Can Krypto Help DC Studios Soar Past a Bloated MCU?
James Gunn Goes Across the Street to Take on DC's Movie Problem
What does James Gunn have that Kevin Feige doesn’t? Not a damn thing. Both possess experience, a love for comic book movies, and a distinct vision.
To be clear, I'm not criticizing the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The core foundation of the MCU is undeniably strong. But, like with my comic books, I've become less interested in digitally owning every MCU movie. It was getting to be a bit much, especially with Disney+ offering so much content. Now, I mostly stick to streaming for my Marvel fix, just like I use Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe Infinite for my comics.
Feige's journey to becoming the architect of the MCU is rooted in a lifelong passion for Marvel Comics. Starting as an assistant to an associate producer on the first X-Men film, he steadily rose through the ranks. His vision for a shared universe solidified when he became President of Marvel Studios in 2007. Beginning with Iron Man, he prioritized creative collaborations and strategic planning, balancing popular heroes with lesser-known characters and championing diverse storytelling. Like D-lister Marvel nemesis The Growing Man, Feige's influence and the MCU have grown exponentially, culminating in a $29 billion+ gross for Marvel Studios and its acquisition by "The Mouse" in 2009.
My intention is not to disparage Kevin Feige or his work. However, I believe some MCU entries fell short, such as Eternals, Black Widow, Ant-Man: Quantumania, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Others, like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, while perhaps not critical darlings, I found quite enjoyable (though I know I'm in the minority on those!). By the conclusion of the Thanos saga with Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame, I was feeling some fatigue. While they were okay, they felt too long and drawn out for my taste. Deadpool and Wolverine was good (not great).
I never expected to see Guardians of the Galaxy on screen, and I thought the tone and characters were incredibly well done. The sequels too! Though Gunn was briefly "canceled" by Disney (before they begged him to come back and finish the trilogy), he learned a lot about making those big-budget blockbusters with huge stars. And aesthetically? As a punk rocker and (long-suffering) art school grad, I can totally relate to his journey.
Gunn began his career as a screenwriter for 1996's Tromeo and Juliet at Troma Entertainment, a Long Island-based B-movie studio known for the Toxic Avenger series. He then transitioned to Hollywood, working on Scooby-Doo and its sequel in the early 2000s. Notably, our podcast (The League) screened his early superhero film to celebrate our 250th episode in 2014, Ten years ago. Wild.
He made his directorial debut with the 2006 horror film Slither, followed by the dark comedy superhero film Super, starring Rainn Wilson in a departure from his typical roles.
Marvel entrusted Gunn with directing Guardians of the Galaxy, and he subsequently revised the script based on Joss Whedon's advice to infuse it with his unique style. Okay, gotta say, I liked David Ayer's 2016 Suicide Squad—even if most people didn't! Following the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gunn then helmed the soft reboot, The Suicide Squad (2021), which was a critical and commercial success, and the spin-off series Peacemaker. After a brief period of controversy—what could only be described as a SNAFU (Situation normal: all fucked up)—he returned to Marvel to conclude the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy with a heartfelt and emotionally resonant final chapter, GOTG: Vol 3.
This marked his departure from Marvel. Scumbag millionaire David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, recognized Gunn's potential to replicate Feige's success at DC Studios. This strategic decision could prove to be the only smart thing that idiot has done.
Gunn and producer Peter Safran now serve as co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios. Their responsibilities encompass overseeing all DC films, television series, and animation projects, mirroring Kevin Feige's role across the street.
This expanded universe includes projects such as The Batman 2, Creature Commandos, Superman: Legacy, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Clayface, The Authority, The Brave and The Bold (featuring Batman and his son Damian as Robin), Swamp Thing, and many others.
The primary objective is to un-fuck the DC multiverse, which has become convoluted due to inconsistencies across various films and television series, including Justice League, Shazam, The Arrowverse, and The Flash. Man of Steel and Justice League (both of which I enjoy) are not considered canon within the new continuity established by Gunn and Safran's DC Studios. While this is somewhat disappointing, as I would have enjoyed seeing Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of Dr. Fate interact with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, it is necessary for a cohesive universe.
Matt Reeves' The Batman, its sequel, and The Penguin series will remain separate from the new DC Universe, serving as exceptions to the broader continuity. Don't throw the baby Penguin out into the sewer again like the Cobblepots did in Batman Returns, I guess! While it's conceivable that Robert Pattinson's Batman could eventually be integrated, it appears unlikely. I am eager to see who Gunn casts as Batman for the interconnected DC Universe.
As far as this big un-fucking of the spaghetti goes, we can already see that the spaghetti is rightly fucked. There's ravioli in there with the linguine! Spoiler warning, the Justice League from the DCEU appears in shadow at the end of Peacemaker. Gunn's approach seems to be hand-wavey at best. Like The League says, "You'llll figure it out."
Gunn appears to prefer retaining actors across different projects. This means a character might appear in both the animated Creature Commandos and a live-action film, portrayed by the same actor.
He's trying, and the mistakes of the Snyder-verse will be the first thing he puts a band-aid on. With a multi-media approach, it'll offer the opportunity that Marvel Studios doesn't have, no matter how often the TVA gets involved.
Let's compare the latest trailers from both studios.
As mentioned in my Superman trailer review (below), Marvel Studios appears to be experiencing growing pains. The increasing number of Disney+ series has led to concerns about oversaturation and brand consistency.
Here is the trailer with Krypto and Superman everyone was on about last week.
Here is the trailer for Captain America: Brave New World, released last month.
Cap looks great! And Red Hulk? WTF? Awesome. Truly excited to see it. It's almost as if I am looking forward to seeing it, not seeing it 'just to say I did'. But here's a contrast.
Gunn sees Superman for what Clark and Supes mean to people. He's introducing some lesser-known heroes like Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner Green Lantern. Lex looks like a threat. The colors are bright and sprawling. That Krypto scene? Surprising, cute, and just plain nice.
I can't put my finger on what I love exactly about the cinematography, but I did watch a video on the camera they used. This one camera does the same thing as a wide-angle lens without changing lenses (something Kubrick would have loved). It's bright, brave, and bold!
We know there will be some humor. And heartbreak. This film will kick off the DC Studios universe (hand-wavey, I know, since Peacemaker and Creature Commandos are already out).
With Cap, you may have to have watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the other Cap movies, the Avengers movies, and more I can't even think of now. Believe me, I'm psyched for it, but something about Superman gives me hope like he's supposed to.
With Gunn unfucking the spaghetti—like a milk crate full of dead XLR cords—with some solder and some time, those cords will be right as rain. And unlike whatever sort of time fucking/unfucking Loki and the TVA got into, you can pick out the good ones that are salvageable and just throw the rest of them in the trash.
Gunn has the same superpowers Feige does. It's not a competition unless you want it to be. Then it certainly is a race to another $29 billion. Feige has a head start, but I don't believe he's lost his way. Daredevil: Born Again drops in March, smartly rebooting what could be described as the "Arrowverse" of Disney+ offerings.
Of course, I wish both gigantic media mega-corporations nothing but success. I want to see how a new vision competes with the 16-year-old franchise that has gotten a bit long in the tooth and a little soft around the midsection (something I know about myself!).
Views from Across The Street,
Clay N. Ferno
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