James Gunn took a break from filming his Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow, and opened up about getting fired from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 during his commencement address at Saint Louis University, where he also slipped in a joke about the one DC question he keeps getting asked: Who is going to play Batman?
Gunn returned to his alma mater on Saturday, May 16, to address Saint Louis University’s Class of 2026. The school said Gunn spoke in front of more than 6,500 graduates, family members, and friends at Chaifetz Arena.
James Gunn Jokes About Casting Batman
During the speech, Gunn talked about how the outside image of a dream job is often different from the reality of living it.
Gunn used red carpet events as an example, describing the process as uncomfortable, hot, repetitive, and awkward. He joked about sweating under makeup, dealing with bright lights, and being asked the same questions over and over again.
Then came the DC Studios punchline.
Gunn said interviewers keep asking him “who you’re going to cast as Batman,” before adding, “That last thing may just be me.”
It was a quick joke, but it comes as DC fans continue to wait for updates on The Brave and the Bold, the Batman movie set in Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU.
Gunn Opens Up About Getting Fired From Marvel
The more serious part of the speech came when Gunn reflected on being fired by Disney and Marvel in 2018 from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after old offensive Twitter posts resurfaced.
Gunn told graduates he was “heartbroken” and “humiliated” at the time. He said he feared he was losing everything that made him feel worthwhile.
“In 2018, I was fired from directing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for making offensive jokes on Twitter 11 years earlier. I was heartbroken. I was humiliated,” said Gunn. “I was terrified because I felt like I was losing everything that made me worthwhile.”
He explained that much of his career had been driven by a need to be loved and accepted. Making hit movies, he said, became a way to chase that feeling. But when he lost the Marvel job, Gunn said something changed.
“So when I lost my job and I truly thought it was the end of my career forever, I felt completely useless. But then something miraculous happened,” said Gunn.
Gunn Says He Felt Loved For The First Time
Gunn said his then-girlfriend and now-wife, Jennifer Holland, stood by him, along with his family, friends, collaborators, and members of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast.
According to Gunn, many of them publicly defended him even though it could have hurt their own careers.
“In the moment where I thought I had lost everything, I actually found what it was I was looking for,” Gunn said. “I felt loved for the first time really ever.”
Gunn called it the happiest moment of his life.
Guardians 3 Firing Led To DC Studios
Gunn was later rehired to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was released in 2023. But during the time away from Marvel, he took a job at DC making The Suicide Squad.
Gunn pointed to that turn of events as the path that eventually led him to his current job as co-head of DC Studios.
He told the graduates that obstacles can become opportunities, saying the worst thing that happens to you might end up being the best thing.
“Obstacles are opportunities. After that moment, I was never the same,” said Gunn, adding, “Look at the world with the knowledge that the worst thing that ever happens to you just might be the best.”
Gunn’s Message To Graduates
Gunn also told graduates that the foundation for his career started at SLU, saying the “birth” of everything from Guardians of the Galaxy to Superman and DC Studios began there.
Gunn closed with a message for the graduating class: “The future is yours, and the world’s future is you. In all senses of the word, be good.”
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