James Gunn Repeats This 1 Thing in Every DCU Project So Far (& I’m Curious Where It Will Be In Superman)

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James Gunn has become a beloved filmmaker in recent years for his work in the superhero genre. The writer and director is responsible for delivering some of the best superhero adaptations in modern times, starting with Guardians of the Galaxy under the Marvel Cinematic Universe banner. After an initial firing, Gunn continued his streak of comic book-related projects over at DC with The Suicide Squad. The 2021 film might’ve struggled financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it stands out as one of the best DC entries ever made. Just a few years later, Gunn is now responsible for guiding the entire DC franchise as the co-CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. Superman will mark the DCU‘s first theatrical experience, one that Gunn has his hands all over.

Part of what makes Gunn one of the best superhero directors today is his ability to put his signature stamp on projects. From the sometimes crude humor to the heartfelt moments, accompanied by some unforgettable needle drops. Gunn isn’t shy about embedding comic book adaptations with his sensibilities, and that will continue with Superman in some capacity. With his DC projects, Gunn has also repeated one specific aspect of the story that could find their way into Superman as well.

James Gunn’s DC Projects Feature a Similar Setting

On the DC side, Gunn has been behind three projects released so far. The Suicide Squad was the filmmaker’s first foray into the DC franchise. Then, Gunn followed up The Suicide Squad with a spin-off centered on John Cena’s Peacemaker in a series.

However, the first formal DCU project for Gunn was the animated Creature Commandos series that premiered late last year. While Creature Commandos is firmly set within the DCU, there are still elements of Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad that are making their way into the new canon. Beyond Gunn’s typical writing and musical choices, each of his DC projects so far has another thing in common.

With The Suicide Squad, Gunn begins the story in Belle Reeve, a hallmark location in DC lore. Belle Reeve is a prison for meta-humans that also plays a role in Creature Commandos, since that’s where Task Force M resides.

Peacemaker doesn’t feature Belle Reeve, but it does feature moments in another prison because Red Dragon is in one until Vigilante infiltrates it. Prisons have become a common aspect of Gunn’s work. Even outside of DC, prisons have also served as a setting in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Therefore, Gunn’s next DC project could easily continue the trend of having some sort of prison setting, whether it’s on purpose or not.

Superman Will End Up Imprisoned at Some Point in the DCU Film

There’s a little less than a month to go until DC Studios’ Superman finally hits theaters, and so far, the footage released from the upcoming film indicates Gunn’s prison trend will continue. For starters, the trailers feature David Corenswet’s Man of Steel in handcuffs, imagery that evokes Henry Cavill’s take on the character in the 2013 origin story.

The Superman trailers also tease the Man of Steel trapped in an unknown prison.

The mysterious prison could end up being the Phantom Zone, where Superman traditionally locks up his foes.

The Phantom Zone previously appeared in Richard Donner’s Superman films and Man of Steel.

Based on the brief shot, it seems Superman ends up in handcuffs after losing to Ultraman and the Engineer in a battle. Rick Flag Sr., a character who first appeared in Creature Commandos, is also part of Superman’s arrest.

The trailers further suggest Superman will end up in some sort of prison and share a cell with Metamorpho. There are also shots of Superman getting beaten up by Lex Luthor’s Raptors, indicating that he could be the one behind the prison.

Many superheroes have a prison where they put away their supervillains, and for Superman, that is the Phantom Zone. What separates the Phantom Zone from other DC prisons is that it is a pocket universe, a concept Gunn previously teased would appear in the film. Therefore, Superman may feature the origins of the DCU’s version of the Phantom Zone, which starts out as a prison operated by Luthor.

Gunn Will Likely Repeat Other Elements From His Past Projects

Gunn is one of the few filmmakers operating in the superhero space who qualifies as an auteur. While Superman will continue Gunn’s run in the genre, it will be unlike any of his past entries. Gunn will deal with one of the most iconic superheroes ever created, a stark contrast from the more obscure characters featured in past stories. Superman will most likely stay away from some of the more crude humor Gunn has put on display in his past work, but the filmmaker has still made it clear that it will feature his artistic vision.

“I think it’s only setting the tone so far as that this is 100 percent a James Gunn movie. And what I want with the future films is for them to be the same – not James Gunn movies – but when I talked to Craig Gillespie who’s doing Supergirl, I said, ‘I don’t want all of these movies to be the same. “What I love about DC Comics is that you can read a story like The Dark Knight, which is tonally very different because of its artist and writer than Superman for All Seasons, than All-Star Superman, than [Batman:] The Long Halloween.

They’re all these beautiful stories within the same world, but completely different. And that’s what I think is exciting. I think that I learned from my time at Marvel… When Guardians of the Galaxy came out, people were like, ‘Well, how is this raccoon going to interact with this God of Thunder who’s been set up in a totally different type of movie?'” And that was the thing that people liked the most about [Avengers:] Infinity War. So it’s about really letting the artists create these unique visions that allow us to get to know these characters in different ways,” — James Gunn on what audiences can expect from Superman and the DCU.

Since Superman targets a wide audience, the humor and tone will likely resemble the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Gunn’s films are also traditionally elevated by pop songs, but this time around, Superman will be far more score-focused. Unlike Gunn’s past films full of needle drops, Superman will predominantly feature more music from John Murphy and David Fleming’s score.

Gunn has been able to take creative liberties in past comic book movies he’s worked on because they have dealt with lesser-known characters, so how the filmmaker will balance this style with a character as grand as Superman remains one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the forthcoming film. Based on the trailers, it seems the supporting characters in Superman will lean into Gunn’s comedic beats.

The last time Superman received a solo film, it was met with mixed results, but it was enough to launch a shared DC cinematic universe. Gunn’s Superman makes it known early on that there are plenty of more stories to tell in the new DCU. Gunn has an incredibly strong track record of delivering crowd-pleasing comic book adaptations, and Superman will look to continue that trend. A major reason why Gunn’s superhero projects have been so successful is due to his style.

It’s clear Gunn knows how to translate comic book panels to the big screen, and so far, Superman looks like it will do that more than any of his ventures to date. For Superman to be as successful as possible, Gunn will need to rely on what has worked in the past, even if it’s as small as including a prison sequence in the film.

There’s no telling if the prison trend is a conscious one from Gunn or not. Nonetheless, his latest prison sequence in Superman could end up being his best, since it could pave the way for an iconic DC location.

“}]] With James Gunn’s various film projects so far, there has been a repeated element that could also make its way into his upcoming Superman film.  Read More