James Gunn says his DCU is less like the MCU and more like Game of Thrones and Star Wars: "We’re building a universe and then picking out little pieces of it"

DC Studios boss James Gunn has explained the key difference between his fledgling DCU and the MCU.

"You talk about George R.R. Martin, and he is really one of the guys who I love and look up to. I’m an enormous fan of his and people say, 'Oh, the DCU is doing what MCU is.' But I think it really is a lot more to me what the Game of Thrones world is like or what Star Wars is like," Gunn told actor Rainn Wilson in Interview Magazine.

Gunn added, "Because we’re building a universe and then picking out little pieces of it and telling individual stories from that universe."

Gunn's more scattershot, genre-agnostic approach has already been proven in the opening salvo of announcements for DCU Chapter One.

Not many universes, after all, would open with Creature Commandos, an animated series bringing together weird and wacky figures such as Doctor Phosphorus and Frankenstein, and follow it up with Superman and Peacemaker season 2.

Beyond that, the likes of Clayface and Swamp Thing expand the world further with body horror, then Lanterns and Supergirl bring a more cosmic energy to the DCU.

Of course, the MCU – in which Gunn helmed a trilogy of Guardians of the Galaxy movies – wasn't completely dissimilar, but has always felt like it was building towards a larger narrative – whether that's the Infinity Saga or the Multiverse Saga.

Even Gunn's movies weren't safe from the spectre of Thanos, with the director famously whipping up Infinity Stones lore in just three minutes.

But Gunn's breaking-down of his key philosophies here, alongside his previous declaration that post-credits won't be there to service future movie set-ups, is evidence enough that the DCU will be much different to the MCU.

For more, check out our guide to upcoming DC movies and how to watch the DC movies in order. Then discover timings and dates for Peacemaker with the Peacemaker season 2 release schedule.