James Gunn has become public enemy number one for many hardcore Snyderverse fans since he took over, especially with all of the intrigue surrounding his role in Henry Cavill’s second departure from the universe following Black Adam.
Gunn has been consistently under fire, backed into a corner and asked to explain pretty much every move he’s made since becoming the head of DC. Every minute detail has been overanalyzed, and his opinions have been routinely used against him in a point-scoring competition between sects of the DC fanbase.
The Slither director has now confirmed, once and for all, with no doubt, the Superman: Legacy project he is working on had been in development long before Cavill returned to the DC canon for that cameo in Black Adam. The talk for months around Gunn scything through Dwayne Johnson’s plans appear to be premature, and likely originating from Johnson himself.
The very same night Black Adam premiered, Johnson straight-up revealed Cavill returned in the post-credits sequence in what now looks like a desperate attempt to get bums on seats and try and spark a fan rebellion again. Reports in Jan. 2023 confirmed the disarray and disconnect between Johnson and Warner Bros., as well as confirming Gunn having the absolute faith of the studio behind him.
Cavill’s big return was very premature, and looks more and more like another case of broken communication between WB’s higher-ups. Johnson tried to commandeer the the comic book universe, spending extraordinary amounts of money to do so, only for it to end up nothing more than another false dawn for DC.
The Man of Steel actor could still return in the future, but don’t put your money on it. Superman: Legacy is a young Superman story, and it doesn’t feel like Gunn has any plans yet for a Snyderverse Superman continuation.
