Every celebrity has to be careful with what they say in interviews, but James Gunn has been walking a tightrope over a minefield in the middle of a war zone in the last few weeks while promoting Superman. Each comment has been pawed over, every little hint of the DCU’s future or the DCEU’s past has been analyzed, reported on, and sometimes misconstrued, and that means Gunn has been spending almost as much time correcting misconceptions as he has spent on the original interviews they came from. Now, he has been clarifying recent comments regarding Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where – for those who have difficulty reading simple sentences – his use of the line, “I hate it,” was taken as an opinion on those late-in-the-day DCEU films.
Taking to his favorite avenue for such moments of correction and clarity, Gunn shared a post on Threads after he was asked about his supposed hatred for the 2023 DC releases, which were both made before his appointment as one half of DC Studios’ CEO team was announced. Gunn said of his comment:
“This is the kind of nonsense you have to look out for in these posts. I never said I hated either of those films – I said I didn’t like the way the 11th Street Kids were included, as I don’t think Harcourt was ever the warden of an underwater prison, and I don’t think Waller had anything to do with the Justice Society.”
Related How Season 2 of ‘Peacemaker’ Will Connect the DCEU and the DCU
Season 2 of Peacemaker will be part of the DCU’s “Gods and Monsters” chapter. So how will the transition from the DCEU happen?
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Essentially, James Gunn and Peter Safran are currently in a tricky situation regarding a couple of DC characters that they clearly want to use in the DCU, but have previously appeared in movies that are no longer regarded as canon in the new era. However, there are some murky waters around thanks to several crossovers between the old and new franchises, such as Peacemaker.
Is ‘Peacemaker’ Season 1 DCU canon? It Is Complicated.
Starting a new franchise is easy. Creating a new franchise while also having to unpick some of the stitching you added to the old franchise can be a bit trickier. That is where Gunn is currently, thanks to Peacemaker, and a handful of other characters that were part of the last DCEU projects to be released before that version of DC’s universe ended.
Gunn made it clear from the start that Peacemaker, and most of its cast, would be remaining in the DCU – something that has been confirmed by John Cena’s character appearing unexpectedly in Superman – and fans will soon discover how this is possible in Peacemaker Season 2. Gunn has previously said that around 95% of Season 1 of the R-rated action comedy series will stand in the DCU’s continuity, while the rest will be explained away when the show returns in August.
In short, canon is only canon if James Gunn says it is canon. Accept that there could be some small discrepancies, or characters may not be where people expect them to be, and just enjoy the franchise for what it is – comic book-inspired entertainment. A year or so down the line, the DCU will have truly laid down its cornerstones, and we will know a little more about future projects and how they all fit together. Then, those little inconsistencies will seem a million miles away and as irrelevant as that horrendous ending tooth moment in The Flash.
Source: Threads
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed Black Adam PG-13 Superhero Action Sci-Fi Fantasy Adventure 5.0/10 Release Date October 21, 2022 Runtime 125 Minutes Director Jaume Collet-Serra Writers Bill Parker, C.C. Beck, Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby, Joe Shuster, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, Adam Sztykiel Franchise(s) DC Universe Cast See All Dwayne Johnson Black Adam / Teth Adam Aldis Hodge Hawkman / Carter Hall Powered by Expand Collapse Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed Shazam! Fury of the Gods Superhero Action Adventure Comedy Release Date March 17, 2023 Director David F. Sandberg Writers Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan Cast Zachary Levi Helen Mirren Lucy Liu Rachel Zegler Powered by Expand Collapse
