James Gunn Fires Back at Fans

Remember Tom Cruise’s gracious thank-you to fans from, like, thirty seconds ago? James Gunn decided to remind us why we need to relish that man and his attitude. In the wake of Henry Cavill’s dismissal from playing Superman, a lot of DC fans were less than thrilled, and they made their feelings known on social media. Well, Gunn isn’t happy about it, and he took to Twitter once again, this time to let dissenters know what they can do with themselves:

One of the things Peter & I were aware of when we took the job as heads of DC Studios was a certain minority of people online that could be, well, uproarious & unkind, to say the least.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 19, 2022

No one loves to be harassed or called names – but, to be frank, we’ve been through significantly worse. Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our actions.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 19, 2022

But this means little to us in comparison to our jobs as artists & custodians in helping to create a wide & wonderful future for DC.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 19, 2022

That was fast. Gunn was building a reputation for being open and gracious with fans, and now he’s thrown it away over one disagreement – and one he saw coming. Before revealing that Cavill was out as Superman, Gunn said “not every single person” would be happy with the decisions they make and that there would be a “transitional period.” But as soon as there’s some pushback, he jumps right back to calling fans “uproarious and unkind, to say the least,” which is a way of technically avoiding “toxic,” I suppose. The “minority” of fans cover returns as well; they’re such a small, insignificant minority that Hollywood and their press can’t stop talking about them. It’s been a month and a half, and Gunn already feels compelled to trash DC fans; it’s not going to get much better from here.

He could have handled this much better. If he had just said something like, “We understand why people are upset, but please give us a chance,” it would have been fine. The fiasco surrounding Cavill’s departure is not really Gunn and Peter Safran’s fault; it was Warner Bros. and David Zaslav who told him to announce his return, knowing that he was bringing in people who would have full creative control over DC. That was a boneheaded move that hurt everyone, and Gunn should direct his anger that way. But it’s never anyone in Hollywood’s fault; it’s always ours.

Or, here’s another thought, and I know Hollywood folks don’t really understand the concept, but bear with me: how about just not saying anything? Believe it or not, not everything beggars a comment from a famous person. If the intensity of the discussion is getting to you, leave Twitter alone for a little while and focus on your work, then make a big announcement to get everyone excited again. You said yourself that you knew people would be unhappy, so let them work their anger out of their system and then try to win them over with your new movies. If you’re so proud of your ideas, let them speak for themselves. Is the lure of insulting the masses really that enticing?

I’m not calling time of death on Gunn and Safran’s DC Universe or anything. Gunn’s comments are disappointing, and he sounds dickier than I thought he was, but I want good DC movies, and I think there’s still potential for that. Some of the most talented artists out there are no one you’d ever want to meet. But a “shut up and take what you’re thrown” attitude doesn’t inspire confidence, and he’s not doing himself and the movies he and his new employers need a lot of people to see any favors with this tirade. Fans, and even wider audiences, are getting sick of being talked to like that, and the “small minority” crap isn’t fooling anyone anymore.