James Gunn Pushes Back on DCU Critics, Says Not Every Story Needs To Build Toward a Crossover

DC Studios has assembled one of the most eclectic slates in modern franchise filmmaking. James Gunn’s DC Universe began with the animated series ‘Creature Commandos’ before moving to theaters with ‘Superman’, with ‘Peacemaker’, ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Lanterns’ following. The newest entry, ‘Clayface’, is a very different beast entirely: an R-rated body horror film starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen.

That variety has left some fans scratching their heads. After ‘Clayface’ hit theaters and claimed the No. 1 spot at the box office, a wave of comments asked what the DCU is actually building toward. One fan laid out the slate so far and asked the question bluntly, wondering where it all leads.

Now the DC Studios co-chief has responded directly. In a pair of posts, Gunn wrote on Threads that “DCU is just an alternate universe; we can enter at any location or time and tell THAT story.” He agreed with a fan who argued that the projects don’t need to build toward anything if they work on their own.

Gunn added that he dislikes the idea that individual stories aren’t meaningful unless they lead somewhere else. He pointed to Star Wars as an example, noting that it has “essentially been doing this for 50 years across movies, shows, games and books, admittedly without the tonal variety.”

He was careful to stress that this doesn’t mean the DCU lacks connections. “The Superman Saga starts with Superman and travels into Man of Tomorrow and onward, and contains many characters we’ve introduced in other stories,” he explained.

Gunn then made his point about ‘Clayface’ crystal clear. “I would love people to be seeing Clayface because it’s a great, fun horror movie unto itself, not because of where else Clayface will show up three movies from now,” he said.

The film is a fitting example of his philosophy. Unlike most DCU projects so far, ‘Clayface’ actually takes audiences back in time, as it’s set before the events of both ‘Superman’ and ‘Creature Commandos’. As a result, it doesn’t directly set up any ‘Man of Tomorrow’ story threads.

That doesn’t mean the character is disconnected. Clayface already appeared in ‘Creature Commandos’, where he battled the team and seemingly died before Gunn later clarified the character was still alive. The new film essentially serves as his origin story.

Fans hoping for a bigger picture won’t be left empty-handed. ‘Man of Tomorrow’ opens on July 9, 2027, and wrapped filming in late August. Its cast includes Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart from ‘Lanterns’ and Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, so characters from several corners of the universe are converging.

Gunn has also revealed the sequel will see Lex Luthor and Superman working together to a certain degree against a much bigger threat. It’s the clearest sign yet that the DCU’s various threads will cross paths, even if not every project exists to feed into that story.

Gunn’s comments highlight a deliberate contrast with how many fans have come to view interconnected franchises. Rather than treating each project as homework for the next big event, he wants audiences to judge each story on its own merits, with crossovers serving as a bonus.

The early response to ‘Clayface’ suggests that approach can work. The film topped the box office with an A- CinemaScore and strong audience scores, proving a standalone villain horror story can find its audience within a superhero universe.

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