After finding out about James Gunn's DCU reboot plans, fans shared their mixed reactions online, resulting in a bevy of different responses.
It has been not even two months since James Gunn and longtime producer Peter Safran took over DC Studios, yet so much has happened.
Since their early November start date, the pair have hinted at their plans for the new slate, noting that fans will find more out "at the beginning of the new year." However, as a part of this mission for "one great overarching [DC] story," there have been a number of casualties (including Henry Cavill's Superman) that have pointed to a clean slate approach for Warner Bros.' super-powered universe.
Reacting to a James Gunn Reboot
After news came down that a reboot was in the cards for James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU - with Cavill's Superman being left in the dust, along with a number of other characters - fans shared a gambit of different reactions all over Twitter.
A great number of moviegoers liked the idea of a fresh start for DC. @ThatOldGamerGuy remarked that for years the DCU has "had amazing casting" with "wildly inconsistent quality," so he hopes "James Gunn can give fans the DC universe [they] deserve:"
"The DC movies have been such a mixed bag for the last 9 years.
They had amazing casting but wildly inconsistent quality. And it’s heartbreaking that the new universe reboot will have us lose Henry Cavill as Superman.
I pray James Gunn can give fans the DC universe we deserve."
@CS11__ noted he was "incredibly excited for this new DCU:"
"I’m actually incredibly excited for this new DCU reboot, new actors, new directors, new stories, it’s going to be great
so tired of DC being stuck in a mess and not using these characters because of whatever issues, we’ll finally just get a proper good DCU"
Steven Weintraub from Collider tweeted with his "complete faith [that Gunn and Safran] are going to tell an awesome story:"
"I LOVED Henry Cavill as Superman but I trust Gunn and Safran and have complete faith they are doing to tell an awesome story over the next 10 years."
According to @D4hz4hn, "DC films needed a reboot," pointing out that the "comics are pretty good evidence" of why a clean slate is needed:
"DC films needed a reboot in some capacity
The comics are pretty good evidence as the why you should just rip off the bandaid and fully reboot, and I really hope it is a full reboot"
On the more mixed side of things, Our Movie News called the move "risky:"
"Rebooting the #DCU is a very risky move. If the first few films flop, what happens then? Reboot again? Can’t blame Snyder, can’t blame a messy #DC Universe. What would they do? They need to make sure they put out quality movies & it HAS to be like that from the beginning."
In a similar vein, @UsUnitedJustice thought these new plans will have "a hard time getting any traction," commenting that "fans obviously want a cohesive universe with [the current] Justice League lineup" and not a reboot:
"I genuinely think James Gunn and Peter Safran will have a hard time getting any traction going with their DC plans because it will be extremely divisive
Fans obviously want a cohesive universe with this Justice League lineup, not a reboot"
With news that James Gunn will also be writing (and potentially directing) a new Superman film, @DickTugging lamented that "it’s hard to fathom" how Gunn could have time to oversee DC Studios and "direct anything:"
"James Gunn is writing the new Superman, not necessarily directing, although he may. It’s hard to fathom how now he is co-overseeing DC Studios, he can find time to direct anything? Not to mention reboot critical properties and build a cohesive cinematic universe. No pressure."
@ItsJustN1ck was just as mixed, opining that this is the "same song and dance" fans have seen for years from DC with former heads Walter Hamada and Joss Whedon:
"Same song and dance. "Hamada will save DC, reboot sucks but fans will get excited with time!" rinse repeat with Whedon, The Rock & now Gunn lmao y'all will never learn"
And the move seems to have its fair share of detractors as well. @DahiyaKnight told fans to "forget [the] Snyderverse continuing in its raw form," calling Gunn "egoistical:"
"Forget Snyderverse continuing in its Raw form after ZSJL when an egoistical James Gunn is the one calling shots as DC president
He wants his reboot and his own stamp at DCEU.
#FireJamesGunn"
Fans like @GoddessOfWvr think this move could see the DCU "burn to the ground:"
"Personally, I have a feeling DC is going to burn to the ground after this reboot. For those of you looking forward to the future of DC under James Gunn, I hope it’s everything you hoped for plus more. Because I know what it feels like to have that hope crushed. Multiple times."
A number of calls to "fire James Gunn" began to percolate as well, with one skeptic joking that Gunn "doesn't need [their] help to get fired," he "is doing a great job on his own."
And @sarebstare presented the theory that "Gunn really wants the 2023 [DC] slate to fail" so that his new slate can "seem like a huge success in comparison:"
"Gunn really wants the 2023 slate to fail so that his movies can seem like a huge success in comparison. Also he wants to quash the demand for Snyderverse. And get rid of them to not remind us he's firing Cavill and Gadot (yep, I think we all know he's gonna fire Gadot.)"
Is a James Gunn Reboot Good for DC?
It is currently hard to tell if this wiping of the whiteboard is the best strategy for the DCU, and some skeptical fans may be justified in their doubt.
Of course, there are going to be those detractors no matter what, especially when it comes to the idea of decanonizing much of the Snyderverse (something James Gunn has already argued with fans over online).
But it is difficult to look at the DCU's current output and not think that something needs to be done. There could have possibly been a way to take the best pieces of the current DC canon (i.e. Henry Cavill as Superman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman) and plant this in the new Gunn-led slate, but many would agree even these more beloved aspects of the past DCEU are damaged goods at this point.
Yes, a reboot is going to be a lofty venture. And as of right now, it has every chance of potentially failing; however, this does feel like the best path forward or at least the path most logically leading to long-term success.
Five to ten years down the line, this could all be for naught, and Gunn could be on the way out after another failed push for DC, or this could be the catalyst to a DCU renaissance.
For now, fans will have to wait as James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC plans come together and eventually start to hit the big and small screen.
