James Gunn shared that he has second thoughts about certain decisions he made while developing some projects under the DCU banner. Gunn's takeover of the DCU has garnered widespread attention from fans worldwide, and anticipation has been sky-high ever since the release of its first big-screen project, Superman. Gunn, who serves as the co-head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, will look to correct past mistakes made by the DCEU and make a much more cohesive DC Universe. He is already doing so by strongly connecting the franchise's movies, TV shows, and animation projects, with Superman having tied in with Creature Commandos, Peacemaker Season 2, and Lanterns.
Amid the DCU's strong start, James Gunn (via Threads) opened up about the changes he would have made with certain decisions for the DCU after a fan asked him if he would alter any moves he made for the studio:
Q: "If you could go back to the beginning of accepting the Co-CEO position, would you alter any moves you've made so far?"
Gunn: "I'd alter moves I made this morning, my friend, much less over the past two years."
Gunn's latest comments echoed what he told Comicbook in February 2025, if he had any regrets after announcing the slate for DCU's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, noting that there will always be "little things" he wishes he had done differently. But still, he feels "so lucky" with the current position he's in:
“I mean, life is complicated. There are always little things. Like, I wish I did that differently. I wish I had asked David (Corenswet) to do that differently; it’s just like little things. There are writers that we put on projects that I wish we didn’t, but overall, I feel just so lucky."
The Superman director continued by reiterating that he feels "remarkably fortunate" to collaborate with his team while ensuring to produce "high quality" content for DC, yet acknowledging that they will still commit mistakes:
"We’re an organization of basically 13 people that’s able to produce all this material and have it go and have it all be high quality. We’re going to make mistakes. Some things are going to be better than others… So we’re doing everything we can to make everything as good as possible. And I feel remarkably fortunate.”
Another challenge that Gunn faced when stepping into his new leadership role was the mishandling of Henry Cavill's Superman. The DC Studios CEO recently opened up about having to sit down with Cavill to settle the score on what DC's plans were for the Man of Steel:
..The day our deal closed, all of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry [Cavill] was back. And I'm like, 'What is going on?' We know what the plan is like. The plan was to come in and do Superman. So it was really unfair to him and was a total bummer... the day our deal closed, all of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry was back. And I'm like, 'What is going on?' We know what the plan is like. The plan was to come in and do Superman. So it was really unfair to him and was a total bummer.
With an expansive universe, and considering the past projects he has already helmed, one of the key story changes James Gunn would probably make now may be how the Justice League cameo was handled in Peacemaker Season 1, mainly because it directly conflicts with the new DCU he created.
Speaking with IGN in December 2024, Gunn confirmed that "almost all of Peacemaker [Season 1] is canon" except the Justice League appearance in the end. Despite that, the filmmaker promised that Season 2 will "kind of deal" with that reveal:
"The truth is almost all of Peacemaker is canon with the exception of Justice League… which we will kind of deal with in the next season of Peacemaker."
The DCU is confirmed to have 11 movies in development, with Wonder Woman recently being confirmed by Gunn.
Why James Gunn Is the Perfect Leader for the DCU
James Gunn has already proven his expertise in handling characters and stories in the MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and, in the DC landscape, The Suicide Squad. Aside from building a strong relationship with the actors and crew involved, Gunn is also a filmmaker who prioritizes story at the forefront while using DC Comics as an inspiration.
As a writer and director, Gunn plays a significant role in ensuring that the DCU's larger narrative has as few flaws as possible, continuing to take projects he likes while bringing in veteran writers and filmmakers to explore new visions and takes on certain characters.
While it is normal to have second thoughts on some of his past decisions, learning from them is the only way forward as Gunn embraces a new chapter for the DCU.
The director has shown that he is constantly trying to improve upon his previous choices, as shown through his regrets over Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's post-credits scene, which forced him to introduce Adam Warlock in its sequel. Now, his DCU is aiming to limit the number of promises given in post-credit scenes to avoid limiting future stories and prevent audience disappointment.
Not every DC project will be perfect, but the fact that Gunn already acknowledged that claim is a good sign for the DCU. Hopefully, Gunn's vision will later translate to a successful DC Universe.
