How James Gunn’s DC Universe will differ to recent Marvel movies

Fans looking forward to a massive interconnected DC Universe akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be a bit disappointed, based on James Gunn’s latest comments, but it’s good news for fans burnt out by massive multiverses.

The upcoming DC Universe is already in the thick of filming, with both Peacemaker Season 2 and Superman currently underway.

A number of other DCU movies and TV shows are also in the works, including Supergirl: World of Tomorrow, The Authority, Lanterns, and possibly a Blue Beetle animated series.

But those titles won’t be as connected as the MCU, despite existing in the same universe, according to the man himself, who was asked if you would need to watch every DCU film to understand what was going on.

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“No. Although they’re connected and in the same universe, every project should work as an individual story in and of itself.” Gunn said in a reply on Threads.

This direction for the DC Universe should be a welcome change of pace to fans currently burnt out on the Marvel films. While the shared universe Marvel employed was hailed for years as a positive, it definitely seems to have contributed to fan burnout and exhaustion.

It doesn’t help that the shared universe reached a seemingly perfect crescendo in Avengers Endgame, which rewarded the fans who had kept up with over a decade of films.

But that universe kept going after Endgame, frustrating fans who had no attachment to Marvel’s next generation of heroes.

Gunn appears to be attempting to avoid that pitfall. While the DC Universe films will exist in a connected universe, the films will stand on their own more, much closer to the earlier Marvel Cinematic Universe films before the franchise pivoted to building towards Avengers films.

Despite this, there are already building blocks for the DCU to bleed into itself. We know Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. is a key character for both Creature Commandos and Peacemaker Season 2, while Superman will feature a host of other DC superheroes.

The first entry of the new DC Universe, Creature Commandos, will be released in December 2024. While you’re waiting for that, read about every superhero movie and TV show coming in 2024, or catch up with the best new movies on streaming and the best new shows on streaming this month.