Coming off the release of “Clayface” this past weekend, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has made it clear that he is not building the DC Universe with the same vision of all-encompassing “connectivity” in mind that Marvel has used to shape its TV shows and films.
On Threads, a comic book fan pushed back against another user who listed the DCU’s first titles (“Superman,” “Peacemaker,” “Supergirl,” “Creature Commandos,” “Clayface” and “Lanterns”) and asked, “What is this building towards??????” The responding DC fan argued, “Gunn doesn’t have to build towards anything if the individual pieces work on their own.”
Their comment caught the attention of the DC Studios chief, who admitted that he “couldn’t agree more” with the fan’s argument. Gunn went on to explain why he sees the DC Universe as having more in common with the Star Wars franchise than the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“DCU is just an alternate universe; we can enter at any location or time and tell THAT story. I dislike the idea that individual stories aren’t meaningful unless they lead to something else,” Gunn wrote. “People not understanding this is strange to me, because Star Wars has essentially been doing this for 50 years across movies, shows, games and books, admittedly without the tonal variety.”
“Now, this doesn’t mean there isn’t connectivity,” he continued. “The Superman Saga starts with ‘Superman’ and travels into ‘Man of Tomorrow’ and onward, and contains many characters we’ve introduced in other stories. But that doesn’t mean those other stories only exist to set up what’s happening there.”
“I would love people to be seeing ‘Clayface’ because it’s a great, fun horror movie unto itself, not because of where else Clayface will show up three movies from now,” Gunn concluded.
The filmmaker and studio chief’s comments reflect how he has built the DC Universe to this point, which is to say with the priority of telling strong, distinct standalone stories above anything else. That said, it would also be inaccurate to characterize the DCU as completely “disconnected.”
“Superman” and “Supergirl,” for instance, are intrinsically connected films that boast crossover appearances from their namesake characters, and “Lanterns” features “Superman” scene-stealer Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). Gunn’s forthcoming 2027 “Superman” sequel, “Man of Tomorrow,” is set to feature Fillion’s Gardner, Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl and Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle as well.
“Clayface” is currently playing in theaters.
