Former Marvel Studios darling James Gunn is spearheading the new DC Universe, and while a crossover between the two franchises doesn't seem likely, the filmmaker isn't ruling it out. The only problem is that his old friends in charge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe need one much more than he does.
Ahead of the release of Superman on July 11, 2025, Gunn is revealing as much about his vision for the DCU as he can. It's a breath of fresh air because there's so much secrecy around superhero projects these days, especially in the MCU, where story details are treated like state secrets.
In addition to announcing that at least one DCU project is longer in development, Gunn explained that conversations about a Marvel/DC movie crossover occurred in the past. Still, nothing came of them (via Rolling Stone). While he's still open to the idea, he also mentioned that it has to come from a "real place."
"I think people wanna see good stories with their superheroes and that's what matters. And they wanna see different types of stories with their superheroes. And people love superheroes. That's obvious, but they need more variety, and they need just more quality storytelling. And just having Spider-Man and Superman team up isn't gonna do it if it's s**t. So it's gotta come from a real place, and it's really hard to make that work."
Gunn and the Marvel Studios braintrust could likely create a crossover with a lot of heart and a fantastic story. There's also little doubt that it would make a good chunk of change, having the potential to raise the financial bar set by projects like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. That sounds like an easy win for both studios, but it's not as simple as that, especially when one franchise is struggling while the other is preparing to take off.
The MCU Needs a Win More Than the DCU Right Now
Despite never releasing a project on the big screen, the DCU is in a good place. Superman's box office return is shaping up to be fantastic, and Gunn's track record speaks for itself.
It's unlikely that every project on the current DCU slate will be a winner, but that's just part of the process. Gunn and Co. will work out the issues and find their footing, just like the MCU did in its early days.
Meanwhile, the MCU is grasping at straws. After several major misses in Phases 4 and 5, the powers that be are returning to the well, bringing the Russo Bros. and Robert Downey Jr. into the fold to serve as the faces of the franchise's next big event.
Due to Thunderbolts*' success, there's momentum heading into Avengers: Doomsday. However, if The Fantastic Four: First Steps stumbles, the franchise might be back at square one. And things could get a whole lot worse if Doomsday misses its mark.
At that point, even with the X-Men on the way (read more about what the MCU has in store for the mutants), Marvel Studios may have no choice but to reach out to Gunn for a Hail Mary play. However, as hard as it might be, Gunn should hang up the phone because the DCU has so much untapped potential that would only be hurt by doing a crossover.
With Superman about to make his DCU debut and characters like Batman and Wonder Woman on the way, the young franchise must take its time fleshing out its characters. Once they're ready, they can all come together for an event movie or two that pits them against some of DC's most formidable villains.
DC's great catalog of characters would allow Gunn to repeat this process countless times until it's time to pivot to something different. While things may change over the next few years, the grass just isn't as green in the MCU as it is in the DCU right now.
