Superman: Legacy Director James Gunn Fires Back at DC Fan Calling Him a Liar

James Gunn and Peter Safran are shepherding a whole new era of the DC Universe, with a number of movies and Max-exclusive television shows arriving in the coming years. The new concerted effort from DC Studios comes after years of the publisher's characters being split across various franchises and mediums — and according to Gunn, that won't exactly be the approach going forward. Gunn recently took to the social media platform Threads to respond to a fan's complaint that DC properties are too "divided", following the debut of the animated movie Merry Little Batman on Prime Video, and news that previous DC movies will stream on platforms like Netflix and Tubi. As Gunn put it, having movies and TV shows on these different platforms do not mean that the DCU's output will be disjointed. He also confirmed that standalone projects like Merry Little Batman will continue to be part of the DC Multiverse as Elseworlds projects.

"Not sure where the anger is from, but you misunderstand," Gunn's comment reads. "DC projects being spread across different platforms, so that more people have access to the stories, is not the same as not having any cohesion in the DCU timeline, which we very much do (starts with Creature Commandos). Merry Little Batman on Amazon is a fun animated kids' movie that was already being made when we came aboard, but Elseworld animated projects like this will keep happening. I'm not sure how that's confusing."

What Is On the DC Universe Slate?

As Gunn and Safran revealed earlier this year, the initial DC Studios slate for "Gods and Monsters" will include movies for Superman: Legacy, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority. It will include the HBO Max television shows Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and an animated Creature Commandos series.

"A lot of people think it's going to be Marvel 2.0, and definitely I learned a lot of stuff at Marvel. I think that we have a lot of differences," Gunn explained at the time. "We are telling a big, huge, central story that is like Marvel, except for, I think that we're a lot more planned out than Marvel from the beginning because we've gotten a group of writers together to work that story out completely. But we're also creating a universe that is like Star Wars, where there's different times, different places, different things, or Game of Thrones, where characters are a little bit more morally complex." 

What Is Superman: Legacy About?

The first film in the DCU will be Superman: Legacy, which will be written and directed by Gunn. Per DC Studios, Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. Superman: Legacy will be written and directed by Gunn, and will serve as the first film installment of his and Peter Safran's DC Universe reboot.

"It's not an origin story," DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran told reporters earlier this year. "It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice, and the American way. He has kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned."

What do you think of James Gunn's new comments? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!