DC Studios Boss James Gunn Talks Comic Accuracy And Addresses Confusion About PEACEMAKER Being DCU Canon

DC Studios Boss James Gunn Talks Comic Accuracy And Addresses Confusion About PEACEMAKER Being DCU Canon

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has shared his take on what comic accuracy really means for film and TV adaptations and addresses the confusion surrounding his recent remarks about Peacemaker being DCU canon.

By JoshWilding - Nov 20, 2024 07:11 AM EST
Filed Under: DC Studios

Given how obscure characters like Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon once were in the grand scheme of the wider Marvel Universe, James Gunn could do pretty much anything he wanted with them in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies without facing fan backlash. 

The same could be said for the B and C-List villains he populated The Suicide Squad with. Now, as the head of DC Studios and the man responsible for creating the new DCU, the pressure is on the filmmaker to overhaul an entire world of iconic heroes and villains. 

However, comic accuracy means something different to every fan, something Gunn pointed out during a recent exchange with fans on social media. 

"I don’t think it means 'in current canon' as all of these characters have their up years [and] down years [and] not always at the same time," he explained. "I don’t think current readers should be weighted 100% [and] lifelong readers weighted 0%. Things evolve."

"Also, the DCU is a different universe than DC comics, just as Black Label is different from mainstream continuity," Gunn added. "'Comics accurate' to me means staying true to the nature of the character, which is obviously subjective, so every adaptor can only do his or her best."

He's not wrong and trying to head down the "comic-accurate" route for every upcoming DCU movie and TV show (or any comic book adaptation for that matter) would be no easy feat. 

Gunn was also quizzed by fans puzzled by his recent comments about all of Peacemaker season 1 being canon aside from that scene with the DCEU's Justice League. 

"If you listen to the interview that’s being quoted, you’ll see I didn’t change my mind, and I say the same thing," he insisted. "Basically everything is canon except the [Justice League] and a couple other things, but nothing can be considered pure DCU canon until [Creature Commandos]."

It's still a little confusing but essentially means that certain scenes no longer happened because Gunn wants to keep the DCEU projects and characters he worked on as part of this new shared world. 

Whether this should still be considered a true reboot is thereby up for debate, though the vast majority of big-name characters are being recast (including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman).

You can hear more from Gunn in his Threads posts below.

To Keep Things Clear, James Gunn Should Make No Further Comments About The DCU's Canon
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To Keep Things Clear, James Gunn Should Make No Further Comments About The DCU's Canon

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harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 11/20/2024, 7:07 AM
words and stuff
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Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 11/20/2024, 8:31 AM
@harryba11zack - Words and stuff really are underappreciated. I also respect it!
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/20/2024, 7:10 AM
Comic accuracy is bullshit considering there has been no set way these characters have been written since the decades or so they have been created because they have constantly been rebooted or retconned (hell we have even had Absolute ,Elseworld and Ultimate takes on them).

Ultimately what matters is what speaks to you about the character or characters involved which might not be the same for everyone which is a risk you take when adapting anything , no matter how popular or not it is.

All Gunn and the other creatives imo need to worry about is making sure these stories & versions of the characters are engaging on their own.
RedFury
RedFury - 11/20/2024, 7:50 AM
@TheVisionary25 - well said!
Fares
Fares - 11/20/2024, 8:13 AM
@TheVisionary25 - I couldn't agree more.
If I walk in on a friend and they're in the middle of watching a movie I don't know the title of, and if I sit down to join them and in the thick of it I'm able to discern by myself that the movie is about Superman, then no matter how different that version of Superman is from what's generally perceived as THE classic Superman, it remains a valid interpretation of the idea that is Superman and it deserves to have his name in its title. That is the general rule of thumb for me, exceptions notwithstanding, for how far you can distance yourself from the classic interpretation of something while still earning the right to bear its name.
Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 11/20/2024, 8:30 AM
@TheVisionary25 - Love this. And I think we've all been saying this different ways for years now. I've ALWAYS looked at the films and tv series as just another universe NO DIFFERENT than the ultimate universe and all the others with different Earth-XYZ designators.


Source accuracy is simply boiled down to the essence of a character. Just as Nick Fury has two different main versions in the comics that share very similar core attributes but are clearly very different.

And the other bit you mentioned is just as important to remember: the word "adapting". The mediums of comics and film are DRASTICALLY different. Therefore to represent a comic in film requires adaptation. Namor being a perfect example. There really is an art to adaptation.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/20/2024, 8:59 AM
@Tonic24k - yes

Plus I don’t mind creatives reinventing it adding new stuff too since it keeps the characters fresh regardless of how I feel about the takes themselves
Batmangina
Batmangina - 11/20/2024, 7:11 AM
Me with James Gunn exposition:

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MisterBones
MisterBones - 11/20/2024, 7:25 AM
He just should’ve rebooted everything entirely but it is what it is
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 11/20/2024, 7:37 AM
Everything he's saying here makes sense. Except for the Black Label thing. Black Label doesn't makes sense to anyone. Trying to define it is folly. Defining it as out-of-canon is innacurate since plenty of Black Label books are canon, or at least intended to be until Chip Zdarsky retcons them (*cough*cough*Three Jokers*cough*cough).
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 11/20/2024, 7:41 AM
@ObserverIO - You can't even define it as a mature readers imprint. Although many Black Label books have graphic sex and violence and bad language, others are bleeped out and censored.
Black Label is completely meaningless.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 11/20/2024, 7:39 AM
On paper i can't help but to agree with him but then i'm reminded that this is the same f*cker that came up with Mantis.

True believers know how the creator felt about his version, heh...

Or even Drax for that matter...Nova Corps? Adam Warlock?

Ya know what, just shut up, Gunn...
RedFury
RedFury - 11/20/2024, 8:08 AM
@Doomsday8888 - yeah but Rocket was amazing, Yondu was fantastic, Gamora was a weapon, Quill had a real and believable heart, Groot was incredible, his suicide squad characters felt like actual comic-book characters, etc etc etc.

It's easy to focus on the bad, and forget about the good. Gunn has served up far more wins then losses imo.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 11/20/2024, 8:17 AM
@Doomsday8888 - All those life-long Mantis fans up in arms.
FinnishDude
FinnishDude - 11/20/2024, 11:00 AM
@Doomsday8888 - You have gifs of Snyder projects as your profile pic. Is the comic-accuracy really the hill for you to die on?
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/20/2024, 7:46 AM
He's right about comic accuracy. It's better to get the character right than it being an actual copy imo. Comic accuracy often only means "accurate to the comic I like" anyway.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 11/20/2024, 7:49 AM
@bkmeijer1 - exactly

Comic accuracy is basically just people saying “make it how I like it to be”.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/20/2024, 9:13 AM
@TheVisionary25 - and to them I say: "if you want it to be like the comic, go pick up that comic"
Baf
Baf - 11/20/2024, 11:34 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Don't you dare bring any kind of sound reasoning to this website. We only want to know how it's all connected. (as if the means anything)
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/20/2024, 12:22 PM
@Baf - oh yeah, I'm sorry. Forgot which platform I'm on. I sometimes just think like the general audience. I'm oblivious to different universes, so just gimme a good story dammit!
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 11/20/2024, 7:53 AM
just started watching the show so i can have some idea wtf is going on in the "new" DCU. Gotta say the humor in episode 1 directed and written by Gunn made me cringe soooo hard that im now worried about Superman... but we'll see. otherwise i did enjoy episode 1 and hope it gets better. SO far, the best thing is the dynamic between Peacemaker and Eagley

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mountainman
mountainman - 11/20/2024, 7:57 AM
@MotherGooseUPus - This show does lean into that cringey Gunn humor a lot, but overall I enjoyed the season.

I really hope Superman leverages Gunn’s talent at showcasing “heart” and “family” and gets away from his juvenile humor.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 11/20/2024, 8:02 AM
@mountainman - ugh, im not surprised... was hoping it wouldnt be overbearing. Glad it's good though.

I agree. i hope for Superman he KNOWS how important the heart and family and kindness is to Superman and his story/character. guess we'll find out
RealTurner
RealTurner - 11/20/2024, 8:59 AM
@MotherGooseUPus - I think every character has a turn at bat at some point with the awful "hold on, that's a silly word!" shtick which gets old real fast. Overall though, it's more than worth the watch.
mountainman
mountainman - 11/20/2024, 9:56 AM
@MotherGooseUPus - The show still has that heart, even though some of the goofy stuff. For a character like Peacemaker (or his GOTG / Suicide Squad movies) it can be fine. But you’re right for Superman it wouldn’t be.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 11/20/2024, 11:35 AM
@mountainman - glad the show has some heart to it and not all goofy.

I truly hope he doesnt goof around with the humor in Superman, alittle is fine, just dont make it abundant and "necessary"

OFF TOPIC: you watch the first episode of Dune Prophecy yet?
mountainman
mountainman - 11/20/2024, 12:01 PM
@MotherGooseUPus - Not yet. Been too busy this week. Probably won’t until this weekend. I’ll let you know what I think when I do.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 11/20/2024, 12:49 PM
@mountainman - User Comment Image

curious to see what you think compared to me, who really liked it but doesnt know the lore of Dune and what actually happens lol
WEAPONXOXOXO
WEAPONXOXOXO - 11/20/2024, 8:17 AM
Not confused. All good.

Now what's confusing is Deadpool&Wolverine.
Deadpool goes to the point (in his universe) where Wolverine is dead? Why not go back to the exact point of his party (in his universe once again) where Wolverine is still alive.
Now that's confusing.

Forthas
Forthas - 11/20/2024, 8:29 AM
"Basically everything is canon except the [Justice League] and a couple other things, but nothing can be considered pure DCU canon until [Creature Commandos]."

Oh! Now its "PURE" canon! Keep moving the goal posts there James! And further more Star Lord challenging Ronan to a dance-off is in keeping with the "nature" of the character? I knew this guy was a fraud!

Tonic24k
Tonic24k - 11/20/2024, 9:23 AM
@Forthas - I don't think he's a fraud...but he is making this much more difficult than it should be. Marvel, as much as I'm growing tired of the Multiverse shenanigans, at least had a reason to get into meta-storytelling -- they had IPs all over the place they had to coalesce into one cinematic continuity. DC on the other hand...no such problem. And yet here we are with the absolute ability to start completely fresh and still making it unnecessarily complicated. *sigh*

TheNewYorker
TheNewYorker - 11/20/2024, 8:58 AM
I don’t understand why people care so much. If you enjoy this type of content, cool. Canon, Sony, Nikon, what does it matter.
SheepishOne
SheepishOne - 11/20/2024, 8:58 AM
I can’t help but think in another 5-6 years, we’ll be discussing a new true clean-slate reboot of the DCU.

I like Gunn, but this picking and choosing of what reboots and what doesn’t is just messy.
RealTurner
RealTurner - 11/20/2024, 9:00 AM
If there's any confusion, it's coming from the silly parade of itty-bitty information bites that somehow the marketing department continues to allow this guy to spew out.
massdeath
massdeath - 11/20/2024, 9:48 AM
So it’s real simple. Everything is, and is not, canon simultaneously. I both said that repeatedly; and never said it all. Nothing is canon before CC, unless it is; which of course means that it’s not. Except when it is, which it’s never going to be, unless it always was.

Got it?
hsanjose
hsanjose - 11/20/2024, 11:29 AM
"'Comics accurate' to me means staying true to the nature of the character". So, how is ridiculing a serious character like Vigilante means staying true to the it's nature? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 11/21/2024, 12:12 AM
I disagree with him. Comic accuracy means staying as faithful as possible to core characteristics and events that make the characters tick enough to resemble the source material. That can go from their origin, their physical appearance, the theme colorful gear ups they bear and the arcs they've gotta go through. And of course the powerset plays a role too.

All I get from his long explanation is that he wants to have his own leeway with all of the slate of characters and that is not gonna work with all of them. It can be with some disposable ones like from Suicide Squad because they're meant to all be just fleeting. But he sure threw away comic accuracy when he literally turned Vigilante, a character known for his deep psychological struggles, into a out-of-control jester. Or the disparity he did with that version of Judomaster.

Know your limits, please.

"'Comics accurate' to me means staying true to the nature of the character, which is obviously subjective" um nope? The core is the core and the more it remains untouched the better. Not always trying to reinvent the wheel works.

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