James Gunn weighed in on how death works in the new fledgling DC Universe, emphasizing the importance of characters dying for a reason. Though the cinematic side of the DCU kicks off with Superman, the franchise started with Creature Commandos, which featured multiple major character deaths. Despite that, DC Comics has a tried-and-true loophole: Lazarus Pits. These are essentially like green-tinged H๏τ springs that keep you young and can bring people back to life, the most famous example being Jason Todd. As such, audience members speculated that this may not be the last they see of these deceased DCU characters.

Over on Threads, Gunn responded to a fan who joked that “no one stays ᴅᴇᴀᴅ forever” in DC. The DC Studios head bluntly stated: “In the DCU if you die, you’re ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.” Another fan responded with: “Question: as someone who loves the no-resurrections rule, I do wonder, doesn’t it limit you from using established elements of DC comics lore like the Lazarus pit?“

Gunn clarified by explaining he is not opposed to the classic DC concept: “Well I wouldn’t mind using the Lazarus Pit (and/or resurrection) in a story. But it would have to be a part of the story itself. I won’t be killing major characters just to pop them in the old LP to be alive again.” However, the director made it clear that he feels this plot device needs to be used sparingly. He explained: “What backfires more is people believing there are no stakes and death doesn’t mean anything. ᴅᴇᴀᴅ is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.“

What James Gunn’s Comments About Character Deaths Mean For The DCU

Gunn is very clear about his stance on death in the DCU. Barring a story where the Lazarus Pit is essential, such as Jason Todd’s, he has no intention of resurrecting characters indiscriminately. It’s more likely that he would construct the plotline around the death and resurrection to maintain stakes.

Interestingly, Gunn has done major character deaths in his films before, followed by what many mistake as a resurrection: Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy. In the same thread as above, the director himself noted that the Groot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 onward is the son of the original Groot. As such, he has a history of killing heroes off and leaving them an impactful legacy without undoing their ending.

Our Take On James Gunn’s Comments About Death In The DCU

Most anyone can remember a major superhero character’s sacrifice or tragedy that was undone, whether in a DC or Marvel project. One prime example is Superman in both versions of Justice League. The hero was killed off in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, only to return in that film’s direct sequel. While the death storyline had some impact on properties like Suicide Squad, the audience did not have much time to feel Superman’s absence in the wider DCEU. The primary reason for this is simple: his return was teased right away.

The aforementioned arc was an adaptation of “The Death of Superman,” a celebrated DC comic, but it lacked the stakes needed due to coming too early in the DCEU, being foreshadowed as temporary, and resolving fairly quickly. This isn’t just a DCEU problem; other properties suffer from ill-thought-out deaths, such as Doctor Who, which has a habit of having characters exist in a different form instead of killing them off. The DCU has the opportunity to avoid repeating past mistakes of Marvel, DC, and other franchises by making its deaths truly count.