, I already miss Hades 2 being in Early Access New Lego sets for July 2025, including the perfect gift I think fans will go nuts for The Alters has changed the way I play games for the better, and after 18 years I can finally finish Mass Effect Death Stranding 2 is my favorite online game this year, even though you never directly see any other players The Squid Game season 3 finale is a crushing but ultimately hopeful conclusion – and I wouldn't have it any other way I don't care what Capcom says, Leon not being in Resident Evil Requiem makes no sense GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse" Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic" Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat" FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special" Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" 28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy” Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation" From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu" Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever" Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date" Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling" Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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