Having previously praised The Flash as “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” James Gunn is now openly criticizing the trend of overloading superhero films with unnecessary and excessive cameos.

James Gunn, notoriously famous for curating star-studded casts in his superhero films, has vocally criticized the overwhelming abundance of cameos in the recent superhero movies, labeling it as “cameo p*rn.” Interestingly, despite his strong disapproval, he appears to have overlooked his own recent endorsement of a similar cameo-laden sequence in a recent film, The Flash, calling it “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.”

James Gunn on the sets of The Suicide Squad

James Gunn Slammed Superhero Movies for Overpacking Cameos!

Once a fan of The Flash‘s stellar cameos, James Gunn is now critiquing superhero flicks, conveniently neglecting his past remarks. As he once told Deadline,

“I will say here that Flash is probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.”

He is now seemingly again jumping into the battleground to supposedly defend Superman: Legacy. 

As the film reportedly features a lineup of characters like Jimmy Olsen, Metamorpho, Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and more, sparking concerns among fans about an excess of comic book characters. However, Gunn defends the diverse roster, emphasizing his intention to build a cohesive universe rather than haphazardly inserting superheroes.

Nicolas Cage as Superman in The Flash is deemed as one such cameo (Credit: Warner Brothers)

On a Threads discussion, he claimed,

“I call that ‘Cameo P*rn’ and it has been one of the worst elements of recent superhero films,–If a character is in film, they have to have a reason to be there story-wise.”
He further added,

“I don’t mind actual cameos – if it’s a glimpse or a moment, an Easter egg. What bothers me is when they mangle an elegant story by shoehorning characters in – they aren’t there because the story calls for it, but for some other reason”

He advised to avoid “shoehorning characters” solely for the sake of it, emphasizing that his direction prioritizes serving the storyline where characters are best portrayed, thus elevating the movie all over. With Superman: Legacy, his aim remains unchanged and that is to ensure the characters are served well within the narrative.

Fans Are Now Criticizing James Gunn For His Stance

Moments after James Gunn’s rant against meaningless cameos, fans swiftly highlighted James Gunn’s apparent hypocrisy regarding his stance. While fans unanimously agree on their disapproval of excessive and purposeless cameos, they are now singling out Gunn’s past comment for scrutiny.

Here is what some had to say,

A still from DCU’s The Flash (2023).

On the other hand, several individuals wholeheartedly aligned themselves with the director, embracing and echoing his perspective on the situation. They resonated with his viewpoints and supported his stance regarding the matter at hand.

As James Gunn faces backlash for his previous remarks about The Flash and skepticism looms over the forthcoming Superman Legacy, there’s a consensus among critics that excessive cameos indeed serve no purpose. Nonetheless, fans remain skeptical about the director’s ability to follow through with his own advice in light of these criticisms.