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"The DCU Is NOT the DC Comics Universe": Gunn on Why That Matters

DC Studios' James Gunn isn't buying the idea that audiences need an origin story for every New DCU character to be able to connect with them.

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As we continue inching closer to the debut of DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran's New DCU with the premiere of Max's Creature Commandos on December 5th, one topic that fans can't seem to let go of social media has to do with origin stories. In this case, who needs to have one shown on the big or small screen, and who doesn't? In terms of Batman and Superman, Gunn's feeling is that those are origin roads that have been traveled down a lot, so there's no point ("I'm not telling Batman and Superman's origin stories again because everyone knows them") – and he's right. It's like saying that Marvel Studios needs to keep retelling Spider-Man's story – think about how many times that origin story has been told and retold since the 2000s kicked in. But for some reason, that blew up into this belief that DC Studios would be "overlooking origin stories" – with Gunn making it clear that origin stories will definitely be in play for characters that the public needs to know more about. For example, a lot of folks know who Plastic Man is – but how many of them could tell you his origin story if you asked them?

DCU
Image: DC Studios Screencaps

That conversation – and a post that Gunn shared of Adele praising Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and how much Christopher Reeves' Superman films meant to her back in the day – led an individual to run this by Gunn: "Any thoughts James on general audience hesitance of getting to be thrown straight into a world where heroes like Hal Jordan, Hawkgirl etc have existed for decades and after Affleck's version we are yet again getting a Batman with whom we'll be missing out on his time mentoring Dick Grayson and other Robins and see him straight with his son & 4th Robin Damian Wayne?" The premise behind the question/opinion was that general viewing audiences need backstories on the New DCU characters on their screen for them to be able to connect with them.

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Image: Threads Screencap

After noting that the individual had "asked this question a thousand times" before, Gunn responded by noting that he wasn't buying into the idea that the individual's position represented the general viewing audience. "That seems to be YOUR hesitance not general audiences'. Some comic book fans are constantly questioning the ability of general audiences' understandings of basic concepts," Gunn responded. "Also, The DCU is NOT the DC Comics Universe. It's a separate universe. Not all timelines will be the same. (An impossibility since the comics universe took place over 85 years)," he added.

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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