Highlights
- Fans loved X-Men ’97, sparking hopes for DC reboots, but James Gunn firmly shut down a Justice League Unlimited revival.
- Gunn believes in unique projects over following trends, turning down a Justice League Unlimited reboot to focus on other projects.
- The success of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 underlines Gunn’s commitment to projects he believes in, showing his dedication.
X-Men ’97 has been a critical and ratings success for Marvel, prompting some fans to request a similar reboot for a popular animated DC TV show. However, James Gunn shut down any hope for a potential revival of the beloved Justice League series.
X-Men ’97 premiered in mid-March to praise from critics and fans, which has been reflected in the successful ratings for the Marvel Animation and Disney Plus show. In response, fans have proposed other animated shows that need a revival like X-Men ’97, including series’ from the DC franchise. Unfortunately, there’s at least one animated series that Gunn does not intend to revive, though his reason may be understandable to some fans.
On threads, user Langston A. Williams proposed a Justice League Unlimited ’07 reboot to Gunn. Gunn responded by explaining why he believes X-Men ’97 has been successful and why he’d rather not try to repeat that. “X-Men ’97 is fun because it’s unique and not desperately trying to follow the trends of everything around it. So I’d rather just keep doing that,” Gunn wrote. While some responses to Gunn’s Threads post expressed disappointment, others respected Gunn’s decision not to pursue a Justice League Unlimited reboot simply for nostalgia’s sake or in an attempt to copy X-Men ’97‘s success.
While Gunn did not elaborate on his reason for wanting to pass on a Justice League Unlimited reboot, his comment suggests he would rather produce DC projects he’s passionate about instead of ordering projects only because there’s a demand for them. While this may seem baffling to some who believe a Justice League Unlimited reboot would be a guaranteed hit, Gunn had similar success with his Marvel Studios projects. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was the only critically praised MCU of 2023, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels bombing with critics and at the box office. While Ant-Man 3 and the Captain Marvel sequel had some fans, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 received far more positive reviews. This was partly attributed to the fact that Gunn had his whole heart in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and wanted to tell the film’s story, meaning the film was the result of a passionate filmmaker and not solely Marvel Studios’ need to produce a sequel to its financially successful franchise.
While it would be unfair to assume the directors or showrunners of Marvel Studios’ less successful projects weren’t passionate about their respective MCU ventures, some fans have argued Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a hit because it was at least as much a Gunn project as it was a Marvel Studios one. So, while Gunn’s response to a proposed Justice League Unlimited reboot may not be what fans wanted, perhaps they wouldn’t want one if the DC Universe boss’ heart isn’t in it. Maybe those fans can find solace in the fact that Gunn’s DC Universe is inspired by Justice League Unlimited.
X-Men ’97 premieres new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney Plus and Justice League Unlimited is available on Max.
Source: James Gunn/Threads
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