James Gunn aimed to surprise fans with unexpected cameos in his Superman vision, and Bradly Cooper's minor appearance played a crucial role in propelling Clark Kent towards his true calling.
Here's how this surprising addition shaped the Man of Steel's destiny, and in Gunn's dream of paying homage to Marlon Brando's footsteps.
Was Bradley Cooper in James Gunn's Superman?
It's no wonder that Bradley Cooper, who has worked with DC Studios' new head James Gunn on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise as Rocket the raccoon, also landed a pivotal role in the DC Universe: Jor-El, aka the biological father of Superman.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Gunn had nothing but high praise for Cooper, both for his performance and in portraying Marlon Brando's 1978 Jor-El version.
"I needed somebody who could play Jor-El, who had the stature of what we imagine that character to be," Gunn explained, "Somebody that could walk in the footsteps of Marlon Brando."
Apart from succeeding in his choice of Superman's father, Gunn previously said in an episode of Jake's Takes that his friendship with Cooper made things easier and more interesting for the creation of the movie.
"He's a friend. We've stayed in close contact since the Guardians movies, and I admire him greatly as an actor and as a director," Gunn said, adding that all it took was a phone call to make it happen.
Gunn recalled dialing his number to pitch, "Hey, will you do me a favor? Come down, go to England, we're going to shoot you in a 3D environment, make a hologram of you, and you can play Jor-El."
Who Else Made Cameos in the 2025 Superman Movie?
Little did fans know that Bradley Cooper's Jor-El is one of the many iconic cameos that appeared in David Corenswet's Superman.
Some of the voice performances from the Man of Steel's sanctuary robots included Guardians stars Michael Rooker (Yondu) and Pom Klementieff (Mantis).
Gunn's own brother, Sean, who also played Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, made his appearance as Maxwell Lord, the CEO of LordTech, aka sponsor for the Justice Gang.
Other cameos are Will Reeve, son of Christopher Reeve (aka original Superman), John Cena's Peacemaker, and lastly, Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon), practically spoiling her DC future as Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl.
Planning on rewatching Superman for the thousandth time just to see Bradley Cooper in action? The DC flick is still in cinemas worldwide!
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