James Gunn has clarified remarks from a recent interview where he stated Disney 'killed' Marvel by demanding a higher volume of content for the Disney+ streaming platform.

Gunn, who directed Marvel's highly successful Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy before becoming co-head of DC Studios, told Rolling Stone that Disney's push for Marvel to increase output for Disney+'s launch—a strategy Disney CEO Bob Iger later admitted "diluted focus and attention"—was "unfair" and "a mistake."

"And it killed them," Gunn added.

While some interpreted "it killed them" as Gunn declaring the MCU permanently dead, he clarified on social media that this was not the case. He explained the mandate "harmed" Marvel *at that specific time*, but the studio has since recovered following that period of excessive demand.

"To be clear—and as is evident from the interview's context—I didn't mean 'killed' as in 'finished.' They were harmed by a situation outside their control," Gunn posted on Threads.

"They've moved past that now, which is positive. The industry-wide rush to sacrifice everything for streaming damaged many projects by creating an unsustainable demand for 'content,' prematurely shifting films to TV, and more. Thankfully, that frenzy has subsided and things are balancing out."

In a follow-up post, Gunn described the demands placed on Marvel as "an impossible task."

Marvel Cinematic Universe: All Upcoming Movies and TV Shows

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Marvel's challenges following Avengers: Endgame are well-known, with MCU box office returns since the record-breaking 2019 film being relatively modest, aside from major hits like the billion-dollar success Deadpool & Wolverine.

There is also a perception that the overall quality of the MCU's post-Endgame output hasn't matched earlier phases. Exceptions exist, such as 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home and Gunn's own Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which were both critical and commercial successes.

Marvel is now releasing significantly fewer films and series. Only three MCU movies are scheduled for 2025: Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. For 2026, currently only two films are confirmed: Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday.

The focus is now on Marvel Studios to succeed with a 'quality over quantity' approach. Following box office challenges for Captain America and Thunderbolts*, all attention turns to The Fantastic Four to see if the MCU can recapture its commercial magic. Notably, Disney CEO Bob Iger recently praised Thunderbolts*, calling it "the first and best example" of Marvel's renewed commitment to quality.

In his Rolling Stone interview, Gunn noted that DC Studios does not face similar pressure from parent company Warner Bros. to produce a fixed quota of films and shows each year.

"We will only release what we believe meets the highest standard," Gunn explained. "We'll naturally have some hits and misses, but we aim for the average to be as strong as possible. Nothing moves forward without a screenplay I'm personally satisfied with."

Accordingly, the relaunched DC Universe begins with July's Superman, followed by Supergirl next July, and Clayface currently slated for September 2026. Peacemaker Season 2 arrives this August, with Lanterns expected in early 2026. However, Gunn acknowledges that the Batman project is presenting several challenges.