Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the best Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in a while, but I came out of the theater more confident that the DCU’s future will shine bright.
Why a great Marvel movie is promising for the DCU’s future
Guardians 3 director James Gunn just simply gets superhero movies. GOTG Vol. 3 delivered everything I wanted from a comic book movie. Without getting into spoilers, it had spectacle, plenty of laughs, some sick action sequences, several emotional moments that moved me to tears, and characters that saw actual development over time. The theater left satisfied and with a smile on their faces, which should be the desired effect.
It was also our first look at a full storyline from Gunn. Over the course of three Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the now DC Studios co-CEO managed to make us care deeply about each ragtag member of the group. It showed that Gunn could stay thematically consistent while also hitting a lot of different marks. That skill will be important for DC going forward as Chapter 1 should have some overarching themes, while also showing how diverse DC can be.
Gunn has already shown versatility and that he’s not just a perfect fit for the Guardians with the success of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. I can’t wait to see how Gunn tackles Superman: Legacy in the future and to see how he and Peter Safran will guide the company going forward.
While it was easy to be skeptical about a director moving into such an overseeing role, it’s clear that Gunn understands the medium and gets what is special about comic book movies. There’s a clear reverence for the source material, while also tailoring the stories to each specific venue, be that video games, television, or movies. By delivering four great superhero movies and a stellar television show, Gunn has earned some goodwill and I can’t wait to see what the DCU’s future holds.
