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While his work on his reboot version of DC’s cinematic universe as its co-CEO is yet to be seen, James Gunn has displayed his charming directing flair in quite a few other projects that were nothing short of lovable.

James Gunn

Besides the fan-favoriteThe Suicide Squadfrom the DC Universe being one of them, he is also credited with helming the MCU masterpiece,Guardians of the Galaxytrilogy.

That being said, while the trilogy was pretty much perfect, some fans might still hold a grudge against Gunn for a decision he took for Michael Rosenbaum, i.e. the actor who played Lex Luthor in the television series.

Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor. | Credit: Warner Bros. Television.

This was because the filmmaker decided to sideline Rosenbaum’s character in the trilogy for the MCU, i.e., Martinex, in a rather humiliating way.

James Gunn’sGOTGTrilogy Brutally Sidelined Michael Rosenbaum’s Character

AlthoughMichael Rosenbaumhas donned multiple other star-studded roles, one of his most iconic and best-known ones is that of Lex Luthor in the superhit fan-favorite DC series from 2001,Smallville. Ever since then, fans have been deeply in love with the actor.

This is why they won’t find it all too pleasing to know that his character was humiliatingly sidelined in one of Gunn’s projects.

“Why am I not in Superman?”: Michael Rosenbaum Knows His Luthor Will Come to James Gunn’s DCU Under 1 Condition

This goes down to theGOTGtrilogy, in which Rosenbaum played the iconic character of Martinex, who is a member ofSylvester Stallone‘s Starhawk aka Stakar Ogord’s faction of Ravagers, inVol. 2andVol. 3of the film series.

But his role was incredibly minor, with an even meager screen time, as fans must have noticed.

Rosenbaum as Martinex. | Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

“Why am I not in Superman?”: Michael Rosenbaum Knows His Luthor Will Come to James Gunn’s DCU Under 1 Condition

Surprisingly enough, this was not because theImpastoractor didn’t have much for his character in the script, but rather because hedid. As he shared during a panel at the recently held Nashville Comicon (viaComicBook.com):

I mean, the role was supposed to be a lot bigger. They cut a lot out.

“I just got a little emotional”: Michael Rosenbaum is “Utterly shocked” With Chance Perdomo’s Tragic Death, Reveals He Has an Unaired Podcast With the Gen V Star

Continuing, he even explained just what fans would have seen had he notbeen brutally sidelined, saying:

Well, you were supposed to see, it was written in the script to see Martinex’s powers, which were really cool.

Needless to say, his role in the filmsindeedwasn’t anything close to enough — considering how he was mostly seen following Starhawk around and stuff.

“I just got a little emotional”: Michael Rosenbaum is “Utterly shocked” With Chance Perdomo’s Tragic Death, Reveals He Has an Unaired Podcast With the Gen V Star

According to Rosenbaum,it was cut down becausethe script was already overflowing with details they needed to include, and making way for his character’s detailed arc, too — even though slightly —  wouldn’t have been possible.

As he said:

But they had so much to talk about in the script that they ended up cutting it out in the end. And there was some other stuff.

Needless to say, hadJames Gunnincluded all of this for Rosenbaum’s character arc in live-action, it would have been a treat for fans — not only for the ones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe but even those fans who had loved his performances ever since his DC role.

However, Michael Rosenbaum Has No Hard Feelings About This

Even though he was allowed an incredibly minor role in the fan-favorite superhero trilogy (even more minor as compared to his role in the DC TV series), theSorority Boysactor has no hard feelings or anything even close to it about the saga or working on it.

In fact, if anything,he claims that he isgratefulfor all the fun he got to have with his friends and co-stars while it lasted.

Arguably the Best Lex Luthor, Michael Rosenbaum Has the Best Advice for Nicholas Hoult Before He Rivals David Corenswet in Superman

As per what he admitted during the same panel:

But it was fun. For me, it’s like I’m working with my friends, I get paid, I’m in a big Marvel movie, life could suck worse. You know what I mean? I’m very grateful.

Now that, undoubtedly enough, isa sign of a true and genuine star— something that Rosenbaum is to the point where no one else could outdo him.

You can streamSmallvilleon Hulu and theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy on Disney+.

Mahin Sultan

Senior Writer

Articles Published :2478

Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.

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James GunnMichael RosenbaumSylvester Stallone