There’s always an ongoing Marvel vs DC split within the superhero fandom, some fans like to constantly compare and pit the two against each other while others enjoy and support their favorite characters coming to life from either studio. One interesting nexus of this situation emerged earlier this week with the appointment of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn’s appointment as co-chairman and co-CEO of DC studio, a responsibility he’ll share with producer Peter Safran. So of course in eyes of some fans now there must be a brewing rivalry between Gunn and Marvel Studios Head Kevin Feige.
One such fan asked Gunn on Twitter (from a now-deactivated account), “So do you hate Kevin Feige now?” The director who is quite active on social media and never shies away from giving in his two cents responded:
Certainly, the director’s sentiments echo that of his Marvel counterpart. When Feige was recently asked about Gunn’s new job on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever red carpet. He said, “Well, he has got a lot of work to do for Marvel between now and May, which he’s well aware of,” making a reference to Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for Disney+ which will premiere on November 25 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 which is scheduled for a release date of May 5 next year. And quickly added, “But after that. I’ll be first in line to see anything he does.”
With the ever-expanding Marvel and DC movie franchises, it's by default that the two studios will always find themselves sharing talents, along with Gunn, there are actors like Jeffery Wright, who voiced The Watcher in MCU animated feature What If…? and also played Commissioner Gordon in Matt Reeves’ The Batman; Christian Bale, who previously held the mantle of the DC’s Dark Knight and recently appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder as antagonist Gorr, the God Butcher; Idris Elba aka MCU’s Heimdall last appeared as Bloodsport in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Much like Gunn, Joss Whedon, too went on to helm 2017s Justice League after helming the very successful Avengers movies for MCU. So, certainly, there’s no rivalry as such some fans would like to believe so and Gunn has made it pretty clear.