Should Marvel Worry About The DC Universe?

Should Marvel worry about the DC Universe? With the all-new God and Monsters slate well underway, DC is finally moving forward under the new direction of James Gunn. Hiring James Gunn was a pleasant surprise for many superhero fans. Gunn first made it into superhero mainstream when he brought the 2014 Guardians of The Galaxy Trilogy to life. The first Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1 movie was critically acclaimed by both reviewers and fans, scoring an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a critical success and a Box Office one, bringing in 773,3 million USD. The 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 had similar success at the box office bringing in 863,8 million USD.

The Rise Of CEO James Gunn

It is worth pointing out that James Gunn did not always have the best history under Marvel Studios. 2018 Disney decided to fire James Gunn over past “controversial tweets.” This was in the thick of the Me Too movement when everyone was out for blood.

The firing of James Gunn over bad jokes many years ago was highly controversial. Subsequently, it is also a decision that they might live to regret. Although they did rehire him, this did not happen before he signed a deal with Warner Bros for a Suicide Squad movie. This would be the beginning of an unprecedented partnership. This opportunity landed Gunn an additional offer to direct a brand-new Superman movie. At the time, James Gunn rejected the proposal as it would have meant he had to pick up where Zack Snyder left off. Back then, Henry Cavill was still the man of steel, so he would have been forced to operate with those restrictions.

This rejection did, of course, not last forever. Gunn revealed in a recent interview that he decided to accept the offer from DC to write and direct a brand new Superman movie. This offer was taken six months before Henry Cavil was relieved of his duties as Superman. It was also before he received the title of DC CEO.

Mark Ruffalo Warns Marvel Studios

The hiring of James Gunn as CEO has turned lots of heads. Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Incredible Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, recently spoke at Emerald City Comic-Con. In the interview, he had quite a few things to say. When asked about hiring Gunn as DC CEO, he stated, “I would say, hire James Gunn ’cause nobody does it better. And Marvel should be sweating because James Gunn is a gifted filmmaker, and I think he will be amazing for that franchise.”

Experience in this regard is critical. James Gunn might not have been the first choice for this job, but he is the best after Joker director Todd Phillips rejected the offer.

The Decline Of Marvel Studios

Looking at Marvel Studios today, it is hard to believe they are even the same studio. Although they still have their moments, it is a far cry from their former glory days. At its peak, the 3 phases of Marvel were unlike anything we have ever seen. Together, they grossed over $28.7 billion at the box office, making it the most successful franchise in history. End Game, appropriately named, was also the end of the road for many Marvel fans. While Phase 4 of the cinematic Universe has its moments, it is far removed from what it used to be. Spiderman remains a massive hit for Marvel. It is also still a fan favorite.

Tom Holland’s Spiderman: Homecoming grossed 880,2 million USD at the box office. Spiderman: Far From Home made an impressive 1,132 billion USD, while No Way Home is 1,916 billion USD. Sadly this is where the good times stop, at least for me. Movies like Thor, Love, Thunder, and Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness failed to resonate with audiences.

New movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania sadly also do not do much for the fanbase. While not a terrible film by any stretch of the imagination, it heavily underperformed at the box office. The movie currently stands at $420.3 million. While this might sound impressive if you take the budget and marketing into consideration, a minimal profit is on the cards. The upcoming The Marvel movie starring Brie Larson could be doing better, too. The film has been riddled with delays. Rumors of lousy screen tests and reshooting have been making the rounds. There is still hope that Marvel can pull it together, but that is shrinking every day.

Should Marvel Worry About The DC Universe?

DC Studios can do something great right now. They might follow what Marvel did before, but James Gunn can do it better. There is already a lot of excitement over the upcoming Superman legacy movie set to release in 2025. This movie will follow the journey of a younger Superman still discovering his powers. While fans might have wanted a Man of Steel 2 movie starring Henry Cavill, this new version does have the potential to stand on its own as excellent.

From here, we will see several new movies and series as well. Batman: The Brave and the Bold will once again see a brand new Bruce Wayne being cast. For the first time since 2011, the Green Lantern will return to the Universe in an all-new series called The Lanterns. Swamp Thing, Creature Commandos, and Waller are all set to follow in this brand-new Universe. Not to mention Supergirl, who will also be getting her very own movie. The upcoming Flash movie starring Ezra Miller will officially launch this all-new Universe. With all of this new content on the way, Marvel might feel nervous now.

Conclusion

For the last 12 years, they have stood on the mountain alone. Now that the crown is up for grabs, a former employee might take it. While there is plenty of room to mess up this all-new DC slate, the potential is endless. There has never been a better time to be a superhero fan. Ultimately, only time will tell how all of this will play out.