It goes without saying that James Gunn can take a ton of credit for the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy film franchise which pretty much turned some of Marvel's lesser-known characters into major players in their cinematic universe. This is practically the reason why Warner Bros. took advantage of his brief firing in 2018 and the end result of his DCEU hiring has been nothing short of fantastic.
While the pressure was definitely on Gunn's side to replicate what he did for the MCU, his soft reboot of The Suicide Squad generated a lot of hype and ended up being lauded by fans and critics. Obviously, the film didn't do well at the box office but it's mainly due to the fact that COVID cases were still incredibly high around the time of its release. Still, it was able to draw in impressive streaming numbers on HBO Max.
His second DCEU offering Peacemaker starring John Cena also received a lot of praise from its viewers and has since been greenlit for a second season but according to insider Grace Randolph, both projects had weak receptions both critically and financially speaking.
Naturally, the director didn't take Randolph's criticism lightly and took to his official Twitter account to blast her claims. Responding to a fan who tagged Gunn in Randolph's video, the GOTG filmmaker said: "The earth revolves around the sun, mothers love their children, & Grace Randolph will spout bullshit."
Also Read: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: James Gunn Might Have Confirmed Major Character Death
Of course, James has a pretty valid reason to be furious, especially considering his DCEU projects have actually delivered and exceeded expectations. And while the franchise as a whole still has a lot of catching up to do to match the MCU, having Gunn on board is a step in the right direction.
Both The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker are available for streaming on HBO Max.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!