The DC Universe and the MCU will always be compared against each other by comic book fans, but James Gunn promises the DCU will be vastly different from Marvel in one major way. If there’s one apt description for every Marvel movie since Iron Man, it’s that they all look and feel the same. While the early MCU movies were renowned for their VFX, and the later films brought sheer scale to the big screen, there is little differentiation in terms of tone and themes in Marvel Studios’s filmography. But the last thing DC Studios want their projects to be is similar, and Gunn is going to great lengths to avoid it.

Speaking to Collider to promote the DCU’s debut project, Creature Commandos, Gunn addressed how DC will differ from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “They’ve told stories that were more family-orientated, stories that were more adult-orientated, dark stories, light stories,” the director said of the upcoming DCU projects. The “Gods & Monsters” phase of the DCU is filled with an eclectically diverse range of projects, from the animated comedy Creature Commandos, to a stop-motion Robin movie, and even a full-on Swamp Thing horror film. Gunn summed up the cinematic diversity best, saying, “we just want to tell a bunch of different stories.”

Gunn said that giving audiences a wide range of stories, that vary in theme, tone, and maturity, is what makes his job so fun. “A lot of those different stories are going to be in the DCU. I think that to be able to tell different kinds of stories is kind of what makes things fun,” he continued. Gunn has previously advocated against the term superhero fatigue. Instead, the director simply believes studios are getting lazy with their films. He delved deeper into that thought process in the interview, saying:

”
One of the things I’ve gotten a little sick of is all these stories being relatively the same.
I’m trying to step outside of that. We at DC are trying to step outside of that.”

DC Studios is Different From Marvel For Another Major Reason

As generic as Marvel movies have become in recent years, there’s one thing the franchise can be commended for… it’s dedication to a single cinematic timeline. Figuring out what order to watch the MCU in is as easy as a simple search online (or MovieWeb’s handy guide to the MCU). But, the same can’t be said for the DCU. What was once the DC Extended Universe has been heavily rebooted, with Gunn and Peter Safran now at the helm. Additionally, alongside the main cinematic universe, Warner Bros. has, and will continue to, produce other standalone projects.

Related Forgotten Live-Action DCU Series Finally Gets a Promising Update “James Gunn won’t start something until he’s absolutely happy with the scripts.”

Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe is the main example. While some DC fans want Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight to venture into the DCU, Reeves is content with his own smaller universe, and that works best for the character. But, when Gunn does introduce another Batman into the DCU in The Brave and the Bold, things will get really confusing. Good luck explaining to your dad why there are two Batmen on the big screen.

Creature Commandos is an animated television series that follows a team of supernatural beings, including a werewolf, vampire, and gorgon, assembled by the government for high-risk missions. This unique group navigates various challenges as they leverage their distinct abilities to combat threats. The show offers a blend of action, horror, and dark humor, set in a universe where classic monsters are reimagined as heroes.Release Date December 5, 2024 Cast Indira Varma , Frank Grillo , Zoe Chao , David Harbour , Sean Gunn , Alan Tudyk , Anya Chalotra , Maria Bakalova , Viola Davis , Steve Agee , Benjamin Byron Davis Seasons 1