Paramount is now positioned to take over Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix walked away from the deal, putting James Gunn and the DCU in the crosshairs.
According to previous reports from the trades, the new regime at Paramount wants “middle America” programming and less culture-war baggage, which means James Gunn becomes an obvious problem.
Trump the wild card
Just as I said all along, President Trump was the wild card in all this.
Trump recently turned Netflix into a target, publicly calling for Netflix to remove Susan Rice from its board after her comments sparked backlash.
That kind of heat doesn’t help when regulators and Washington attention are already part of the equation.
It was also reported that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos visited Washington on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to save the Netflix-WBD deal. However, it has been reported that Sarandos didn’t meet with Trump. Shortly after, came the announcement of Netflix walking away.
What about James Gunn?
If Paramount controls WBD – backed by Trump – they control DC, which includes Superman, Batman, the Justice League, and more.
Gunn’s DCU brand doesn’t line up with the direction Paramount has been signaling, again, which centers on America-centric and “MAGA” content.
Gunn has openly clashed with conservatives online, and his DC output has leaned into woke themes that keep triggering culture-war fights.
Screenshot via IndieWire
A new owner that wants broader “middle-of-the-country” appeal doesn’t want DC to be a constant argument filled with lecturing. And the fans sure don’t want it.
“Superman leads into this show and then we have the setting up of all of the rest of the DCU in this season of Peacemaker, it’s incredibly important,” – James Gunn
James Gunn’s DCU pic.twitter.com/MKYmpJOWuf
— Nerdrotic (@Nerdrotics) October 3, 2025
Conservatives already got Gunn fired once
Back in 2018, Gunn’s online history and politics became part of the public fight, and conservatives helped drive the pressure that ended with Disney firing him from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Gunn’s attacks on Trump and the overall tone of his online persona were part of why he became a lightning rod.
If that happened at Disney, it can happen again at DC if Paramount wants fewer headaches.
Trump’s White House just claimed Superman
Let’s also point out that on the release day of Gunn’s Superman, the White House posted that Trump-as-Superman meme using “Truth, Justice and the American Way.”
That matters because Gunn’s Superman branding doesn’t match it.
Official movie merch reframed it as “Truth, Justice and the Human Way.” While the White House is pushing “American Way,” Gunn’s woke DCU is swapping it out.
Will Gunn resign?
If Paramount finalizes control, Gunn has two paths.
He can resign and frame it as his choice, or he can stay and wait for the new leadership to decide that DC needs a reset.
The second option usually ends messier.