James Gunn might be running DC Studios with Peter Safran, but he was a Marvel player way before the former got him onboard. Since his MCU debut with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the filmmaker has significantly contributed to the studio’s rise to glory. However, the intergalactic venture led by Chris Pratt isn’t the only project that Gunn has pitched to Marvel Studios. Turns out, the director has also played a key role in several other MCU films, including Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movie.

James Gunn

James Gunn’s Influence in MCU Runs Deeper Than GoTG 

Guardians of the Galaxy is James Gunn‘s prized possession and perhaps one of the most successful MCU projects ever. But the writer/director’s impact wasn’t just limited to the spacefaring adventure, it extended to a number of other box office phenomenons like the Russo brothers’ Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame which he executive produced.

Before Marvel fired Gunn in light of his infamous social media debacle, the 56-year-old filmmaker exercised an integral position in the studio, reading the scripts of numerous films that served as MCU’s pride and offering valuable insights concerning the same. In a new interview with The Wrap, Gunn revealed how Kevin Feige had consulted him on films including Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Brie Larson‘s Captain Marvel as well as Doctor Strange.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

“I was consulting on everything. I was consulting on all the Marvel movies. Kevin would send me the script for Spider-Man and I’d give my notes. He’d send me the script for Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and I’d give notes on all of those scripts. It was really as a friend and as somebody who was a part of the team and a team player.”

Besides that, there were also “a lot of [other] things” that Gunn was busy “creating and setting up for the rest of the cosmic universe,” especially pertaining to Guardians of the Galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – James Gunn’s Last Hurrah in the MCU 

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 out in cinemas, Gunn is currently savoring the victory of the last installment led by the extraterrestrial misfits. In only its second weekend of release, the superhero film has added $60.5 million more to its already flourishing bounty.

Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)

GoTG Vol. 3 has grossed $213.2 million in the domestic circuit within just 10 days of release; to offer you a comparison, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s domestic collection comprised $213.9 million in total. Gunn’s threequel also reached a major milestone, surpassing the $500 million mark after amassing a cume of $528.8 million at the global box office. It’s safe to say, that Gunn is going to leave Marvel Studios with a bang.

Guardians of the Galaxy is currently playing in theatres.

Source: The Wrap