It's been a wild week for fans of the superhero genre. Yesterday the internet exploded when it was revealed that James Gunn and Peter Safran were stepping down as co-CEOS of DC Studios, and there are countless questions about how upcoming DC movies and shows will be affected. Some fan reacts are making me especially concerned about Lanterns (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) and more.
Gunn's tenure as DC's head has been cut short, and it's unclear if the first slate of projects called Gods and Monsters will still move forward. The director/writer/producer took to social media with a statement about his departure, and some of the responses on Threads are cutting me to the core. Case in point: the following response which has a whopping 1.8k likes.
Goddamit, we're never getting another Lanterns season are we.
Well, now I'm depressed. Ever since its first season ended, fans have been wondering if Lanterns would get a second season on HBO. After all, there's plenty more Green Lantern lore to explore, with the writer Venessa Baden Kelly interested in bringing in Kilowog to the series. Unfortunately, Gunn's departure might put the show's second season in jeopardy, especially after Lanterns was the subject of fan backlash.
This isn't the only depressing fan response to James Gunn's threads post. Another one that's hitting hard and has over 900 likes reads:
We're never getting a full DC run ever 😭
Ouch. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a well-oiled machine over its nearly two decades in theaters, the same can't be said for things at DC. The former DCEU began with Zack Snyder's movies, which quickly put the Justice League together rather than methodically giving them solo movies. Unfortunately that shared universe started becoming less and less interconnected over the years, eventually ending with Aquaman 2.
James Gunn and Peter Safran were hoping to make a more cohesive franchise with the DCU, and there were a number of thrilling crossovers in the first few titles. While we'll still get to see a number of characters collide when Man of Tomorrow hits theaters next summer, it's unclear exactly how the burgeoning shared universe will continue afterward. For hardcore superhero fans, it feels like we'll never get a DC counterpart to the MCU, which is super depressing.
Right now there are more questions about the DCU than answers. Gunn and Safran were replaced by former Marvel executive and producer Jeremy Latcham, who obviously has experience in the genre. We'll just have to wait and see what comes next.
The next DC movie hitting theaters is Man of Tomorrow on July 9, 2027. For now fans can see Clayface in theaters as part of the 2026 movie release list.
