DC boss James Gunn responds to suggestions that Marvel Studios is putting out too much content – but says it wasn't their fault: "That wasn't fair. It wasn't right. And it killed them"

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Marvel Studios is reining it in after a mandated output

A sad looking Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy 3
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

A common refrain from audiences is that Marvel is pumping out too many movies and shows to keep track of. There might be a reason, after all, why Thunderbolts – a good-to-great movie littered with B-tier heroes from several MCU projects – didn't spark at the box office.

James Gunn, now heading up DC Studios alongside co-CEO Peter Safran, has sympathy for Marvel Studios' bloated universe, which includes nine separate movies and shows being released in 2025 alone.

"I don’t even know if it’s really their fault," Gunn said to Rolling Stone of the situation, while revealing that one Marvel executive said "privately" that they – in the interviewer's words – 'put out too much stuff.'

Seemingly, that's not a mistake – or a mandate – Gunn cares to repeat.

The Superman director said, "We don’t have the mandate to have a certain amount of movies and TV shows every year. So we’re going to put out everything that we think is of the highest quality. We’re obviously going to do some good things and some not-so-good things, but hopefully on average everything will be as high-quality as possible." Gunn added, "Nothing goes before there’s a screenplay that I personally am happy with."

Marvel is now course correcting on its content overload, with Disney CEO Bob Iger's recent comments on quality over quantity being a surefire indicator that Marvel Studios is focusing on the cinematic experience – with Fantastic Four next up in July.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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