James Gunn has delivered some undeniable wins for DC Studios since taking charge of the DCU. However, his latest attempt to clarify the franchise's continuity has left many fans wondering whether he should spend less time talking about the DCU and more time figuring out what it should actually be.
This week, Gunn launched a one-off podcast dedicated to determining whether 2021's The Suicide Squad is DCU canon. Yes, really. A movie released under the old DCEU banner over five years ago is now getting its own deep dive to establish whether it belongs in a new universe...a universe which was supposed to represent a clean break from what came before.
While some fans have appreciated the additional insights, the answer should not require this much effort.
Gunn has since been going back and forth with fans on Threads about what does and doesn't work about The Suicide Squad in his DCU, turning questions about the franchise's direction into personal discussions about individual creative decisions.
It's hard not to admire his enthusiasm. Gunn is clearly passionate and cares deeply about these characters; his willingness to engage directly with audiences is refreshing in an industry where executives are often forced to toe the company line. Still, there's a difference between being a passionate fan and being the person responsible for building a cinematic universe.
Often, it feels as though Gunn is more invested in defending his own work than doing what's best for the DCU. Why are we devoting so much time to establishing whether the likes of Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad belong in this new franchise when we still don't have a Batman or Wonder Woman movie on the immediate horizon? Where is this universe actually heading, beyond the projects currently in development?
Man of Tomorrow could and likely will help answer those questions, and Gunn deserves credit for giving the DCU a promising start with Superman, Creature Commandos, and Peacemaker Season 2 (the divisive finale aside, it received positive reviews and featured some very timely plot beats).
Not everything has landed equally well, with Lanterns proving divisive—among fans, not critics—and Clayface raising questions about the DC brand's wider appeal. Yes, the audience scores have been glowing, but the audience also needs to show up, and it's still too soon to say whether it will break even. Either way, studios make movies to turn a profit, not simply recoup their production budgets.
This constant need to explain, defend, and contextualise his decisions is becoming distracting. This podcast feels less like an essential piece of world-building and more like a vanity project: an opportunity to revisit Gunn's previous work and ensure it remains part of the story he's now telling.
Compare that with Kevin Feige's early years overseeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He didn't spend the MCU's first four years trying to make X-Men, Spider-Man, and Blade canon, despite having cut his teeth on them as a producer. He focused on delivering Iron Man, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers.
Those movies established characters, built a shared world, and culminated in a crossover that changed the superhero genre forever. The MCU's success wasn't dependent on Feige explaining why everything mattered. Despite some flaws, the movies made that case themselves and ultimately gave him the power to rapidly expand the franchise.
Gunn should be taking a similar approach. The DCU needs strong films, memorable characters, and a clear sense of where its larger story is heading. There have been hints, but what it doesn't need is its co-CEO constantly litigating the past on social media or launching podcasts to settle questions that should be secondary to the future.
When Feige speaks, people listen because his words carry weight. Gunn, meanwhile, risks undermining his own authority by squabbling with fans and devoting so much attention to questions that should be secondary to the DCU's future. If and when DC Studios delivers a bona fide hit, Gunn can more easily shrug off the criticisms, but that hasn't happened yet. Superman was a modest success, and opinion remains split about whether Lanterns was the ratings success HBO hailed it as. Supergirl, meanwhile, was an undeniable flop.
James Gunn has earned the chance to build something special at DC Studios. Now, he needs to trust his own work, stop worrying so much about what fans think, and let the DCU speak for itself.