James Gunn once promised every DCU movie would be different, but it’s quickly becoming clear that everything is just – rinse and repeat – another version of his Guardians of the Galaxy movies at Marvel.
Gunn has been facing criticism for this approach to the DCU, where it seems he doesn’t care what the fans think and that it’s all about himself.
One of the criticisms has been that, so far, every DCU project – all from Gunn – has been the same, which includes Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker.
It’s all basically been the same story: throw in a ragtag group of characters, add in goofiness, throw in songs, and have them face an enemy. That’s been Gunn’s approach to everything, and many fans feel it’s getting old fast.
Now, in an interview with Rolling Stone about the Peacemaker Season 2 finale, which has also been facing criticisms (it’s the lowest-rated episode on IMDb), Gunn is questioned about the direction of his DCU.
More politics from James Gunn
Rolling Stone actually points out that Gunn’s DCU is a take on present-day politics and social issues, “You’ve made a key part of the DCU going forward about a government official abusing their power by having masked thugs come in the middle of the night and expel innocent people from the planet.”
The article says that Gunn grins with his answer, which sounds like sarcasm: “It’s just totally fiction, Brian. This is, like, something that can never happen on our planet, but that’s the beauty of things like comic books — you can explore things that would never, ever happen on our world.”
“It’s like Guardians“
Gunn is asked about an “escalating war” storyline happening in the DCU and is asked if we’ll be seeing it in Supergirl and Lanterns, and whether or not the war storyline is Gunn’s story or part of a larger story. Gunn responds with the mention of comparing Supergirl to Guardians (note: it has been said Gunn was on set directing scenes):
No, no. Both those things are worked in. We knew both of those stories were a part of what we originally put together, so they’re part of the overall tapestry, but they’re also their own thing. Supergirl especially is a space adventure. It’s like Guardians. Lanterns is its own thing. There’s just a longer, sort of a bigger world we’re building with all these different pieces and they do all come together and intersect sometimes in a story fashion and sometimes just in a, you know, “here’s another piece of the world” fashion.
Gunn also adds that there are other bigger story arcs, particularly for Lanterns. Insiders have actually filled us in that Lanterns starts off grounded but gets into heavy sci-fi and is really good.
Regarding Gunn’s comments, they only add to growing concerns that the DCU lacks creative variety and relies too heavily on the same formula he’s used for years. Fans who expected each project to have its own tone and direction are instead seeing a shared style, one that’s beginning to wear thin.
@JamesGunn said every DCU project has a different tone??? 🤔
— Cosmic Book News (@cosmicbooknews) July 17, 2025
The Suicide Squad – goofy
Peacemaker – goofy
Creature Commandos – goofy
Superman – goofy
Supergirl – goofy
Clayface – goofy
??? – ??? pic.twitter.com/LJUgyj8jLu
Release info
Supergirl hits theaters on June 26, 2026 directed by Craig Gillsepie and stars Milly Alcock as Supergirl, with Jason Momoa as Lobo. The villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills, is played by Matthias Schoenaerts.
Lanterns is set to debut early in 20267 on HBO Max and stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, with Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.
