Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav expressed admiration for filmmaker James Gunn and questioned why he wasn't entrusted with overseeing the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Zaslav's remarks came during MoffettNathanson's inaugural Technology, Media & Telecom Conference, where he emphasized the importance of effective leadership.

Referring to Gunn's success with Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel, Zaslav commended the director's talent and extensive knowledge of comic book characters. Zaslav stated (via The Wrap), "Why isn't this guy running Marvel? He grew up with DC, Marvel characters are his family. He just wrote Superman, which I read. This is the guy we want and everybody wants to work with him."

During the press tour for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, James Gunn revealed that he was extensively involved in consulting on "all the Marvel movies," providing notes on scripts for films like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel. According to The Wrap, Gunn characterized these contributions was something he did "really as a friend... somebody who was a part of the team and a team player."