Before he ‘earned’ the position of the co-CEO of the DC Universe, James Gunn was one hell of an outstanding filmmaker, directing blockbusters like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy film series and DC’s The Suicide Squad (2021). But this new position seems to have taken a toll on him, considering how he has seemingly turned his back entirely on the Marvel Cinematic Universe along with taking a dig at it and criticizing it.
And once again, he had done something similar as his scathing criticism of the MCU in a viral comment on Threads after becoming the executive of DCU has ticked off the former franchise’s fans.
James Gunn Takes A Dig At MCU, Pissing Marvel Fans
Ever since James Gunn took hold of the DC Universe, he has been trying to make the massive-est of changes in it, which are partially helping it but somewhat making it crumble as well. But besides the conversions, he has also started taking sides between the two multi-billion dollar franchises, particularly of the one whose co-CEO he has become.
Recently, he even faced backlash from the MCU fans following his response to a fan on Threads asking him if there are any current titles (comics) that he picks up every month. To this, he replied by commenting,
“I get ALL the DC titles.”
His turning his back on the same franchise whose 2 excellent movies he directed has ticked off Marvel fans against the filmmaker-turned-CEO. Not only this, in his previous comment, Gunn also trolled the MCU for its approach.
“If you look at the MCU, there are very few traditional superheroes,” Gunn commented previously on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s approach. “There was never a guy with a secret identity until Spider-Man in the MCU. Their Cap was turned into a soldier even though he wears a mask. Iron Man outed himself at the end of the first Iron Man because they don’t want to deal with the whole secret identity stuff.
With a comment like this, MCU fans are nothing short of disappointed at James Gunn for ditching the franchise and taking a dig at it right after he got crowned the position of the co-CEO of Marvel’s competitive franchise.
James Gunn Shares What Fans Can Expect From The DC Universe
Comparing works from the franchise of which he is now the co-CEO to the works of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, James Gunn further took a dig at the latter. He said,
“There is a bit more of a fantasy element to DCU because there are these larger-than-life superheroes and for me, there’s Superman and Clark Kent. They’re two different characters, and you have to find a way to deal with them that’s as grounded as possible within this world of DC.”
He then went on to diss the MCU for presenting stories ‘in the world just outside our windows’ as compared to the DC Universe, which creates a parallel fictional world wherein to tell the stories.
“One of the things that I love about DC, that excites me about DC, is that in a way it’s another alternate history. It is Gotham City and Metropolis and Star City and Bludhaven, and all these different places in this other reality, and it makes it a little bit like Westeros in some ways.” He added, “I love it in that way. I love that we get to create true worldbuilding in DC, it isn’t just ‘we’re throwing some superheroes on Earth.’ I think right now, that’s one of the key differences.”
As of now, the James Gunn version of the DC Universe is set to kick off with Superman: Legacy, which is confirmed to enter theatres on July 11, 2025
Source: ComicBook
