If a ‘Guardians’ veteran really is in the running for Lex Luthor, then one choice is easily the most fitting

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 officially behind us, James Gunn is setting his sights on new projects.

The popular director has spent the last few weeks glued to Twitter, where he’s carefully addressed fan questions, examined key details contained within his final MCU flick, and slowly pivoted toward his next project. Next on the docket is his major shift over to the DCU, where he’s set to steer the franchise in new, and hopefully far more successful, directions.

Gunn is well-known for leaning on similar actors over multiple roles, a tendency he’s fully willing to claim. He enjoys working with the cast and crew he’s come to know and trust over the years, and fans expect he’ll maintain this trend even after making the full move over to DC. With this in mind, and recent news about a Guardians actor in talks for the DCU’s Lex Luthor at the forefront of their minds, fans know exactly which background Guardians star they’d like to see in the role.

There are a few dozen options, spread across three Guardians movies and one Christmas Special, but one would easily take the cake. While we can’t deny the appeal of a quirky Sean Gunn Luthor — or a major switch-up with someone like Benicio del Toro — one recent Guardians addition easily takes the cake.

After making his debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the scintillant Martinex returned for a minor role in Vol. 3. His glittery skin might raise some eyebrows, but beneath that lustrous exterior might just be the perfect man for the job. After all, Michael Rosenbaum has plenty of experience to back him up.

Non-Smallville fans might be knitting their eyebrows together as they examine Rosenbaum’s average, but attractive, appeal, but longtime fans of the 10-season series instantly pegged the actor as the perfect — and potentially hilarious — fit for the part. After starring alongside Tom Welling as the show’s own Lex Luthor, it would be kismet for the star to turn full circle and once again step into the menacing DC villain’s shoes. It would also be pretty hilarious, as one fan pointed out on Twitter.

Noting that Rosenbaum would easily be “the funniest outcome,” Twitter user @Smv_of_heroes ignited a spectacular flurry of fan casting in the wake of their tweet. While options like Seth Rogen for Luthor — alongside Jonah Hill’s Superman, of course — would certainly get fan attention, we just don’t know if Vin Diesel has the chops (though he’s got the bald pate down pat).

Rosenbaum is an easy favorite for the part, among fans at least, and his return to the role would feel cyclical and fitting. He exited the role of Luthor after seven seasons of Smallville but returned to give Clark some grief for the show’s final arc. That was more than a decade ago, and fans would be far from disappointed to see the actor bring everything he’s learned over 10 years of additional experience to reimagine the part.

Quite a few people continue to see Rosenbaum as “peak Lex Luthor,” after all, so why not? That alone should land him on Gunn’s shortlist.