The Lex Factor: Michael Rosenbaum Teases His Vital Role In 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2'

As we prepare to shoot into space with #JamesGunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, we are guaranteed one hell of an intergalactic ride that will cue up the third film in the franchise and beyond. Forget the all-star team-up of #GuardiansoftheGalaxy and #Avengers in #InfinityWar, all anyone is talking about right now is Star-Lord and co.

After solving the mystery of who Star-Lord's father is, it appears that the mysterious casting of #SylvesterStallone threw another question mark into the mix. Who Sly is playing promises to be one of the film's biggest reveals, however, does another cast addition hold even more promise?

We also know that Smallville's #MichaelRosenbaum will be part of Gunn's sequel, and now the actor himself has teased that his part will be more than just an Easter Egg in the Collector's display case.

A New Era Of The Guardians

Speaking to Marvel Entertainment on the red carpet at the film's premiere, Rosenbaum promised something spectacular from his part:

“Well, I'm in the movie. And I can't really say the role I'm playing 'cause James [Gunn] swore me to secrecy. It's with Stallone. It's an important role...I’m not allowed to say anything other than that. I can't wait to see it. I haven't seen it. I've been waiting a year to be able to say something. So it's really exciting."

While Rosenbaum is clearly reaming tight-lipped on his role (I don't blame you), many have guessed that he will be playing the blue-tinged #VanceAstro in Vol. 2. Stallone is all but been confirmed as Stakar Ogord, a.k.a. #Starhawk, and with both characters being members of the original team, it could certainly make sense to team Astro and Starhawk. However, it was Rosenbaum's next comment that seemed to throw us off the scent:

“I’m really excited to be here. The fans are awesome. They are all around. Yeah. This is incredible. So I'll see it for the first time, too. I'm not going to tell you what I look like, either. You're just going to have to see the movie. I don't have to shave my head again, so that's good."

Wait, no shaved head?!?

Is it really him?

Like Rosenbaum in his portrayal of Lex Luthor on Smallville, Vance is known for his signature chrome dome, so his hair-related comment seemingly counts that one out. So, if he really isn't playing Astro, who else could he be? Other rumors point to Rosenbaum playing #AdamWarlock, the perfect human known as "Him," who once held the Soul Gem.

Given that Infinity War will follow the "Infinity Gauntlet" #comicbook storyline from 1991, and as Warlock features heavily in that storyline, it would be more practical to introduce him rather than Astro. Secondly, we have seen Warlock's giant green cocoon in the Collector's museum during Thor: The Dark World and the first Guardians, meaning that his arrival has been teased for a while now.

Gunn has already said that Vol. 3 will be the last time that we have the team in their current line-up, so introducing Starhawk, Astro, Warlock and the likes of Moondragon and Quasar looks like the way we will be heading. With nearly 30 members of the Guardians across 48 years, and a line-up that has even included Iron Man, there is more than enough material to create your own #MCU just based on our outer space #superheroes.

Whoever Rosenbaum really is playing, we certainly don't have long to wait. Stick on your own Awesome Mix and get yourself down to cinemas to find out more!