Is the DC Universe going to be just like the MCU? James Gunn reveals how Superman is going to set the tone for the upcoming franchise reboot.
For all the talk there has been about the DC Universe and the potential it has as a franchise, the truth is there is no DC Universe. There is only Superman. For better or for worse, the future of the universe and all of the projects therein depends on James Gunn’s long-awaited reboot succeeding at the box office. His prior success in the MCU gives some people high hopes, but has other people worried about future projects under his leadership.
James Gunn has a very unique palette when it comes to his filmography. While Superman is set to be more serious than his prior work, test screening reports suggest that the movie is still fun and light-hearted. This has made some fans worried that the DC Universe, formerly known as being rather gritty, will become the action-comedy fest that the MCU has become over the years. However, it seems as though Superman is setting the tone for the franchise by not setting a tone.
“I think it’s only setting the tone so far as that this is 100 percent a James Gunn movie, and what I want with the future films is for them to be the same,” Gunn explained to Entertainment Weekly. “Not James Gunn movies, but when I talked to Craig Gillespie who’s doing Supergirl, I said, ‘I don’t want all of these movies to be the same.'”
“What I love about DC Comics is that you can read a story like The Dark Knight, which is tonally very different because of its artist and writer than Superman for All Seasons, than All-Star Superman, than [Batman:] The Long Halloween. They’re all these beautiful stories within the same world, but completely different. And that’s what I think is exciting.”
Is The DC Universe Inspired By The MCU?
The idea of having each movie be led by the creatives behind it is certainly an exciting prospect. Some would even call it innovative in the world of franchise films. However, it seems that James Gunn didn’t come up with the concept on his own. Continuing on, Gunn explained that his approach to the DC Universe was heavily inspired by the MCU, and that his tonal aspirations may be seen sooner than some fans may have expected.
“I think that I learned from my time at Marvel. When Guardians of the Galaxy came out, people were like, ‘Well, how is this raccoon going to interact with this God of Thunder who’s been set up in a totally different type of movie?’ And that was the thing that people liked the most about Infinity War. So it’s about really letting the artists create these unique visions that allow us to get to know these characters in different ways.”
“I look forward to the time when these characters — one of them does show up pretty soon…two of them actually — so anyway, when they get to see them in a totally different light, in a totally different genre and a film that isn’t the big spectacle, action-adventure, maybe something more dramatic, maybe something more comedic, whatever, and see those characters in a slightly different light portrayed by the same actors.”
Admittedly, it may not be a great idea to compare the DC Universe to the MCU given the current state of discourse around the franchise. Yet it seems as though James Gunn is confident in his ability to steer the franchise. At least seven projects are in development to release after Superman (not counting those that have been announced but not greenlit). So his franchise will very much hit the ground running if it manages to take off!
Superman is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
