Latest James Gunn Superhero Film Has Misfits, Irreverent Laughs, Eyeballs

A new James Gunn superhero flick will grace the big screen early next year. Though pitched as a solo superhero film, the trailer hints that there may be other superhuman individuals. A team of superheroes, if you will. But get this: these aren’t exactly the A-list superhero characters. These are the rogue characters; the misfits, the second-rate comic book oddballs, the ones with weird powers your kids haven’t heard of. A few of the characters aren’t even heroes. They’re anti-heroes.

The new film is full of quippy, raunchy, edgy humor. The characters travel to a fantastical galaxy with all sorts of weird humanoid aliens. And though they all act like they don’t care for each other now, you can bet they’ll be a family by the time the credits roll.

“After my last few superhero films, I really wasn’t sure what to do next.” Gunn said at Comic-Con 2026. “I really had to lock myself in my room, ignore my wife for a while, and try to crack these comic book characters.”

James Gunn talks about his upcoming work with his DCU, and how he came up with his totally original, never-before-thought-up project featuring a team of misfits saving the world. (Credit: MensJournal edit: is that gay?)

He continued to open up about his approach. “Eventually, while lying in the bathtub listening to some classic 80s pop, the inspiration came. I imagined the characters in a new way. Not as individuals with their own stories that grow over time and learn to overcome great challenges. But as goofballs whose personalities just kind of bounce off each other. Looking at the heroes that way was the true moment of inspiration. A Eureka moment, you might say. In fact, I really did jump out of the bathtub and run around the neighborhood naked, just like Archimedes!”

“Then I used that awkward moment as inspiration for a scene in the film. You’ll know the scene when you see it. Ha-ha-ha!” He stared at the audience with a big smile, and then announced an extremely violent, "very TV-mature" animated series which might be crucial to his DC Universe but could also not be.

But what is the highlight of the upcoming film? When asked by an eager fan, Gunn replied: “Oh, the best part is that this super team will, at some point, attack a big monster by stabbing it in its giant juicy eyeball multiple times. Obviously. I mean, it's what the movie needed. I physically couldn't make the movie if I wasn't allowed to do that scene. It would go against my principles.”

The new film is set to be one of the most colorful superhero films ever made, with the trailer literally exploding with colorful fireworks. One reddit user, "Gay4Superm@n127," wrote "Look at those vibrant colors! I'm going to be so high watching this. Can't wait!"

The heroes in the film include a giant half-man half-elephant who speaks very little but casually kills armies of thugs, a female anti-hero with giant swords and rocket boots, and a shady and disturbed hero with a violent edge and a dark past who is out for revenge. They are led by a white guy who might be a womanizer but is also very funny, so, says Gunn, “you’ll love him. He is everything I love about comic book movies. He reminds me of me."

Gunn’s personal marketing efforts for his upcoming film were not all softball questions. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, the Guardians of the Galaxy director was asked, “Haven’t your other films basically revolved around the same exact concept? What do you say to those who think you are a one-trick pony?”

Gunn responded, “One-trick pony? That sounds like a cool superhero name. Or a cute animal sidekick. I like the sound of that. What was the question?”

Variety also had a chance to pick his brain about the film, but all their interviewer asked was “is this the gayest DCU movie ever made?”

Check out Gunn’s latest film whenever it debuts, in theaters everywhere, near you somewhere.