James Gunn Says He “Didn’t Feel Guilt” Leaving Marvel for DC: “I Was Fired”
James Gunn has officially planted his flag in the DC Universe with Superman, and he’s not looking back. During a recent episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Gunn was asked if he felt any guilt about leaving Marvel for DC. His response was blunt and honest:
“No, I just shook my head. I didn’t feel that way because I was fired. I didn’t feel guilt at all. I mean, I had to take a job! I took a job [with] people that I also really liked, and that was it.”
Gunn, of course, directed all three Guardians of the Galaxy films, and even shot the Thor: The Dark World mid-credits scene. But back in 2018, things took a turn. Disney cut ties with him over resurfaced tweets, leaving Gunn thinking his career might be done.
“I thought my career was over.”
That’s when Warner Bros. entered the picture. They initially reached out to him about Superman, but Gunn pitched The Suicide Squad instead. And in a twist of timing straight out of a comic book storyline, the same day Warner called, Disney reached back out, seemingly ready to bring him back into the fold.
So Gunn found himself sitting at Kevin Feige’s house, being asked if he was going to direct Superman. Eventually, he did return to Marvel one last time to finish Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, before fully committing to DC, this time as co-head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran.
Despite the rocky exit, Gunn made it clear that the folks at Marvel were never the problem:
“Listen, there are people that I’m not that happy with over there [at Disney], but that certainly wasn’t the Marvel guys, you know? They were completely supportive.
“[Marvel Studios Co-President] Louis D’Esposito called me all the time. Lou and Kevin were great. So it certainly wasn’t them.”
Now, Gunn is fully focused on reshaping DC’s cinematic universe. Chapter One: Gods and Monsters kicked off with Creature Commandos and now Superman. On deck are Supergirl, Peacemaker Season 2, Lanterns, and more, as DC aims to roll out two movies and multiple shows—live-action and animated—each year.
For Gunn, the past is behind him. He didn’t burn bridges, he just found a new one to build.