Credit: Inside the MagicAfter the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) merger last year, a substantial restructuring occurred, leading to the exit of the former head of DC, Walter Hamada. James Gunn, a celebrated director recognized for his contributions to the Kevin Feige-driven Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios, including the Guardians of the Galaxy series, now assumes the role of CEO alongside co-CEO Peter Safran. Gunn plays a prominent role in the new DC Extended Universe (DCEU), overseeing characters like Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Henry Cavill’s Superman from Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Now, with Superman: Legacy reboot on the horizon, Gunn is taking to social media to defend his movie — and simultaneously put down a worrying trope that’s all-too-common in modern superhero films.
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The New DC Universe
In this initial phase of the DC Universe, titled Chapter One – Gods and Monsters, James Gunn is gearing up for a significant transformation of the former DCEU, aiming to start fresh. The most substantial information currently available pertains to the DCU’s inaugural film, Superman: Legacy, which Gunn has penned, and it appears to be in its final stages of development, just before the onset of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in Hollywood.
While details about the plot of Superman: Legacy remain limited, it is known that it will involve a younger Clark Kent as he grapples with his identity as Superman. The lead roles for Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, were recently disclosed, and David Corenswet (Hollywood) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) are set to take on these roles, respectively.
In the upcoming Man of Steel reboot within the DC film series, Nathan Fillion is set to portray Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan, a returning DC actor who previously played Victor Zsasz in Gotham (2014-2019), now takes on the role of Metamorpho.
Nicholas Hoult (Renfield, X-Men: First Class), assumes the role of the villainous Lex Luthor. Sara Sampaio, a Victoria’s Secret model, joins as Luthor’s partner-in-crime Eve Teschmacher, while Skyler Gisondo has been confirmed to play Clark Kent’s best friend Jimmy Olsen, confirming a previously reported rumor.
The “Worst” Trend in Superhero Movies
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In response to a post on Threads about a ComicBookMovie.com article, DC head and former Marvel director James Gunn shared his opinion on Superman: Legacy‘s seemingly large cast (and his defense of it), explaining that populating the world does not equal having an unnecessarily large cast:
jamesgunn: The whole point was it’s NOT a large film – I mean, not in terms of cast. It’s normal for single protagonist films to have other characters – much more unusual for them not to.
User drizzleboy chimed in, prompting a whole discussion about “Cameo Porn” in recent superhero films:
drizzleboy: Finally someone who treats characters more than just *having character appear on screen for 10 seconds to mark a checkbox*
jamesgunn: I call that “Cameo Porn” and it has been one of the worst elements of recent superhero films. If a character is in film, they have to have a reason to be there story-wise.
mtfiii: I respect that take, but I definitely know that sometimes as a fan it’s cool to think about the interactions that happen offscreen between characters you like, and a good cameo can validate the idea that relationships have been deepened and they know each other better.
jamesgunn: That’s fine if it doesn’t disrupt the story. It’s the plot contrivances that develop from a cameo, not the cameo itself.
When this was brought to fans’ attention over on X (formerly Twitter), some members of the public had opinions to share on the matter.
User @RayyanTCG seemed to show disdain for this response, citing Gunn’s appraisal of The Flash (2023), one of the DCEU’s last movies before Gunn’s DCU takes full reign — and one filled with “unnecessary” cameos that Gunn openly had nothing but praise for:
🤔 he called The Flash “One of the greatest movies of all time” earlier this year
🤔 he called The Flash “One of the greatest movies of all time” earlier this year
— Rayyan 🇵🇸 (@RayyanTCG) December 12, 2023
They also brought up the cameos in other James Gunn works, namely:
🤔 Justice League in Peacemaker, Howard the Duck in Guardians, and whatever the fuck those flash cameos were
🤔 Justice League in Peacemaker, Howard the Duck in Guardians, and whatever the fuck those flash cameos were
— Rayyan 🇵🇸 (@RayyanTCG) December 12, 2023
User @SoulburnNomad attempts to shed some light on this, stating that perhaps Gunn was cajoled or bribed into saying “good stuff” about The Flash:
Oh they definitely paid his ass to say good stuff about Flash LOOOOOL.
Oh they definitely paid his ass to say good stuff about Flash LOOOOOL.
— Adam (Comms Open) (@SoulburnNomad) December 12, 2023
Back on Threads, user a.j.actually attempted to call Gunn out for similar practices — before user danielcielak_ attempted to set them straight:
a.j.actually: Do you even watch your own shit dude? Lmao.
danielcielak_: That didn’t disrupt the plot/story.Did you not read at all what Gunn said? He said that if disturbs the plot, he doesn’t like it, but if it’s just there (not affecting anything else) or helps the plot, he doesn’t min
It definitely seems like opinions are mixed regarding this.
One thing is for certain: James Gunn definitely seems averse to the egregious and gratuitous use of cameos in superhero films. One wonders what he truly thinks about Marvel’s more recent Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) — and even DC’s The Flash.
What fans can likely look forward to, if things go Gunn’s way, is a lack of reliance on cameo appearances within the DCU going forward.
What do you think about cameos in superhero movies? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
The new DCU currently has the main DC Universe films run by James Gunn directly, and the “DC Elseworlds” movies, including an alternative take on Gotham City, Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise starring Robert Pattinson. This effectively means that elements of the DC Comics and their DC Comics characters that have yet to be revived in the DCU count as well – whether it’s meeting a new Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern, or meeting a non-DC films Lex Luthor iteration – new DC character stories are all up for grabs.
More on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
This installment marks the conclusive chapter for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Guardians of the Galaxy. In Guardians Vol. 3, the team, led by the pistol-wielding human (and former part-Celestial) Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), embarks on a final space adventure. The ensemble includes Thanos’s daughters, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), the sentient tree Groot (Vin Diesel), the charming yet lethal Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), the empathic Mantis (Pom Klementieff), the Ravager Kraglin Obfonteri (Sean Gunn), Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), and the new addition, Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova).
The film introduces Will Poulter as Adam Warlock and brings back Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, his “mother.” Chukwudi Iwuji portrays the sinister geneticist, the High Evolutionary, with Nico Santos as his assistant, Theel. Additionally, Daniela Melchior takes on the role of Ura, while Kai Zen portrays Phyla-Vell. The cast also includes Linda Cardellini as Lylla the Otter, Asim Chaudhry as Teefs the Walrus, and Mikaela Hoover as Floor the Bunny, former cellmates and allies of Rocket Raccoon.
The preceding films in the Guardians of the Galaxy series comprise Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).