In what’s already become Twitter folklore, James Gunn once revealed to his millions of followers that he had no interest whatsoever in stepping into the shoes of either Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige or DC Films’ Walter Hamada to oversee an entire cinematic universe.
We all know how that worked out in the end, with the filmmaker-turned-executive gearing up to bid farewell to the MCU in May of next year when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters, before taking up a full-time residency over at Warner Bros. Discovery alongside co-CEO Peter Safran.
Obviously, Gunn has been dealing with criticism and accusations from all corners ever since the news first broke, and that ranges from reasonable questions to unfounded and quite frankly preposterous conspiracy theories. One notable Twitter account decided to play nice and compare DC poaching him from Marvel as akin to Batman upping sticks and leaving his home turf behind, with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker creator appreciative of the gesture.
Coming from no less of an authority on all things comic book than Mark Millar, it’s clear that the expectations on Gunn’s shoulders are weighty to say the least. Not that he’s going to let it get to him, but maybe Bat-Mite would be a more fitting comparison seeing as the writer and director has made it clear the mischievous imp is one of his all-time favorite DC characters.
It’s been a long time since the DCU was singing from the same songbook, so let’s hope Gunn and Safran can right a ship that feels as if it’s been drifting off-course for years.
