James Gunn Calls Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman the DCU’s ‘Diamond Characters,’ Says Krypto, John Stewart and Peacemaker Could ‘Turn Into Diamonds’

 James Gunn has again used Threads to speak up for his DC universe, and this time, he's making it clearer about his earlier plan for the fictional world and where each character fits in.

He said, "You can look back at my comments from January 2023 when we started and see that I said we were going to do exactly what we're doing now.

I mentioned that some stories will be standalone, like the Guardians movies were (which is what Clayface is about), and others will be part of a bigger story, like the Superman Saga.But I also said each part of the bigger story should work well on its own, whether or not you’ve seen everything else."

In another post, he added, "Also, some things get mixed up here.

The often mentioned '8 to 10 year roadmap' I originally talked about wasn't just about story points (though that was part of it).It was also about the overall plan for DC, including focusing on major characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and also developing smaller characters into big ones like Krypto, John Stewart, and Peacemaker.It was about giving filmmakers freedom to tell stories in different tones and with different ratings, inspired by Star Wars and George R.R.Martin, and much more."

Gunn's mention of the "8 to 10 year roadmap" refers to his and fellow co-head Peter Safran's remarks from a 2022 virtual town hall with Warner Bros.

Discovery, where they said they had mapped out an 8 to 10-year plan for DC.In a third post, he wrote, "It's exciting to see things starting to come together, and all that makes me even more excited for what we have in store for everyone in Man of Tomorrow."

On Saturday, Gunn used social media to explain his decision to expand the DC universe with individual stories, even though some critics said his films aren't building toward a big crossover.

Responding to a person who said Gunn doesn't have to create one big interconnected universe, he wrote, "I couldn't agree more." "DCU is just an alternate universe; we can start anywhere or anytime and tell that story.

I don’t like the idea that individual stories aren't valuable unless they lead somewhere else.It’s strange to me that people don’t understand this, because 'Star Wars' has been doing this for 50 years across movies, shows, games, and books, even if it doesn't have the same variety in tone."

Gunn's next movie, "Superman: Man of Tomorrow," is coming to theaters on July 9, 2027.