James Gunn Blamed For Marvel Post-Endgame Failure

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James Gunn is facing criticism for the disappointing performance of Marvel films after *Endgame*. This comes after reports that his *Superman* movie for DC didn’t make a profit, and that his TV shows *Peacemaker* and *Creature Commandos* also weren’t successful.

Sources say James Gunn will likely lose his position leading DC Studios after Warner Bros. Discovery is sold. This is reportedly why he’s quickly prioritizing his ‘Superman Family Saga’ and shelving the previously planned ‘Gods and Monsters’ project.

Feige’s MCU Direction Echoed Gunn’s Formula

As a huge MCU fan, I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened after *Endgame*. It feels like Kevin Feige started prioritizing ‘the message’ of the stories over everything else, and honestly, it reminds me a lot of what James Gunn seems to be doing with the DCU now. Unfortunately, for Marvel, that approach just didn’t work – it really led to things falling apart.

YouTuber Grace Randolph reports that James Gunn provided Kevin Feige and Marvel with suggestions for hiring directors and other creative personnel. She points to Peyton Reed being chosen for *Ant-Man* instead of Edgar Wright as one example. Reed ultimately directed all three *Ant-Man* films, but the poor performance of *Quantumania* led Marvel to bring Robert Downey Jr. back in a desperate attempt to revitalize the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

From Risk-Takers to Replacements

Randolph stated that James Gunn, before departing Marvel, frequently suggested new actors and creators. He believes these recommendations ultimately steered Marvel, and now DC, in a negative direction.

She explained that Marvel initially hired experienced professionals. However, when James Gunn joined, the studio began taking chances on more unusual and less well-known talent.

Although she didn’t mention specific filmmakers, James Gunn’s influence is noticeable in Taika Waititi’s successful Thor: Ragnarok, which shared a similar style to Guardians of the Galaxy. However, Waititi’s later film, Thor: Love and Thunder, wasn’t well-received after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

The String of MCU Misfires

Several other Marvel films didn’t perform well, including *Black Widow* directed by Cate Shortland, *Eternals* by Chloé Zhao, and *The Marvels* directed by Nia DaCosta – each of these received either poor reviews or failed to make a profit.

Similar patterns emerged on Disney+ with shows like *She-Hulk* (created by Jessica Gao), *Ms. Marvel* (created by Bisha K. Ali), *Secret Invasion* (initially led by Kyle Bradstreet, with later contributions from Brian Tucker and Ali Selim), and others.

Marvel Cosmic Fans Saw It All Coming

It’s quite a turn of events that James Gunn, the director who breathed new life into Marvel’s space-based stories with *Guardians of the Galaxy*, is now facing criticism for potentially harming both the Marvel and DC cinematic universes. (Those of us who follow the comics have long felt Gunn misrepresented the character, and it seems that pattern may be continuing.)

Warner Bros. Discovery is facing increasing pressure, and James Gunn’s ability to freely guide creative decisions at DC Studios and Warner Bros. may be limited soon.

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2025-10-14 23:01