James Gunn Reveals What He’s Calling the DCU’s Overarching Story, and It’s Not “Gods and Monsters”

It looks like James Gunn has a new name for the DC Universe’s overarching storyline, and as you might expect, Superman is right at the center of it.

The DC Studios co-chief is now referring to the franchise’s interconnected story as “The Superman Saga,” which suggests a shift from the original “Gods and Monsters” plan announced three years ago.

The DCU has gone through quite a few changes since Gunn and Peter Safran first unveiled their ambitious plans. Superman gave the franchise a strong start, but several projects have since been canceled, including The Authority and Sgt. Rock, while unexpected films like Clayface have joined the lineup.

With the original slate looking increasingly different, fans have understandably been wondering how everything fits together.

Those questions have picked up following the release of Clayface, which won its opening weekend at the box office and has already earned back its production budget.

Despite that, some fans have criticized the movie for barely acknowledging its DC Comics roots.

Batman doesn't even get a mention, and the movie makes no real effort to connect itself to the larger DCU.

What's strange is that we've already seen a fully powered Clayface show up in Creature Commandos, which takes place in the same universe as Superman. Unless Gun decides to change his mind, which he does.

Gunn addressed those concerns on Threads, explaining that DC Studios has always intended to tell both standalone stories and interconnected adventures.

“You can look at my quotes from January ’23 when we started and I said we were going to do exactly what we’re doing, I said some stories would be standalone like the Guardians movies were (which is what Clayface is) and some stories would have part of a larger narrative structure, which is what the Superman Saga is.

“All that said, each piece of the larger story should work on its own with or without having to see everything else.”

The interesting part here is Gunn's use of "The Superman Saga" to describe the DCU's larger narrative.

When DC Studios originally announced its first chapter, it was called "Gods and Monsters." That name has pretty much disappeared, and Gunn's latest comments make it sound like the interconnected side of the franchise is now being built around the Man of Steel.

It's not hard to see why. Following the success of Superman, DC Studios has continued expanding that corner of its universe with Supergirl and the upcoming sequel Man of Tomorrow.

There's also the unexpected The People v. Gorilla Grodd project in development, featuring Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen. Even Lanterns, which explores a very different side of the DCU, has connections to Superman's world.

Of course, Gunn hasn't explicitly said that "Gods and Monsters" has been officially retired or replaced. His comments do, however, make it clear that "The Superman Saga" is the name he's using for the interconnected storyline.

That also raises a fun question about the DCU's future. If Superman gets his own saga, could Batman and Wonder Woman eventually receive the same treatment?

The DC Trinity has plenty of stories worth exploring, and fans are certainly eager to see what Gunn and Safran have planned for Batman.

A full-blown Batman Saga would be pretty awesome, especially once the Dark Knight becomes a major player in this universe.

For now, Gunn seems excited about how the various projects are beginning to connect.

“It’s exciting seeing things START to come together and all that makes me even more excited for what we have in store for everyone in Man of Tomorrow,” Gunn concluded in a later post.

Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2027, continuing the Superman story and giving audiences a better idea of where Gunn is taking the DCU.

Personally, I like the idea of Superman serving as the foundation for this universe. He's the character who kicked things off, and building the larger story around him makes sense.

As long as DC Studios gives its other heroes room to shine, there's plenty of awesome potential here.

Via: ComicBook