There has been an insane amount of buzz surrounding James Gunn’s new Superman movie recently, though many also continue to discuss his beloved Marvel Studios franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy. That includes the people who were fortunate enough to be a part of it. One such person who's discussed it is DC alum Michael Rosenbaum, who notably played the role of Ravager Martinex. While he mostly seemed to enjoy the experience, he recently dropped some complaints about some of his character's scenes being cut, leading to a reduce role.
Michael Rosenbaum, who's become a fixture at conventions in recent years, recently appeared at Nashville Comicon, where he discussed his career. The fan-favorite actor -- who's best known for his role as Lex Luthor on Smallville -- took some time to discuss his role in the cosmic Marvel Cinematic Universe series. That's when the star spoke (via Entertainment Weekly) aabout his reduced presence in the blockbuster franchise:
The role was supposed to be a lot bigger. They cut a lot out. You were supposed to see... it was written in the script to see Martinex's powers, which were really cool. But they had so much to talk about in the script that they ended up cutting it out at the end.
Martinex, was introduced a part of Starhawk’s (Sylvester Stallone) group of Ravagers, who were old friends of the late Yondu Udonta, in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The Impastor actor later reprised the role in 2023's Vol. 3, in which the Ravagers help the titular team infiltrate Orgocorp. Michael Rosenbaum is longtime friends with James Gunn and was even offered a role in The Suicide Squad. One can understand why the star would feel disappointed over a portion of his material being cut from. After all, if an actor puts in the work, it's natural that they'd want others to see it. His gripes aside though, Rosenbaum stated that he holds no ill will towards his buddy:
It was fun. For me, it's like, I'm working with my friends, I get paid, I'm in a big Marvel movie, life could suck worse, you know what I mean? I'm very grateful.
It should be said that just because Martinex didn't have a heavy role, that didn't take away from just how vital it was. Upon revealing the casting years ago, James Gunn noted how "important" the character was. And, of course, the character didn't die by the end of Vol. 3, so there's a possibility that he could make a return at some point in the future.
Patience is certainly a virtue in the MCU, given the movies take a while to come together, and many characters are introduced briefly before having to wait years to get their moment in the spotlight. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch was introduced in the mid-credits scene of 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier and, while she's now seemingly dead, she went out as arguably the most powerful character in the MCU. (I’m personally still waiting for them to bring back Harry Styles as Eros from Eternals, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up.)
As for Martinex and the Ravagers, they could have bright futures as well, since they're still wandering the cosmos within the shared universe. I'd selfishly not only want to see them again because of Martinex, but so I could see the MCU bring back Gamora, who was still with the group by the end of the threequel. It'd be great to see her and the group again, and even Zoe Saldaña thinks she could return as her beloved heroine.
While James Gunn is moving on to the DCU, he might not be completely leaving the Guardians cast behind. The superhero visionary hinted that he might be willing to cast Dave Bautista as another hero… or maybe a villain? And who knows, maybe Michael Rosenbaum can strike up a deal with the director as well. I'd say that just about anything is possible when it comes to this fledgling continuity. One would think that if that happens, though, Rosenbaum would hope that he gets more screen time.
Check out Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex by streaming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 using a Disney+ subscription.
