Comic book writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning reinvented the Guardians of the Galaxy after Annihilation, and that gave filmmaker James Gunn a great starting point for his 2014 movie.
Along the way, the current DC Studios co-CEO made the characters his own and must have left Disney executives smiling from ear to ear by introducing the world to Baby Groot. The adorable, pint-sized character is a huge merchandise seller, whether it's pricey life-size Hot Toys, countless Funko Pops, or Disney Parks shoulder plushies.
Introduced at the end of 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, Baby Groot took centre stage in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 three years later and has since starred in his own Disney+ series (Gunn's involvement with that was minimal).
Talking to Howard Stern earlier this week, Gunn revealed whether he's getting a cut of those Baby Groot merchandise sales.
"We created the character Baby Groot, you know, I drew that character," the Superman helmer shared. "I don’t make any of that money in the same way that comic-book artists don't."
When the host put it to the filmmaker that Gunn made a mistake by not ensuring he was cut in on that side of things, the director quickly pointed out that he has no complaints with the compensation he received from Disney and Marvel Studios for his contributions to the MCU.
"I’m incredibly well paid. Guardians 2 and 3, especially Guardians 3," he shared. "I am incredibly well paid up front and on the back end. I make back-end dollars too. I just don't make money off merchandising."
It would be highly unusual for a writer and director to be paid a cut of merchandise sales, but Gunn's mention of comic book artists is interesting. Now he's calling the shots at DC Studios, can we assume he's making sure those DC creatives are getting a fairer deal than those who work for Marvel Comics? Here's hoping.
After helming the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for Marvel Studios (and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special), Gunn moved on to take charge of the DCU. So far, he's worked on Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker season 2, and Man of Tomorrow, a Superman/Lex Luthor team-up heading to theaters in July 2027, is up next.
You can hear more from Gunn on Baby Groot in the video below.