James Gunn Says Big-Screen DC-Marvel Crossover 'More Likely Now,' Has Been Discussed

Marvel and DC have been periodically invading one another's universes since 1976's "Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man," but aside from parodies on the likes of "Saturday Night Live," they've never officially met on the screen.

After several years helming the "Guardians of the Galaxy" for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gunn has been tapped to reboot the DC Universe line of films alongside Peter Safran. That puts him in a unique position between the two companies.

Even Gunn seems to realize the possibilities of his new appointment at DC as to how it relates to his previous work with Marvel. In a new interview with Empire, when asked about a possible superhero crossover event, he said, "I'm certain that's more likely now that I'm in charge [at DC]."

At the same time, he acknowledged that any real talk of possible crossover stories is "many years away." After all, he and Safran are just getting their plans in order for the DCU moving forward. Fans won't even start to see the fruition of those labors until 2025.

"I think we have to establish what we're doing first," he said of his efforts at DC. But, he also teased the possibility of crossovers by adding, "I would be lying to say that we haven't discussed it. But all discussions have been very, very light and fun."

That's pretty much how a lot of the comic book crossovers started as well, with creators and editors speculating about how cool it would be for Spider-Man and Superman to meet, or even the Justice League and the Avengers.

Things reached a crescendo of intercompany harmony -- that hasn't been seen since -- with the "DC Versus Marvel/Marvel Versus DC" crossover mini-series in 1996. It included fan voting between epic superhero matchups and then the craziest idea yet.

Spinning out of the saga was a whole new universe under the Amalgam Comics imprint featuring mashed up combinations of Marvel and DC characters like Dark Claw (a combination of Batman and Wolverine) and Super Soldier (Superman/Captain America).

Before things get too crazy on the big and small screens (you know fans would love an epic DC Versus Marvel movie followed by Amalgam mini-series streaming on both Disney+ and whatever HBO Max is going to be come), Gunn has to wrap up his Marvel work with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" on May 5.

Then, he's poised to launch the next phase of the DCU with "Superman: Legacy" in 2025. He's already been involved with "Suicide Squad" and its "Peacemaker" spinoff, so it's clear he thinks big -- and if he's already thinking about crossovers, it could just be a matter of time.

Critics have been predicting superhero fatigue for years and years now. Is it happening? Is it inevitable? There was probably a time studio executives thought westerns would never go out of style. Should superheroes start to fade in popularity, you can bet that pairing up some of the biggest names across two universes would generate a pretty big jolt of excitement.

The real question is if Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have any interest in playing nice enough to make it happen. Nods to one another are one thing, and we've already seen that play out in Gunn's own "GotG Holiday Special" where Bruce Wayne was alluded to, but it would take massive collaboration and cooperation between companies that are used to competing.

Still, if anyone can make it happen, it would be Gunn -- and maybe the superhero fans themselves. They did get a Snyder Cut of "Justice League" released. Of course, the bottom line is always the bottom line. If fans want to see the Justice League take on the Avengers, they'll first need to show their support for Gunn's DCU at the box office, and continue their support for the MCU as it evolves through its next phases.