James Gunn on Why You Don’t Need to Watch Superman Before Peacemaker

James Gunn recently explained how the new DCU will balance standalone stories with a larger connected narrative. In a detailed interview, he clarified why viewers won’t need to watch Superman to understand Peacemaker or Supergirl and outlined his approach to accessibility across films and TV series.

James Gunn hints Superman, Peacemaker and Supergirl are standalone stories

James Gunn confirmed that while Superman is a key part of the DCU’s “Gods and Monsters” phase, viewers can enjoy Peacemaker Season 2 and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow independently.

“Even though there’s a lot of stuff in Superman that leads to Peacemaker, you certainly don’t need to see it to see Peacemaker,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly. The same applies to Supergirl; viewers can watch it without seeing Superman first.

Gunn explained that the goal is to allow audiences to enter any upcoming DCU story without feeling lost. “I am really trying to be careful that anybody can dip in and see the story that is up next and not feel like they’re missing information,” he said. The approach is to provide optional connections rather than mandatory viewing.

Despite Superman being described as “very important” to the overarching story, Gunn compared the current phase to the early stages of the MCU, before events became deeply interconnected. “That might change down the line… but right now, I’m trying to keep it so that you don’t have to see Superman to see Supergirl, for example,” the director said.

He added that TV episodes will include brief recaps. “We also say ‘Previously in the DCU’ before every episode, so the TV stuff’s pretty easy,” Gunn noted. The recap feature helps viewers stay updated without requiring them to watch every title in order.

Superman releases on July 11, 2025. The team has completed Peacemaker Season 2, which premieres August 21, 2025, and wrapped Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Gunn confirmed that all three projects function as standalone stories while contributing to the broader DCU narrative for viewers who follow the entire slate.

Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net