James Gunn has clarified his recent comments about making a DC/Marvel crossover movie with Groot and Harley Quinn. Gunn is in a unique position of being involved in both the MCU and DCEU. Gunn saw success directing Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. for Marvel before briefly being fired by Disney after a few of his old tweets resurfaced. Warner Bros. quickly snagged the director to direct The Suicide Squad, which acts as a soft reboot for the characters, and then the House of Mouse rehired him for Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in March 2019.
While characters from Marvel and DC comics have in fact crossed over for a few special events in the comics, the heroes have never collided on the big screen. Last month when interacting with fans on Twitter, Gunn revealed that he had actually talked with both Marvel and DC about making a movie that could crossover Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad characters. Gunn explained that despite conversations with the "powers-that-be," the chances of seeing a DC and Marvel crossover was unlikely but not impossible. It was recently reported that Gunn wanted to make a movie specifically focusing on Groot and Harley Quinn, but he has since clarified.
Gunn has tweeted in response to these reports to clarify the situation regarding a potential Marvel/DC crossover movie. Gunn did talk to both studios about making a crossover, but it wasn't about any specific characters. The director thinks he may have included Harley Quinn and Groot in his discussion with Kevin Feige, yet that wasn't going to be the basis of a movie. Gunn's original tweet can be read below:
Gunn is known for tackling quirky characters in his superhero movies, but a combination of both DC and Marvel would be challenging for a number of reasons. With the DCEU and the MCU both going strong, it's unlikely Warner Bros. and Disney would collaborate since their superhero movies often go head to head at the box office. Both franchises also have huge fanbases, many of which would be off-put by what would essentially seem like a cash-grab for both studios. Logistically, it would just be too complicated to combine two massive franchises.
A DC and Marvel crossover is unlikely to happen anytime soon, but anything is possible storywise with Marvel's Phase 4 digging into the multiverse. Harley Quinn and Groot are two of the most popular characters in their respective franchises, so if Warner Bros. and Disney were to ever team up, the characters would likely be included. And with Gunn being involved with both Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, it's not much of a surprise that the characters were mentioned in passing when discussing his idea with Feige.
Source: James Gunn