Firing James Gunn Has Really Damaged Marvel

Marvel and Disney’s firing of James Gunn from the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 has already had a significant effect on the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the decision was apparently made in an effort to preserve the brand's image, the true impact will leave longer lasting effects for the company beyond his mere absence from the MCU.

It has been over three months since the Guardians of the Galaxy director was fired from the MCU following attention brought to old tweets he had written which joked about controversial topics like rape and pedophilia. As well as being let go from directing the upcoming third installment of the Guardians series, Gunn was also dismissed from his role in helping Marvel expand its planned Cosmic Universe. The firing led to a PR nightmare for Disney, in part due to the politically contentious circumstances surrounding the unearthing of Gunn's tweets. An array of stars came out in support of Gunn, as well as an overwhelming wave of criticism directed at Disney and Marvel from all corners of the industry and internet. A Change.org petition urging Disney to re-hire Gunn has received over 422,000 signatures as of the writing of this post.

Disney remains steadfast in their decision to fire Gunn, and three months on from his departure, it’s become clear that he won’t be returning to the MCU. Yet the ramifications of that choice are evident throughout every corner of Disney and Marvel’s business plan. Not only is the future of the Guardians of the Galaxy series in limbo but the wider expansion of the MCU post-Avengers 4 is in question and the political aftermath of Gunn’s absence remains a hot-button topic. It seems clear to many that his firing was a decision made without much thought for the long-term game plan of the MCU, and now Disney must grapple with the aftermath. The damage firing James Gunn has had for Marvel goes beyond a few weeks of awkward headlines.

This Page: What Happened To Guardians of the Galaxy
Page 2: How Marvel (And DC's) 2020 Plans Changed
Page 3: The Impact On Dave Bautista and Marvel Cosmic

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Was Delayed

Star Lord meets Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

James Gunn confirmed he was returning to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 during the press tour for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with it eventually becoming clear that the film would release in 2020 (likely in Marvel's May slot). Everything was gearing up for an early 2019 production start-date, but that was thrown off entirely by Gunn's firing.

At first, it wasn't clear what the impact on the film would be, with hopes of Gunn being rehired or a quick replacement. This ended up not being the case, and eventually, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was put on indefinite hold, delaying it at the very least. The latest rumors suggest the film won't roll cameras until 2021, although even if it's sooner the film will still be delayed by a year or more.

Many have speculated that, rather than delaying the film, Marvel will scrap a third Guardians movie altogether and do a Thor-focused story to make up for the gap in their cosmic universe expansion. That would mean the Guardians’ story ends at the fourth Avengers movie, leaving room for the group to be completely snapped from existence even after Thanos is inevitably defeated. Yet, while the film has undergone the expected reshoots, that kind of change seems a little drastic and reactionary when Guardians of the Galaxy 3 still has plenty of value without James Gunn.

Page 2: How Marvel (And DC's) 2020 Plans Changed

Marvel's 2020 Plans Changed

Marvel has always been celebrated for their meticulous franchise building, connecting movies together in a way that isn't essential but rewards closer viewing and teases future installments. Events are planned years in advance and the studio’s ability to sell the complete package before it’s actually complete has made them arguably the most formidable force in modern blockbuster cinema. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is possibly the most ambitious franchise of its kind in Hollywood history and in the space of a decade it seems they have not put a foot wrong. The Gunn firing changes that dramatically.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 had an initial release date of 2020, with filming set to begin in January or February 2019, but now, the film has been put on indefinite hold, leaving much of Phase Four in flux. The only other post-Avengers 4 film with a set release date is Spider-Man: Far From Home (to premiere July 5, 2019). After that, the franchise's future is mostly unknown aside from confirmed films yet in production like Black Widow. Most recently, one of Marvel's 2020 release dates was removed from the schedule, leaving just two movies slated for that year.

It remains to be seen if Marvel will rush something else into production to fill the gap or if 2020 will be one of their quieter years, which will be a major contrast from their recent strategy of releasing three films a year. That could leave a gap in Disney’s slate which they could fix with one of their own releases or something drafted in after the Fox acquisition. Whatever the case, it’s a rush job that is atypical of a studio known for its precision in business.

James Gunn Left For DC

Once it became apparent that Disney wasn't going to rehire James Gunn, speculation began on what he'd be doing next. In the end, he did the most striking thing possible and jumped ship to DC.

The announcement that Gunn would be writing and possibly directing a sequel to DC’s Suicide Squad proved exciting for DCEU and Marvel fans alike. The first film had clearly been heavily influenced by Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of tone and marketing so the inclusion of Gunn to the team felt like brand synergy done right. There was no doubt that Gunn would land on his feet post-Marvel – the security of his future career was probably one of the surest aspects of this messy story – but his decision to jump from Marvel to DC highlighted not only his popularity and acclaim in the superhero genre but the industry’s attitudes towards his firing.

James Gunn is the exact kind of director who should be making a Suicide Squad movie: He’s a grown-up Troma director who has the ideal mix of mainstream blockbuster savvy and indie edge, and Suicide Squad is a story that requires a strong grasp of an action-comedy ensemble that’s not afraid to get dark. With the DCEU seeking to deviate from its Zack Snyder established foundations, James Gunn is a good fit for their current evolution. From a purely creative point-of-view, his hiring is a smart move for DC and a big loss for Marvel.

Yet his hiring also has a bigger impact than mere point scoring between two massive franchises. Many feared that Gunn would be unofficially blacklisted by the film industry after his firing or that the circumstances of his exit would lead to other major studios making similarly rash decisions. Such unease could have potentially led to further targeting of anti-Trump figures, something that remains plausible given the current climate. Warner Bros. saw what had happened and decided Gunn was worth supporting, which meant that they saw the smears against him for the farce that they were. It’s a potentially risky move given the hostile rhetoric that has surrounded the story since it broke, but it’s also a sign of a major studio taking a stand in a way its competition would not. Disney made a bad decision and Warner Bros. decided to take another stance, and that’s something Disney and Marvel Studios will have to contend with long after this story has become old news.

Page 3: The Impact On Dave Bautista and Marvel Cosmic

Dave Bautista Wants Out

While the entire cast of Guardians of the Galaxy rallied in support of Gunn through an open letter, it is Dave Bautista who remains the most vocal ally in the director’s corner. Since Gunn’s firing, Bautista has tweeted frequently about his thoughts on the subject, including calling out right-wing blogger Mike Cernovich, who uncovered Gunn's tweets, for his own checkered past, decrying Disney’s hypocrisy, and repeatedly calling into question the future of the franchise without Gunn. Bautista, who plays Drax in the series, has also hinted that he no longer wishes to be a part of the MCU once his contractual obligations to the franchise are fulfilled.

Bautista is not exactly an A-Lister in the MCU but he is still a popular actor playing a fan favorite in a segment of the franchise that was expected to get further focus in the fourth phase of Disney and Marvel’s plans. His unabashedly vocal support is not a common occurrence with actors tied to multi-billion dollar franchises like this as it is typically bad business to mouth off your bosses. From a purely PR point-of-view, this has been messy for Disney and Marvel Studios and it further highlighted why the hasty decision to fire Gunn based on a bad faith agenda was distasteful to many.

For now, Bautista seems to be the only actor tied to the Guardians films who has expressed hesitation with moving with the series forward without Gunn. Given the contractual agreements in place, it is unlikely Bautista will not be in whatever version of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 the studio finally makes, but the awkwardness of that press tour alone could prove troublesome. If Bautista does bow out from the role and is replaced, a new actor happy to take over the part of Drax won’t sweep away all the publicity problems, and Bautista’s absence would remain a reminder of everything that happened.

The Cosmic Gameplan Is Unclear

In addition to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn was also supposed to be helping shape the cosmic future of the MCU. His involvement in Phase 4 was much hyped and he was seen by many as a key figure in helping the MCU expand into the cosmic realm. With Captain Marvel’s release ever closer and Avengers: Infinity War having taken the franchise firmly away from Earth, the Guardians of the Galaxy were thought to be the gateway that connected the earlier phases to the new one; aside from the Russo Brothers, Gunn may be the director who has had the single biggest impact on the creative and narrative direction of the MCU.

Their cosmic expansion now remains unclear. Much of it will probably be tied to whether or not they will ever use Gunn’s work on this phase as well as his Guardians of the Galaxy 3 script, and the negotiations for that will remain tight-lipped until a final decision is made. A lot is dependent on whether Disney wishes to fully credit Gunn with the next step of the franchise and what sort of pay he will receive for that, and Disney is nothing if now shrewd negotiators.

Ultimately, James Gunn’s firing has left behind a far bigger mess than Disney and Marvel were probably prepared to deal with. Aside from the business and creative logistics hampered by Gunn’s absence, the circumstances of his firing remain a raw topic that the company doesn’t seem willing to fully deal with. It seems that James Gunn himself will be fine and could move onto greater things at Warner Bros. but his absence from Marvel will be felt by the studio long after the reasons behind his firing have left the headlines.