The complete story of how James Gunn transformed from canceled filmmaker to the architect of DC’s biggest reboot since the Dark Knight
What I find absolutely staggering about James Gunn’s journey is how a filmmaker who was literally fired from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy managed to not just bounce back, but completely revolutionize DC’s struggling superhero movie franchise. Having covered the superhero landscape for years, I can tell you that Gunn’s transformation from Hollywood pariah to DC Studios CEO isn’t just impressive—it’s the most remarkable comeback story in modern blockbuster filmmaking.
When those old tweets surfaced in July 2018 and Disney swiftly severed ties with the Guardians of the Galaxy director, it genuinely looked like Gunn’s Hollywood career was over. I remember the industry collectively holding its breath, wondering if this was the end for one of Marvel’s most distinctive creative voices. Nobody could have predicted that this moment of professional catastrophe would ultimately lead to Gunn becoming the architect of DC’s renaissance.
The Fall That Sparked a Revolution
Let’s be clear about what happened in 2018—this wasn’t just a routine creative disagreement. Gunn was fired after old tweets containing offensive jokes about rape, pedophilia, and other sensitive subjects were resurfaced by conservative media figures, with Disney stating that “the offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values.” The tweets, posted between 2008 and 2012, were deliberately provocative shock humor from Gunn’s earlier career at Troma Entertainment.
What struck me about this controversy was how politically motivated it seemed. Conservative media figures such as Mike Cernovich and Jack Posobiec amplified the posts after Gunn mocked political commentator Ben Shapiro, turning this into a targeted takedown rather than organic outrage. The speed of Disney’s decision—fired within hours—showed just how spooked major studios had become in the #MeToo era.
But here’s where the story gets interesting from an industry perspective: the entire core cast of Guardians signed a shared letter asking Disney to reconsider, with Dave Bautista going so far as to say he wouldn’t return without Gunn. That’s loyalty you rarely see in Hollywood, and it spoke to the kind of relationships Gunn built with his collaborators.
Warner Bros. Swoops In
While Disney was cutting ties, Warner Bros. executives saw an opportunity that would prove transformational. Toby Emerick approached Gunn with an offer to direct a Superman movie, but Gunn felt the pressure was too intense given the character’s complicated situation at the time. The Superman franchise was in limbo—nobody knew if Henry Cavill was staying, and there was still speculation about Zack Snyder’s return.
Instead, Gunn made what seemed like a counterintuitive choice: The Suicide Squad. Having watched Warner Bros. struggle with David Ayer’s 2016 version, I initially thought this was career suicide. The first Suicide Squad was widely panned despite its box office success, and the brand felt toxic. But Gunn understood something crucial—he needed to prove he could still tell great stories without getting caught up in the larger universe-building machinery that had paralyzed DC.
The Suicide Squad gave Gunn the creative freedom he’d never experienced under Disney’s family-friendly umbrella. The film made $168 million on a $185 million budget, making it one of DC’s biggest box office disappointments, but that missed the point entirely. The pandemic had devastated theatrical releases, and Warner’s simultaneous HBO Max strategy had already tanked other films. What mattered was that Gunn had delivered a film that critics loved and fans embraced—proving he could rehabilitate damaged properties.
The Peacemaker Phenomenon
What happened next was pure Gunn genius. While Marvel was playing it safe with Disney+ shows featuring beloved characters like Wanda and Loki, Gunn decided to build a series around a character people actively hated. Peacemaker was initially scheduled to die in The Suicide Squad, but John Cena’s dramatic performance convinced Gunn to keep the character alive and develop a spin-off before the movie even hit theaters.
I’ve been covering this industry long enough to know that most executives would have laughed this pitch out of the room. A show about a fascist-coded antihero that most audiences had met five minutes ago? But Gunn’s instincts proved brilliant. The season finale had 44% more viewers than the premiere, demonstrating incredible word-of-mouth growth, and the second season achieved a remarkable 99% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The success of Peacemaker can’t be overstated in terms of its impact on DC’s trajectory. This wasn’t just a hit show—it was proof that DC could create prestige television that rivaled anything Marvel was producing. Without Peacemaker, we never would have gotten The Penguin, and the blueprint Gunn established became the foundation for DC’s streaming strategy.
The Rock’s Power Play and the Cavill Controversy
Just as Gunn was building momentum, he faced his biggest political challenge yet. Dwayne Johnson used the power vacuum during DC Studios’ formation to convince David Zaslav to bring back Henry Cavill for a Black Adam cameo, hoping to position himself as a key DCU player and eventually challenge Gunn and Safran’s leadership. This move was calculated—if Johnson could greenlight a Black Adam vs. Superman movie, he’d become untouchable within the DC hierarchy.
The timing couldn’t have been worse for Gunn. The day Gunn and Safran’s deal closed to run DC Studios, Cavill’s return was announced, leaving Gunn blindsided since he had already decided to reboot the universe with a new cast. This created an impossible situation—Gunn had to choose between his creative vision and appeasing a fanbase that desperately wanted Cavill back.
When Gunn and Safran sat down with Cavill to explain the situation, the actor was “an absolute gentleman” about it, asking only that he be allowed to reveal his departure himself. But the damage to Gunn’s relationship with fans was severe. Social media exploded with accusations that Gunn was destroying the DCEU out of ego, not understanding the larger strategic vision at play.
What I found most telling about this situation was Gunn’s handling of it. Rather than throwing Johnson under the bus publicly, he took responsibility while carefully explaining the timeline. Gunn described how “different people were trying to force their way” into DC leadership during the transition period, which was diplomatic way of calling out the power grab without naming names.
Building the DCU: A New Approach
When Gunn and Peter Safran officially took over DC Studios in late 2022, they inherited a complete mess. The DCEU was creatively bankrupt, audiences had checked out after disasters like Justice League, and there was no coherent vision for the future. What impressed me about their approach was how deliberately they moved.
Gunn announced a 10-year plan approved by Zaslav that would mix big-name heroes like Superman and Batman with lesser-known characters like Creature Commandos and the Authority. But unlike Warner’s previous rushed approach with Batman v Superman, Gunn wasn’t promising big crossovers or trying to catch up with the MCU immediately. The focus was on telling good individual stories first.
The creation of the “Elseworlds” label was particularly smart. Rather than scrapping successful franchises like The Batman and Joker, Gunn created a streamlined way to label stories outside the main DCU canon. This allowed creative freedom while maintaining the core universe’s integrity—something Marvel had struggled with when dealing with Netflix shows and other outlying properties.
Superman: The Ultimate Test
Everything Gunn had built led to this moment. Superman was designed as the cornerstone of the DCU, with Gunn writing, directing, and producing the film that would launch Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. The pressure was immense—if this failed, Gunn’s entire vision would crumble.
The casting of David Corenswet raised eyebrows initially. Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan each earned just $750,000 compared to Gunn’s $15 million, showing this was truly a director-driven project rather than a star vehicle. But Gunn’s track record with unexpected casting choices—from Chris Pratt in Guardians to John Cena in Peacemaker—suggested he knew what he was doing.
When Superman opened to $125 million domestically and $95 million internationally for a $220 million global debut, it represented a massive victory for DC. More importantly, the film has now crossed $600 million worldwide against its $225 million budget, making it officially profitable. For the first time since 2008’s The Dark Knight, DC had outperformed Marvel at the annual box office.
The reviews were equally crucial. Superman achieved an 85% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, matching the original 1978 Richard Donner film and far surpassing Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (57% rotten). Critics and audiences embraced Gunn’s vision of a hopeful, colorful Superman that felt both contemporary and timeless.
The Canon Solution
One of Gunn’s most ingenious moves was solving the continuity nightmare that DC had created. Rather than complex multiverse explanations, Gunn used the “previously on” segment in Peacemaker season 2 to quietly retcon problematic elements, replacing the DCEU Justice League with the DCU’s Justice Gang. It was elegant, simple, and preserved the emotional core of the stories while updating the connectivity.
As Gunn explained, “Nothing was quite present” in the original Peacemaker, which was “stuck between dimensions.” This creative interpretation allowed him to bring forward what worked while discarding what didn’t. The fact that Peacemaker season 2 achieved a record-breaking 99% critics score suggests fans embraced this approach.
What This Means for the Industry
Gunn’s success represents something larger than just one studio’s turnaround. In an era where franchise filmmaking has become increasingly committee-driven and risk-averse, Gunn proved that strong creative vision still matters. His philosophy of prioritizing quality over quantity—canceling projects with weak scripts and refusing to greenlight casting until stories are locked—stands in stark contrast to Marvel’s recent approach of fixing problems in post-production.
The speed of DC’s renaissance is also remarkable. From Creature Commandos to Superman to Peacemaker season 2, Gunn has delivered three consecutive critical successes while building audience excitement for future projects. The announcement of Superman: Man of Tomorrow for 2027 shows confidence in the franchise’s trajectory, with Warner Bros. fast-tracking development on Wonder Woman and other properties.
Looking Forward
What strikes me most about Gunn’s journey is how it embodies the best aspects of modern franchise filmmaking while avoiding the pitfalls. He’s created a universe that feels cohesive without being restrictive, hopeful without being naive, and entertaining without being disposable.
While some critics worry about canon confusion and the DCU being “dead on arrival,” the box office performance and critical reception suggest otherwise. Gunn has successfully navigated the transition from the DCEU while maintaining audience investment—no small feat in today’s franchise-saturated landscape.
The real test will be sustaining this momentum. Gunn has proven he can launch a universe, but can he maintain quality across multiple properties and creative teams? Based on his track record of developing talent and maintaining creative relationships, I’m optimistic. More importantly, he’s demonstrated that audiences are hungry for superhero content that feels fresh and emotionally authentic rather than mechanically assembled.
James Gunn’s transformation from Hollywood pariah to DC’s savior is more than just a great comeback story—it’s a masterclass in turning creative adversity into competitive advantage. By embracing the very qualities that made him a liability at family-friendly Disney, he’s created something uniquely powerful at DC. And for those of us who love great superhero storytelling, that’s worth celebrating.
What do you think about Gunn’s approach to building the DCU? Are you excited for what comes next, or do you miss the Snyder era? Let me know in the comments—I love discussing the creative decisions that shape these massive franchises.