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James Gunn took to Threads on Saturday to defend the DCU and his decision to expand the universe with “individual stories” amid criticism that his films aren’t building toward a major crossover event.
Responding to a
commenter who pointed out that Gunn doesn’t necessarily need to lay the foundation for one totally interconnected universe, the DC Studios co-head wrote, “I couldn’t agree more.” “DCU is just an alternate universe; we can enter at any location or time and tell THAT story. I dislike the idea that individual stories aren’t meaningful unless they lead to something else. People not understanding this is strange to me, because ‘Star Wars’ has essentially been doing this for 50 years across movies, shows, games and books, admittedly without the tonal variety,” he wrote.
Gunn pointed out that this approach doesn’t mean there isn’t any connectivity, adding that the “Superman” saga begins with “Superman” and extends into “Man of Tomorrow,” “and contains many characters we’ve introduced in other stories.” “But that doesn’t mean those other stories only exist to set up what’s happening there. 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 concluded.
In the post that Gunn responded to, the user had replied to an image that listed out his DC Universe foundation — “Superman,” “Peacemaker,” “Supergirl,” “Creature Commandos,” “Clayface” and “Lanters” — followed by the text: “What is this building towards???”
“Clayface,” which his theaters on Friday, is Gunn’s latest DCU installment, following 2025’s “Superman” and this year’s “Supergirl.” (Ahead of the film’s release, comic fans pointed out that the character, who has never been the subject of a standalone feature film, is a considerably nicher choice than previous DCU films.) It generated $24 million from 3,458 North American theaters in its debut, comfortably taking the No. 1 spot at the box office.
Directed by James Watkins, “Clayface” follows the titular Batman villain, a rising movie star also known as Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), who volunteers for a highly experimental medical procedure after his face is severely disfigured. Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan also star.
Variety’s Guy Lodge called the film “its own ugly animal; perhaps the characters and conflicts introduced here would pall if given the franchise treatment, but in the context of a single, genre-melding romp, they’re fresh and ickily enjoyable.”
Gunn’s next film, “Superman: Man of Tomorrow,” hits theaters July 9, 2027.
