‘Superman’ Director James Gunn Doesn’t Feel Guilty About Ditching Marvel for DC

James Gunn‘s feature film opener to his brand new DCU is soaring high in theaters, but how does the director feel about jumping from one comic book film universe to another? As Superman racks up rave review after rave review, fans are reminiscing over the Guardians of the Galaxy director’s MCU history. Gunn breathed life back into the MCU by writing and directing the most consistent and well-received trilogy in the franchise. Yet, Gunn wasn’t safe from his past, being temporarily fired for offensive, and straight-up bad, jokes. The comic book movie king is now flying high at the head of the DCU, but recently he took some time to recap his rocky relationship with Disney’s MCU.

As a guest on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast, Gunn talked about his switch from the MCU to DCU. After being fired from the MCU in 2018, he and Peter Safran were offered the opportunity to co-head DC Studios. So, when Marvel executive Kevin Feige, who fought for Gunn’s reinstatement at Disney, told him the good news, the director had already taken a job with DC: the 2021 sequel The Suicide Squad.

“I went over to Kevin’s house. I went into his basement where he’s got all his Star Wars figures like a little museum and he said, ‘This is amazing.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s good, but I have to do something else first.’ And — oh my God, I didn’t remember this until right now — Kevin goes, ‘Ugh, are you doing Superman?’”

James Gunn Reveals Why He Had to “Protect” a Beloved MCU Character From Other Writers

The DC boss helmed all three ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies in the MCU and also served as a writer on each volume.

While Gunn had been offered Superman by DC already, he decided to go with the band of villainous misfits first. After his first DC project came out, Gunn returned to Marvel for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). When asked if he felt there was an “ethical dilemma” ditching Marvel for DC, Gunn said:

“No, I just shook my head. I didn’t feel that way because I was fired. … Listen, there are people that I’m not that happy with over there [at Disney], but that certainly wasn’t the Marvel guys, you know?. They were completely supportive. [Marvel Studios Co-President] Louis D’Esposito called me all the time. Lou and Kevin were great. So it certainly wasn’t them. But I didn’t feel guilt at all. I mean, I had to take a job! I took a job [with] people that I also really liked, and that was it.”

James Gunn Has the Best of Both Comic Book Worlds

David Corenswet in Superman. — Warner Bros. Pictures

Superman, starring David Corenswet in the titular role, is finally here and audiences are loving it. The DCU’s first film in its Gods and Monsters phase proves that James Gunn is at the head of some of the top projects for both Marvel and DC. With titles like Supergirl and Peacemaker Season 2 on the horizon, it looks like Gunn’s solid foundation will only be improved upon.

While he remembers his comic roots fondly, Gunn no doubt has more creative power at DC, which could lead to some of his best work yet. If you haven’t already, get your tickets to see the DCU’s phenomenal opening film, Superman.