James Gunn shares some insight into his relationship with Kevin Feige. The writer/director rose to fame through the superhero genre with Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014 and returned for the 2017 sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, both massive critical and commercial successes. While developing the threequel, Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after some controversial tweets resurfaced. Though, Marvel later reversed course and reinstated Gunn as director of the third installment.
After being fired by Marvel, Gunn switched over to DC to write and direct a passion project about another ragtag team of misfits, The Suicide Squad. Though it was released to less fanfare than expected at the box office, the film was another critical success for Gunn and led to the spinoff Peacemaker series starring John Cena, which found success on HBO Max and was renewed for a second season. Gunn will now be sticking around DC long-term, as he was recently tapped to co-lead the rebranded DC Studios alongside Peter Safran.
A few days after the DC deal was announced, James Gunn is sharing some insight into his relationship with Feige, revealing the Marvel Studios president was the first person he told about the DC deal (with Cena being the second). Gunn also dismissed the widespread belief that a Marvel-DC rivalry exists. See Gunn's Tweet above.
Marvel Isn't Done With Gunn Just Yet
The Guardians of the Galaxy director sharing some insight into his current relationship with the Marvel Studios head comes soon after Feige gave a supportive response to Gunn's new DC role. Now, his recent comments further demonstrate there is no bad blood between the new DC Studios co-lead and his former boss at Marvel Studios, even after Gunn's firing and gradual transition to DC. This was largely expected, given that Gunn and Marvel's working relationship isn't quite over just yet.
Gunn has the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special coming out on Disney+ next month, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releasing in May 2023. The writer/director will likely make the press rounds promoting both projects in the lead-up to their release. With Gunn's new DC job officially starting on November 1 with the two Marvel projects still on the horizon, he will essentially be working for both studios simultaneously. Once they release though, this will signal the end of his tenure at Marvel Studios for at least the next four years, which is how long James Gunn's exclusive deal with DC lasts.
Source: James Gunn