Problematic as he was, Marlon Brando set the bar with his turn in Richard Donner’s 1978 classic “Superman: The Movie” as the Kryptonian whistleblower Jor-El, who warned his home planet of its doom.
It would be 35 years before the character was brought to life on the big screen again, only this time with Russell Crowe (himself, coincidentally, the idol of then-Superman actor Henry Cavill) playing the part in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” and he did an okay job of it, too. However, with writer and director James Gunn making it clear early on that his take on Metropolis’ protector wouldn’t waste time with an origin story, it seemed fair to assume Jor-El wouldn’t be showing up in any form in 2025’s “Superman.”
Surprisingly, though, the father of Kal-El does turn up via the obligatory archived message that Jor-El left for his son in his shuttle, and he’s played by none other than Rocket Raccoon himself, Bradley Cooper. Rocking the obligatory beard and white robes alongside Angela Sarafyan as Superman’s mother Lara, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy actor puts a brand new and interesting spin on Supe’s old man. Indeed, Gunn makes Kal-El’s Kryptonian parents an intriguing pair in general, if not necessarily for the right reasons.
