Peacemaker’s Job Interview Teases How DCU Maxwell Lord is Different from DCEU

Sean Gunn made his DCU premiere as Maxwell Lord with a quick cameo in Superman. However, the brief scene gave little sense of just what kind of character Lord was. This was a question of some concern, given the radically different takes on the character in the comics and other adaptations. However, the Peacemaker Season 2 premiere offered an answer, as Lord interviewed Christopher Smith for a position in the Justice Gang.

To describe Peacemaker’s interview with the Justice Gang in an abandoned retail space as a disaster would be understating it. However, for once it wasn’t the awkward avenger’s fault. There was a glitch in the mute buttons on the microphones used for the interview. This enabled Peacemaker to hear Hawkgirl, Maxwell Lord, and Guy Gardner trash-talking him when they thought their microphones were silenced. Lord was embarrassed by this, after realizing this explained all the weird reactions they had been having all day.

DCU Maxwell Lord a comedic figure, as in the comics

The interview scene in Peacemaker paints the DCU Maxwell Lord as a well-meaning but comic figure. This is true to his classic characterization in the Post-Crisis Justice League comics. Originally, Maxwell Lord was an amoral businessman, who established himself as the financier of the new Justice League. In time, however, Lord came to truly respect the heroes with whom he worked as a money manager.

However, this did little to change Lord’s core as a greedy yet thrifty opportunist. After being ousted from the Justice League, he attempted to create a storefront-based superhero team called Super Buddies. (The storefront in the DCU Peacemaker scene seems to be a nod to this.) Later stories turned Lord into a serious villain with telepathic powers who only played at being a buffoon. This version of Lord was a threat to the world until his death at the hands of Wonder Woman.

Most adaptations of Maxwell Lord leaned into this interpretation of the character. The most notable is the DCEU version portrayed by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984. This Maxwell Lord was a buffoon, but still proved dangerous when given the power to grant wishes. A more serious Maxwell Lord was introduced into the first season of Supergirl, played by Peter Facinelli. However, the Arrowverse version of Lord was presented as more of an off-brand Lex Luthor than the character from the comics.

Thankfully for comic fans, the DCU is sticking to the classic portrayal of Maxwell Lord. Indeed, James Gunn said as much on Threads, responding to a fan’s question. “Our Max is inspired by the original version,” Gunn confirmed. “So don’t be waiting for him to shoot Blue Beetle in the face.”