James Gunn has bid adieu to Marvel Studios via emotional rollercoaster Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
With expertise in the superhero genre he gained at Marvel Studios, where he created the Guardians trilogy and executive produced several other productions, he seems the right person to take charge at DC. And he has already proven his mantle with the successful R-rated The Suicide Squad.
Given that Gunn has a strong connection at Marvel and now leads DC as co-chair, fans hope he could eventually link the two and bring them a crossover for the ages. However, the expectations are not entirely unrealistic. A 1996 comic book featured the long-awaited crossover, pitting Marvel superheroes against their DC counterparts. There have also been others from several publications, leading these heroes from across universes to partner and face a common enemy.
But can any of those stories ever come forth in live-action? At a recent premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn told Deadline that it’s something that he doesn’t see happening for the next decade, given DC has plans to execute and stories to tell that come from their universe.
“I think that it would look like something that would be happening in about 10 years. Not today, because we have a whole bunch of other DC movies we need to tell. But yeah, I think it could be cool.”
The DCU has just begun to take shape, and it’s still two years before the franchise’s first film, Superman: Legacy, releases, and Gunn will be closely watching The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom to see if and how those stories could be retconned into the new era. So, it’s better to leave the two franchises at a distance, and let DC establish its own multiverse before the talks of a crossover ever arise.