"Hell Was Unleashed Once Again": DC Fans React To 1-Year Milestone Since James Gunn Took Over DC's Movie Universe

One year after James Gunn was hired as the creative chief of the new DC Universe, DC fans share their strong opinions about the announced changes.

SUMMARY

James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed as co-CEOs of DC Studios one year ago, and fans have had some interesting reactions to their plans for the new DC Universe.
Fans are excited and curious about upcoming projects like Superman: Legacy and Creature Commandos, but there have also been mixed opinions and feelings about the transition period.
The decision to hire Gunn and Safran has been praised as one of the best decisions Warner Bros. has made, while others have expressed disappointment or frustration.

James Gunn and Peter Safran became the new DC Studios co-CEOs one year ago, and DC fans have some interesting reactions to the DC Universe milestone. Gunn serves as the creative chief of the new DCU, also writing and directing 2025’s Superman: Legacy, the universe’s first movie. With movies, series, animation, and video games set in the DCU on the horizon, a lot is riding on Gunn’s plans for DC.

On Twitter, DC fans shared their honest opinions on what has been announced of Gunn’s plans for the new DCU in the one year since he was hired. In January, Gunn revealed in a video the first projects in the new DC Universe’s slate. That announcement, along with a recent report that the DCEU’s Justice League cast is out of the new DCU, have led to mixed responses from fans to Gunn’s one-year anniversary at DC Studios. Check out several reactions below:

Why James Gunn’s New DCU Should Be A Success

While the new DC Universe still has to release its first project, there are a few factors that should make it a success. The upcoming DCU movies will be spearheaded by Gunn, who will bring all his comic book filmmaking expertise to the universe. At Marvel Studios, Gunn delivered one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved franchises, the Guardians of the Galaxy. Before becoming one of DC Studios co-CEOs, Gunn helmed two excellent DC entries, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, showing he understands both characters and audiences.

Adding to that is the fact that the old DCEU faced many controversies over the years, which led to the shared universe facing a lot of criticism. As shown by the poor box office of the DC movies released in 2023, so far, most fans are no longer excited about the DCEU. That goes directly against the level of positivity that was seen during Gunn’s DCU slate announcement and the reveals of David Corenswet as the DCU’s new Superman and the other actors in Superman: Legacy‘s cast.

One of the key factors that drew criticism for the DCEU was that characters acted differently than they do in the comics, or stories departed from the source material for the worse. Gunn has gone on record to confirm that his DCU will be more in line with the comics than the DCEU while still presenting fresh stories. That injection of energy is exactly what DC needs after a tumultuous period, and with 2024’s animated Creature Commandos on the TV side and 2025’s Superman: Legacy in the movies, the new DC Universe should slowly start to regain the audience that the poor performances of DC’s recent movies show was lost.