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Credit: Inside the MagicAlthough James Gunn and his co-head Peter Safran are just getting into the swing of things at Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC Comics film and TV unit, the former just can’t escape his lengthy history with DC’s competing superhero studio, Marvel. And as Gunn begins to amp up his future slate of DC projects, he recently took to social media to bluntly shut down Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 rumors, casting doubt on his return to the MCU.
Marvel’s smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy franchise wouldn’t be what it is without James Gunn, who took a relatively obscure team of antiheroes from the comics and made them into one of the MCU’s most lucrative assets.
Starring Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (AKA Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel as the voices of Rocket Raccoon and Groot, respectively, the MCU’s Guardians franchise took off in 2014 to rave reviews from both critics and fans. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) didn’t resonate with audiences as much as the first, it still faired well for Marvel and set up the team’s part in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
More recently, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) shattered box office records for the superhero studio, becoming one of the sole redeemers of the MCU’s Phase Five thus far. But sadly, it also marks the end of Gunn’s iteration of the Guardians and might very well be his final collaboration with Marvel as he prepares to kick off the next stage of DC’s cinematic universe.
Gunn and Marvel Studios have a bit of a complicated relationship. Despite the director being one of the most highly-praised creatives currently working in the superhero realm, he was temporarily booted from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after some of his controversial tweets resurfaced online, leading the Disney-owned company to fire him. Regardless, Gunn maintained an amicable relationship with President Kevin Feige and was later reinstated following widespread backlash from fans and the Guardians cast.
Regardless, things were never the same between Gunn and Marvel, with an underlying tension lurking in the background of his Guardians projects after being scooped up by DC to direct The Suicide Squad (2021). He then announced his new position at Warner Bros. Discovery in October 2022, confirming his MCU exit once and for all.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was an unquestionable hit for Disney and Marvel, but recently, James Gunn confirmed that he won’t be doing any repeats—at least, anytime soon. While responding to a fan on Threads about the potential of a sequel, the director bluntly replied, “I think I’ll leave it at 3, sorry (but thank you).”
Whispers about Gunn’s return for a fourth Guardians installment have run rampant since Vol. 3 was released back in May, with the movie’s post-credits scene alluding to a continuation of a new Guardians team led by Rocket Raccoon. After defeating the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), the threequel ended by showing how most of the original team members decided to retire, but featured Rocket, Groot, Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Cosmo (Maria Bakalova), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), and Phyla (Kai Zen) as they embarked on a new mission on a far-off planet.
The post-credits stinger led many to believe that Guardians of the Galaxy 4 is in the cards and also confirmed that Peter Quill will return as the “legendary Star-Lord,” setting up either a solo movie or a Disney+ series that pays homage to the Marvel comics run of the same name.
But even though these after-credits scenes laid the foundation for an exciting future for the MCU’s Guardians future, it sounds like Gunn won’t have anything to do with it. Interestingly, his recent remarks on Threads directly contradict what he’s been telling media outlets in recent years, with the director telling Entertainment Weekly in November 2022 that he would “never say never” to a potential Marvel return.
When asked about it by Esquire Middle East in May 2023, he said he didn’t “think there will ever be a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4“ as there are “many reasons this group will not be back.” However, he did reveal that he thinks there could be more Guardians movies, but that they won’t feature the same group that starred in his trilogy.
With Gunn jumping ship to DC Studios as its new head, it seems like the former Marvel director is at peace with how his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy ended and feels comfortable saying goodbye to the characters he helped establish.
And there’s certainly plenty for him to worry about at DC. Seemingly endless controversy has surrounded his treatment of the Superman franchise after it was revealed that longtime Clark Kent actor Henry Cavill had been axed from future projects. Instead, Gunn confirmed last month that David Corenswet would be taking over the role for Superman: Legacy (2025), with Rachel Brosnahan playing Lois Lane. Meanwhile, a third installment of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was just confirmed, though details have yet to be announced.
There’s also the matter of the Batman franchise, which has juggled seemingly endless A-listers in the titular role in recent years. Currently, Robert Pattinson is DC’s Defender of Gotham in the Matt Reeves franchise. Michael Keaton’s rendition of Batman in The Flash (2023) also received acclaim from fans—despite the movie itself not faring overly well.
Ben Affleck also portrayed Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and the ill-fated Justice League (2017). Affleck hasn’t had the greatest luck with DC as of late, with his Batman movie being canceled by the studio and his role being cut from the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). And as Gunn begins his “Gods and Monsters” era of the DCEU, he’s looking for yet another star to be the new face of the Dark Knight.
Many have speculated that The Boys and Supernatural veteran Jensen Ackles has been secretly cast as Bruce Wayne, with the actor putting in his bid for the role earlier this year. He’s also voiced Batman in DC’s animated Justice League: Warworld (2023), which surely helps his chances of playing the character in live-action.
With James Gunn set to undertake a fresh “reboot” of the former DCEU, it’ll be interesting to see where he goes next. But even though there might be an MCU-DC crossover on the distant horizon, it seems like Gunn has no intentions of factoring Marvel into his plans anytime soon.
What do you think of James Gunn’s blunt answer to the possibility of a Guardians of the Galaxy 4? Are you optimistic about his DC universe? Let us know in the comments.