Despite cultivating a reputation for almost always casting a handful of regular collaborators in virtually all of his projects dating back well over a decade, James Gunn has been coming under increasing fire among the DCU faithful because he ended up marrying one of them.
Having already responded to nepotism accusations by kindly reminding the trolls that he’s only ever cast Jennifer Holland in one of his comic book adaptations – even if her appearance in The Suicide Squad then led directly into a major recurring part in Peacemaker – Peter Safran’s wife Natalia has quietly racked up even more cameo appearances in the franchise than his fellow co-CEO’s spouse.
Of course, it doesn’t generate anywhere near the same level of noise because Gunn is the first port of call for haters, and we should also point out that Mrs. Safran has only ever been restricted to background cameos, whereas Holland has played the same part across The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Black Adam, and her latest guest spot that you’ve probably heard all about by now.
It’s also not a coincidence that Safran’s husband produced all of the movies in which he popped up, with her unforgettable and pivotal contributions to the DCU numbering Aquaman‘s Rina, Mrs. Sivana in an alternate scene from Shazam!, The Suicide Squad‘s Kaleidoscope, and Mrs. Goff in Peacemaker‘s third installment “Better Goff Dead,” before her most recent showing as the integral Driver with Kittens in Fury of the Gods.
Obviously, the two can’t really be compared given their respective importance to the mythology at large, but it’s definitely worth noting for the naysayers out there that Natalia Safran is more of a DCU regular than Jennifer Holland in terms of numbers alone.
