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With the recent announcement of Jason Momoa’s role as Lobo, he became the first major actor from the DCEU to land a role in James Gunn’s new universe. However, it is not just Momoa who has appeared in multiple DC movies in different roles. Gunn has worked on the DCEU project,The Suicide Squad, and is likely to bring his frequent collaborators to the new DCU.
Nathan Fillion and Sean Gunn are just two examples of DCEU actors returning to a different role in the DCU role, because of their working relationship with theSuperdirector. Some actors have also taken on different roles in DC TV projects besides their film roles.
1Lynda Carter
Lynda Carteris an iconic star among DC fans. She is most famously known for her role as Wonder Woman in her eponymous TV series in the ’70s. Her role came a little after she was crowned Miss World USA in 1972. Carter also made a few other appearances in the DC shows and movies long after her superhero role.
Carter was one of the actors to play Moira Sullivan, the mother of Chloe Sullivan, inSmallville. She played the character with mind-controlling powers in a sixth-season episode. Carter reunited with the WB film and television family when she took on the role of President Olivia Marsdin in The CW’sSupergirl.
During theproduction of the firstWonder Womanfilmin the DCEU, director Patty Jenkins approached Carter for a cameo role. While she couldn’t appear in the film at that time, she committed to a role in the sequelWonder Woman 1984. Carter played Asteria, the Golden Warrior of the Amazons, in the post-credits scene of the film.
2Anthony Carrigan
Three-times Emmy-nominated actorAnthony Carriganappears to be a fan-favorite in the comic book genre of shows and films. The Chechen mobster fromBarrycaughtJames Gunn‘s attention and landed a role in the upcoming DCU filmSuperman. But it isn’t Carrigan’s first stint with DC.
Carrigan’s alopecia areata eventually caused his complete lack of hair. His new look got him typecast as mostly villains in films and shows. In DC, Carrigan appeared as the psychopathic serial killer Victor Zsasz in Fox’sGothamand as Kyle Nimbus aka the Mist, another supervillain, in Grant Gustin’sThe Flash.
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After playing the DC villains, it would be refreshing for Carrigan to play a superhero, Metamorpho, in Gunn’sSuperman. In the film, he appears as an archaeologist whose body is turned into a shifting mass of chemicals after being cursed by an ancient artifact.
During an interview withRolling Stone, Carrigan shared that he canrelate to Metamorpho’s concerns about his abilitiesbecause of his own condition.Supermanwill be released in theaters on July 03, 2025.The Flashis currently available to stream on Netflix, whileGothamis now available on Max.
3Djimon Hounsou
Fans might have seenDjimon Hounsouas the Wizard Shazam in bothShazam!and its sequel. He even reprised his role briefly in Dwayne Johnson’sBlack Adam. He served as the wise old man character who seeks a successor after the Council of Eternity has fallen.
However, little did fans notice that the actor had done a role prior toShazam!in the DCEU. Hounsou played the role of Ricou, the Fisherman King, inAquaman. However, he was covered with prosthetic makeup which probably made it difficult for fans to recognize the actor.
4Sean Gunn
Sean Gunnis a regular in his brother James Gunn’s projects. He played the memorable role of Kraglin in the director’sGuardians of the Galaxyfilms. When Gunn entered the DCEU, Sean Gunn had two roles in his filmThe Suicide Squad. He briefly appeared as the Calendar Man and almost went unrecognized in his makeup.
He also voiced the role of Weasel in the film, who was seemingly killed off in the first act but was shown to be alive in a post-credits scene. Sean Gunn reprised the role in Gunn’s recently released animated Max seriesCreature Commandos. However,it isn’t the only role that Sean voiced in the series. He also gave voice to the fan-favorite character G.I. Robot.
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Besides his voice roles in the new DCU, Sean Gunn is also slated to play a live-action role in the upcoming film,Superman. Sean will play the role of Maxwell Lord, a role thatPedro Pascalplayed in the old DCEU. However, the direction of the character is kept under tight wraps and Sean doesn’t even appear in a single shot in the trailer.
5Mark Strong
Mark Strongalready had experience playing a comic book villain when he entered the DC universe withRyan Reynolds‘Green Lantern. He played the crime boss Frank D’Amico in the 2010 filmKick-Ass. Despite performing well in the role, Strong couldn’t single-handedly save a film that was doomed from the beginning.
Strong’s villain potential was realized byShazam!makers who cast him as the primary antagonist opposite Zachary Levi, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. The performance garnered positive reviews and Strong was all set to return for more movies. His return was teased in post-credits scenes of bothShazam!and its sequel. However, it never materialized due to the fate of the DCEU.
While the British actor awaits a call from James Gunn for another potential villain role in the DCU, he played a brief cameo inThe Penguin. InColin Farrell‘s DC series, Strong appeared as Carmine Falcone,replacing John Turturroas the former boss of Farrell’s character.
6David Dastmalchian
David Dastmalchianmade his film debut with a role inChristopher Nolan‘sThe Dark Knight. He played Thomas Schiff, a schizophrenic who works as a thug for the Joker. Despite his small role in the film, he was noticed and started getting more meatier roles in other films.
Dastmalchian went on to star in two TV villain roles in the DC universe. He played Dwight Pollard inSeason 3ofGotham, who appears as a fanatic follower of the main villain Jerome Valeska. He also played the TV version of supervillain Abra Kadabra in two episodes of theArrowverseseries,The Flash.
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TheMcGyveractor starred as one of the leads in James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad. He played Polka-Dot Man, an antihero whose power was to eject destructive polka-dots from his body. His ending in the film was rather heroic.
The role brought him more opportunities including the critically acclaimed filmLate Night with the Deviland therole of Mr. 3 in the upcoming second season of Netflix’sOne Piece. Dastmalchian also voiced several characters in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
InBatman: The Long Halloween, he voiced the role of Calendar Man and the Penguin. He voiced the Flash inJustice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen. Fans can catch Dastmalchian’s minor role as Thomas Schiff inThe Dark Knightby streaming the film on Max. His animated movies are available for rent on AppleTV.
7Patrick Wilson
Patrick Wilsonstarred as Nite Owl II inWatchmen, the 2009 film based on the limited DC Comics series of the ’80s.Zack Snyder‘s film took some time to click with the audience but is now considered a cult film. Wilson went on to voice the role of the President of the United States inBatman v Superman, before his proper acting debut in the DCEU.
He played Orm Marius aka the Ocean Master, the primary antagonist in Jason Momoa’sAquaman. When Wilson appeared in the sequel film, he turned into a more likable character. However, he wasn’t the onlyWatchmenstar who appeared in other DCEU projects.
The Walking Deadstar Jeffrey Dean Morgan played the role of the Comedian inWatchmen. He went on to play Thomas Wayne inBatman v Superman. Billy Cudrup, who was brilliant as Dr. Manhattan, played Henry Allen inJustice League.
8Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillionand James Gunn are long-time collaborators and the director brought him for a cameo role in his DCEU filmThe Suicide Squad. He played the comic book character, The Detachable Kid aka T.D.K., who is swiftly killed off during the first act of the film.
When Gunn took over the DCU and revamped it with new actors and characters, Fillion landed the role that fans long desired for the actor. He was cast as Guy Gardner, who is one of the DC characters to carry the Green Lantern mantle.
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Fans sawthe actor’s first look fromSuperman‘s trailer, which showed him as an established superhero alongside David Corenswet’s titular character. Fans will have to wait until July to find out whether Fillion will have more screen time in this film thanThe Suicide Squad. Fillion and the Green Lantern role goes way back, even before Gunn became part of a big franchise.
Fillion has worked in the DC Animated Original Movies, mostly playing the role of Hal Jordan. He played the most famous Green Lantern character in six films to be exact. He has also played roles like the supervillain Vigilante in the animated seriesJustice League Unlimitedand Steve Trevor in the animatedWonder Womanseries.
9Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidmanwas paired oppositeVal KilmerinBatman Forever. She played Dr. Chase Meridian, a police consultant brought in to study Gotham’s rising criminal behavior. She portrayed Batman’s love interest. However,Batman Foreveris not a fan-favorite as many believed that Warner Bros. ruined the franchise by replacing Tom Burton and Michael Keaton.
Kidman returned to the superhero genre nearly 23 years later, taking on the role of Queen Atlanna inAquaman. She played the role of Aquaman’s mother and reprised her role in the sequel film as well. WhileAquamanmarked a notable shift in the type of films she chose, it didn’t stop her from delivering a headstrong performance.
10Jason Momoa
When fans sawJason Momoaas Aquaman inBatman v Superman, they were convinced that the actor’s rugged portrayal was exactly what the character needed. The 2018 filmAquamanwent on to become the first film in the DCEU to hit the billion-dollar mark. However, fans felt that Momoa was wasted in the role when the DCEU started to roll out subpar projects.
When James Gunn replaced the earlier universe with DCU, fans expected that Momoa would land a role, something different from Arthur Curry. They were excited to learn that Momoa pitched a soloLobofilm to Gunn during the promotion forAquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
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He became a fan of the minor Superman villain of the ’80s who became popular in the ’90s as a parody of grim and gritty characters who defined comics in that decade. Recently, the rumors got an official confirmation when it was reported that theGame of Thronesactor would playLobo inSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.
The details surrounding the role are still under wraps, butSupergirlis set to be the second film released in the DCU. It will arrive in theaters in 2026.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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Anthony CarriganDavid DastmalchianDjimon HounsouJason MomoaLynda CarterMark StrongNathan FillionNicole KidmanPatrick WilsonSean Gunn
