Why James Gunn Didn’t Feel Guilty About Leaving Marvel for DC

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Recently, James Gunn, who previously worked on the Guardians of the Galaxy series with Marvel Studios, expressed his thoughts about any feelings of guilt he might have had when deciding to switch to working with DC Studios instead. Prior to becoming co-CEO at DC Studios in 2022, Gunn directed The Suicide Squad (2021) for DC after initially being let go by Marvel before being reinstated for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Here’s why James Gunn didn’t have any ethical dilemma about leaving Marvel

On the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard, James Gunn recently discussed if he ever felt remorse for collaborating with DC following his departure from Marvel. In 2018, Gunn was let go from Marvel Studios in July, and subsequently joined forces with DC to direct The Suicide Squad film.

He shared that Marvel provided him with unwavering support, explaining, “They were absolutely behind me. Louis D’Esposito frequently reached out to me. Lou and Kevin were wonderful. I never felt any remorse. I accepted a position with people whom I genuinely admired, and that was the end of it.

In addition to this, Gunn shared how he received a call from Toby Emmerich of Warner Bros. during that period. “He asked, ‘Is James Gunn’s Superman?’ I replied, ‘I’m not sure about that,’ and then he inquired, ‘What about Suicide Squad?’ So, I thought of an idea, presented it, and they agreed. ‘Let’s move forward with it,’ they said.

After assuming the DC role, Gunn discovered that he was once again involved in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, this time courtesy of Kevin Feige. He recounted, “I visited Kevin at his home, where his Star Wars figurines resembled a mini-museum. He exclaimed, ‘This is fantastic!’ I responded, ‘Indeed, it’s impressive, but there are other tasks I need to attend to first.’

Later, he shared with Feige the exciting news about directing The Suicide Squad. At first, Feige had a misunderstanding, thinking that the director was instead working on a project related to Superman under DC Comics.

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2025-07-11 12:41