The Marvel/DC War is Over, Thanks to James Gunn

It's official: director James Gunn will bring both The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 to the big screen. And after years of trolling and bitter rivalry, Gunn stands the best chance of ending the movie feud of DC fans vs. Marvel die-hards.

To be clear, we're not holding out hope for the trolls using 'comic book movies' as an outlet, or avenue to irritate and insult. We're referring to the long established (and usually overblown) rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics and their fans that has now been translated to films. But despite all creators involved maintaining that the DC/Marvel movie rivalry is "stupid," and comparisons becoming less convincing as talent and tones diversify, the rift has remained.

Fans have already been assured that James Gunn's Suicide Squad won't interfere with Guardians 3. And in a perfect world it wouldn't have taken Disney firing then re-hiring James Gunn to force WB and Marvel to publicly call a truce. But it can still all be worth it in the end, if Marvel and DC devotees are finally presented with two films, written and shaped by the same creator, but telling different stories. Audiences will have no choice but to do what they always should have done: judge the movies based purely on their content, and not the DC or Marvel brand applied to them.

This Page: Guardians vs. Suicide Squad Just Won't Work
Page 2: If Gunn Can't Kill The Trolls, He Can Expose Them

This Isn't Suicide Squad vs. Guardians

Fate determined that not only would James Gunn be recruited by DC Films, but he would be be entrusted with the ensemble team property already most compared to his Guardians of the Galaxy. The similarities between the two franchises are compelling, but the most important resemblance may end up being their nearly identical box office success stories, with Guardians bringing in $773 million, and Squad racking up $746 million. Which means that everybody--everybody involved behind the scenes wants James Gunn's Suicide Squad to succeed, and the same goes for the end of his Guardians trilogy.

You don't release two films to three-quarters-of-a-billion-dollar global box office takes without a hefty overlap in audience, meaning the vast majority of the comic book audience also wants both films to deliver. Not to mention Dave Bautista, rumored as 'Peacemaker' in what could be the first of several DC movies from Gunn. And with a new team of Suicide Squad villains on a new mission being a fundamental part of the original comic's premise, the opportunity is there for Gunn to make his mark on the Squad without stepping on any more toes than necessary.

Make no mistake: there will still be those who claim outrage, injustice, or take armed positions in the DC vs. Marvel movie debate. But if suicide Squad is any kind of success, the online war between the MCU and DCEU as we know it can't possibly survive.

Page 2 of 2: James Gunn's DC Success Can Expose The Trolls

Gunn's DC Success Can Expose The Trolls

The bottom line: Gunn has proven capable of directing a satisfying, colorful, and bankable comic book adventure--twice. Warner Bros. has rewarded that success by offering a brand already a hit with mass audiences, but not with critics. So whether they loved or hated Ayer's original, if 'fans' are rooting for a new Suicide Squad to fail, they're ignoring Gunn's talent and track record. If 'fans' are rooting for Gunn or DC Films to fail, then they've made up their mind already. Either way, the jig is up, and outright trolling can be easily seen for exactly what it is.

Because as eager as commenters on either side of this debate will be to claim that Gunn's total Suicide Squad reboot should be measured directly against Guardians 3, no honest movie fan will buy in (remove all biases and rivalries from the equation, and judging a reboot against the third chapter in another series is deeply and clearly flawed). To make matters even less clear-cut for comparisons, one DC producer is already hyping up Gunn's Suicide Squad, promising that the current script is "everything you would hope from a James Gunn script and I think that says a lot."

Marvel fans may think that implies a Guardians vibe, but those who know Gunn's work also know that his MCU films are arguably his broadest, and 'safest' to date. Typically darker, more offbeat, and even risqué, there's reason to expect James Gunn's Suicide Squad will be even less comparable to his Guardians than the first version of the team (and that's not even including Idris Elba replacing Will Smith as Deadshot).

That's assuming that Warner Bros. has learned their lesson in interfering with the actual films turned in by their directors, after David Ayer confirmed Suicide Squad isn't his cut, and Zack Snyder's heavily altered Justice League both turned out to be sources of bad press, and not the improvements executives clearly hoped to achieve. In light of that reputation, and considering the marketing appeal of 'letting James Gunn make the movie you won't see in the MCU,' it's in WB's best interest to welcome "everything you would hope from a James Gunn script," which they seem to be doing.

The more different Gunn's films turn out to be, the more that helps to to expose the inevitable rivalry, comparisons, and online debates for all they often are: subjective grades, shifting goalposts, and personal preferences--or good old fashioned trolling--dressed up as factual arguments. And if the trolls eager to keep the DC vs. Marvel fires raging can't be silenced, then at least "James Gunn's new hit film, The Suicide Squad" can expose them.

If Gunn's Suicide Squad disappoints, then conversations will surely be conducted online as to whether he is to blame, or DC Films. But if his new vision of the Squad is a hit, possibly even the start of a new film series, then the lines drawn between Marvel and DC will be more blurred than ever before. Perhaps then those brands can simply be an indication of the characters being adapted, and let the films' talent, tone, successes and failures be weighed and measured on their own. As opposed to forcing a comparison for the sake of a shouting match, online or otherwise.