‘If it feels like homework, screw it’: James Gunn lays out his plans for DCU world-building that fly in the face of everything the MCU’s ever done

DCEU studio co-head James Gunn has been working hard behind the scenes preparing the eventual DCEU movie takeover. Recently, he shared his vision for how these movies should be consumed, and he took a shot at Marvel in the process.

Someone asked Gunn why people should “invest time and effort in yet another shared universe.” They also suggested that Gunn “build on what’s already there with slight course corrections as needed.” Everyone’s a critic.

Unlike most of us, Gunn has a very amiable online presence. He listens to people and gives thought-provoking answers that simultaneously provide little breadcrumbs to what’s eventually going to happen.

It’s the “investing time and effort” idea that really got him going. If that’s how you look at a shared universe, he said, “you definitely shouldn’t be.”

“Every story should be enjoyed and worth partaking in, in and of itself, without its attachment to an outside world. If it feels like homework screw it. ‘Shared universes’ should add fun to the individual stories, not the other way around. The individual stories and characters are much more important to me than the connections between them.”

Let’s unpack this. One of the biggest complaints about the MCU is that you need to have all this knowledge to not only understand, but enjoy the stories. You need to know lore from eleven different movies and backstories for seven hundred characters (slightly hyperbolic, but you get the point).

Gunn is really smart, because he’s subtly taking shots at Marvel’s whole business model while pumping up his own. Gunn is ready for war, and you can tell he wants to knock it out of the park with the new DCEU movies. It’s very exciting!

You know what else is exciting? We got confirmation from Gunn himself about three characters returning to the DCEU. He was asked about the Blue Beetle and whether Xolo Maridueña will return. He will! Along with Amanda Waller, and Peacemaker.

“Xolo Maridueña will continue playing Blue Beetle in the DCU, as Viola Davis will Amanda Waller, and John Cena will Peacemaker.”

Exciting things on the horizon. We’ll keep you posted.