James Gunn at the European launch event of Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Photo : Ian Gavan ( Getty Images )

Comic book fans often pit Marvel and DC’s respective properties against one another because the publishers and the live-action movies based on their IP represent two of the largest corporate titans in the larger entertainment industry, but there are few things more exhausting then fans’ desire to “prove” whether DC or Marvel are “better” than one another.


Much of the DC vs. Marvel discourse has been shaped by the box office performance and critical reception of the film franchises tied to the comics publishers’ properties. But oftentimes, conversations about Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. become very hostile and emotional as people’s personal feelings about characters, actors, and even film executives filter into the way they speak about movies like James Gunn’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad sequels.

Over the weekend, Gunn took to his Twitter account to express his excitement about beginning work on The Suicide Squad and to share images of a care package he received from Marvel executives including Kevin Feige and Mary Livanos. The gift, a scrapbook filled with photos of Gunn working on the Guardians sets, was a reflection on Gunn’s time working with Marvel and, presumably, a gesture meant to demonstrate the studio’s desire to maintain a good working relationship with the director— e ven though his working for a rival came as the result of his infamous firing (and subsequent rehiring) last summer.


Inspired by the Marvel gift, Gunn went on to encourage Marvel and DC fans to accept the fact that whether they’re into the X-Men or the Doom Patrol, comic book (movie) fans are all just fans and liking different things is no really to get into heated arguments with people:

Gunn’s statements read very much like those of a director who’s working for two studio because, well, that’s that’s very much the case—three cheers for being a company man. That said, he’s making a solid point that more fans could stand to bear in mind especially as we all prepare for this year’s New York Comic-Con, where everyone’s going to be talking about all the new cape movies, series, and books we’ll be consuming for the foreseeable future.


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