Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige joked about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn taking the role of DC Studios' new co-CEO.
Gunn has been an MCU mainstay for nearly a decade, as he brought the little-known Guardians team to the forefront and made them one of the biggest names in all of Hollywood. However, that is all about to change, as the Guardians director takes over the DCU for Warner Bros. and marks the end of his Marvel tenure with Vol. 3
It has already been teased that the threequel would be "the wrap-up that [these characters] deserve," but with Gunn now setting up shop at WB, that finality is even more apparent.
And with Gunn's move over to DC, Kevin Feige is keeping a good head about him and joking in regards to the director's future.
Kevin Feige Jokes about James Gunn at CCXP
Appearing at Brazilian comic-con CCXP, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige cracked a joke with interviewers when talking about Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn.
When asked what Gunn, who was recently named co-CEO of DC Studios, would be up to after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Feige said (via translation) that after the upcoming threequel "[Gunn] has some work to do somewhere else" but the Marvel Studios head "[doesn't] know where he’s going:"
“James Gunn just released The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. He’s finishing his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, and then he has some work to do somewhere else, I don’t know where he’s going.”
The Marvel Studios boss has already commented on Gunn's departure from the studio and promotion at Warner Bros., remarking that he would be "first in line" to see anything the former Marvel director does at DC.
The pair seem to still be pretty congenial about the whole situation with Gunn totally reciprocating the love and praise Feige has showered upon him. Gunn recently told reporters that he "loves" Feige, revealing the MCU headman was "the 1st person [he] told after [he] did the deal with DC:"
Question: "So you hate kevin feige and marvel now?"
Gunn: "Not only do I love Kevin, he was the 1st person I told after I did the deal with DC (John Cena was the 2nd). Contrary to popular belief, a dollar less for Marvel is not a dollar more for DC. DC & Marvel have the common goal of keeping the theater-going experience vibrant & alive!"
Will James Gunn and Kevin Feige Butt Heads?
Right now, everything when it comes to Kevin Feige and James Gunn feels all hunky-dory (at least publically). But will that remain the case?
Of course, Feige is going to be happy for his friend James Gunn. Gunn is directly responsible for helping make the MCU what it is, and Feige will be forever grateful for the work that the Guardians director did on the franchise.
But down the line, it would not be all that surprising if the two were to butt heads at least a little bit. As much as it has been made out that it isn't a competition between DC and Marvel, it ultimately is. Both franchises are desperately fighting for the audience's dollars, so there is bound to be at least a little bit of friction there.
As the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 marketing machine continues to slowly whir into motion, the Gunn/Feige relationship will be something to surely keep an eye on.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2022.
