Why the DCU Is Nothing Like the MCU (According to James Gunn)

James Gunn doesn’t think the new DC Universe is anything like the MCU.

In a new chat with Interview magazine, Gunn explained the DCU isn’t like the MCU because the DCU will be focusing more on “telling individual stories” from a greater shared cinematic universe, among other reasons that set the two comic book movie and media franchises apart.

“People say, ‘Oh, the DCU is doing what MCU is.’ But I think it really is a lot more to me what the Game of Thrones world is like or what Star Wars is like, because we’re building a universe and then picking out little pieces of it and telling individual stories from that universe,” he said.

In addition, the filmmaker and DC Studios co-head explained that while many movies in the MCU take place in real-world locations, the DCU comprises its entirely own, unique world and environment.

“There is not a New York City in our DCU. There is not a Los Angeles in our DCU. There is Metropolis, Evergreen, and Coast City. It’s a different map. It’s a world in which some form of superheroes, which we call Metahumans, have existed for at least 300 years, and they’ve been a part of our life,” he said.

“But I think that we’re reaching a point in the DCU where there’s three factions. There’s the Metahumans, the governments, and then the corporations. And the corporations are equally important. There’s Luthor Corp, there’s Lord Tech and Stagg Industries and Wayne Enterprises, which are the four big companies that are vying for another type of domination … And they aren’t evil corporations, really. They’re just f—ing amoral corporations,” Gunn added.

READ MORE: James Gunn Wants This Character Back for the New DCU

Gunn shared he was drawn to DC for their vast world-building, revealing he takes inspiration from Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin: “I think it’s the reason I agreed to the job. You talk about George R.R. Martin, and he is really one of the guys who I love and look up to. I’m an enormous fan of his.”

Unlike the MCU’s cinematic phases, the DCU will tell its greater story in chapters, the first being Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

The DCU launched with the animated series Creature Commandos in 2024, with Gunn’s 2025 film Superman marking the official beginning of the DCU’s new cinematic franchise.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, officially kicked off with Iron Man in 2008. The franchise is currently in Phase Six, which began with 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.