It is hard to support the allegation that James Gunn doesn’t know how to write and depict women, after going through his filmography.
After Creature Commandos, one allegation was raised against DC co-CEO James Gunn. Some fans accused the filmmaker, sharing that he cannot write layered women characters in his films. However, it is an unfair allegation to make, considering the several great female characters brought to the screen by the filmmaker.
Gunn nailed the depiction of Gamora and Nebula in his Marvel trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy. The characters were depicted as close to the comic books as possible. He also gave Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn a revamp after the earlier DCEU films did not do her proper justice.
The allegation against James Gunn and his female characters is just not true
Zoe Saldaña as Gamora in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy | Credits: Marvel Studios
As a filmmaker, it is hard to satisfy all the fans with the material that you put out. James Gunn has an even harder task, considering his predominant viewers are comic book fans. One of the recent allegations comes from mostly female comic book fans who are not happy with the way Gunn handled female characters in his projects. The criticism was particularly directed at his new Max series, Creature Commandos.
However, Gunn doesn’t deserve this criticism at all if one looks at his filmography and the numerous female characters he has brought to the screen. Some other fans have come to his defense, even sharing the several female characters he wrote. One fan shared that Gunn created these characters with “layered emotions, character arcs, and badass moments to shine.”
He created amazing arcs for his Marvel characters Gamora and Nebula. Another fan pointed out how the Super director redeemed Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn from the ruins of her previous film Birds of Prey. It was also pointed out how Gunn created the Ratcatcher 2 character entirely from scratch and made her the heart and soul of The Suicide Squad.
Fans also mentioned that Gunn just did not do great with female characters, but he equally did an amazing job with animal characters in his films. Rocket’s arc in the third GoTG film is a heartwarming example of this argument. Some of the fan reactions to the allegations read:
While some seemed to agree that Circe’s character development in Creature Commandos was not up to par, others argued that Gunn truly understood the comics when he created these characters. Others pointed out how the Bride was an amazing addition to the new show, who got her moments to shine.
James Gunn’s Supergirl writer proves that he understands the need for women’s perspective
An artwork of James Gunn’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow | Credits: Warner Bros. PicturesJames Gunn recently revealed that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow would be the second film from DCU after his Superman film (via Omelete.com). Earlier this year, it was announced that Ana Nogueira would pen the screenplay for Supergirl. She has also been tapped to collaborate with Gunn on a Teen Titans movie.
With Nogueira, Gunn intends to bring a fresh female perspective to the DCU film starring Milly Alcock. Furthermore, Gunn brought on Craig Gillespie as director. The Australian filmmaker has a history of directing critically acclaimed projects centered on complex female characters. His filmography includes Margot Robbie’s I, Tonya, Emma Stone’s Cruella, and the miniseries Pam & Tommy about Pamela Anderson’s life.
The emerging details about the film so far highlight Gunn’s commitment to delivering a strong female-led film within the DCU. It further disproves the allegation that Gunn is ignorant about his female characters.
Creature Commandos is now available for streaming on Max.
