Name the top Marvel directors. The top of the list should be the famous Russo Brothers and James Gunn. These guys have given us the best movies you can watch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With James Gunn’s unique take on the Guardians of the Galaxy and Anthony and Joe Russo’s last two Avengers movies, it’s impossible to overlook their accomplishments. We should also keep in mind that James Gunn has recently delivered one of the best movies in the DC Cinematic Universe with The Suicide Squad. Let’s also keep in mind that he’ll be giving us his upcoming Peacemaker series on HBO Max with John Cena this January. Boy, I am incredibly excited for that one after seeing John Cena’s performance in The Suicide Squad. What a rare and very awesome privilege for James Gunn to be working in the realms of both Marvel and DC. Believe me, he’ll be returning for another DC project and will undoubtedly give us something just as amazing as The Suicide Squad. Whatever it is, I can’t wait to find out.
Can the Russo Brothers reach that same status? I believe they can, but their Marvel resume alone is something many directors should aspire to match. I just want to point out that the brotherly duo of directors went from directing the 2006 romantic comedy You, Me, and Dupree, to directing their MCU debut, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. For them to make that kind of transition and give us one of the MCU’s best movies was impressive enough. Oh, but these guys did us one better than the political thriller superhero movie. They gave us the Winter Soldier and its sequel, Captain America: Civil War. That was basically Avengers 2.5 and it was a total banger. Just when you thought they couldn’t go any bigger, they gave us, in my opinion, the best MCU movie ever. Avengers: Infinity War was basically the Empire Strikes Back of Marvel movies and it was beyond glorious. At that point, I learned not to doubt the minds of the Russo Brothers. What came after was Avengers: Endgame, which is also tied with Infinity War to be the best Marvel movie. Again, that’s my opinion, but it’s a tough competition. All I know is that the Russo Brothers delivered on ending that last Marvel phase on a phenomenal note and they deserve the highest praise for it.
So where do the Russo Brothers go after directing Avengers: Endgame? That’s a tough question, but they did give us the movie Cherry starring Tom Holland. I haven’t seen it yet, but based on what I’ve heard, it was kind of disappointing. That’s okay, because I do like the recent movies they have just produced, especially last year’s action banger Extraction with Chris Hemsworth. We shouldn’t forget they’re also producing the upcoming live-action Hercules movie, which I hope is a hit. Their next movie after Cherry is The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling and, guess who? Captain America himself, better known as Chris Evans. These guys sure like working with their many Marvel actors, understandably so. The Gray Man sounds exciting, but like many other Marvel fans, I’m still wondering if the Russo Brothers will return to direct another Marvel movie. As for James Gunn, everyone already knows he’ll be returning to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which is something we should’ve gotten already, but hey, our patience will likely pay off. I have a feeling the Russo Brothers will likely pursue other projects before returning to Marvel and James Gunn probably wants to do other things after Guardians 3.
That’s all good, but I have one particular project in mind that perfectly suits both directors. How cool would it be if the Russo Brothers or James Gunn were to direct Justice League 2? Oh, I think that would be very, very awesome. Now if you’re wondering why I’m not considering Zack Snyder, I’ll say it’s probably because we shouldn’t expect him to return. I think we were lucky enough to get his cut for Justice League, but I don’t think Warner Bros. has no intention of further continuing the Snyderverse. That sounds unfortunate on paper, but why not give other directors the chance to offer their creative finesse to the DCEU? DC has already bagged James Gunn to helm a popular brand of theirs and in the eyes of many fans, he very much redeemed it. After seeing what he has done with Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, just imagine what he can do with a Justice League sequel. I can picture it much like the old Justice League animated series, but with a little more of James Gunn-like humor. That would make for a very fun Justice League sequel, not to mention way lighter than Zack Snyder’s vision.
That’s not a bad thing. We’ve already seen the dark interpretation of what a Justice League movie can look like. Some people liked it and others didn’t. Then again, more people appreciated Snyder’s true vision for Justice League on top of Joss Whedon’s vision. What I would like to see is James Gunn’s take on the Justice League. And what about the Russo Brothers? What would their vision for Justice League 2 look like? I think it would be less humorous than James Gunn’s vision, along with some of that heart the Russo Brothers injected in their Marvel movies. I think that’s the perfect combination the Justice League sequel very much needs. Now James Gunn is capable of putting that heart element in Justice League 2. His experience directing the Guardians movies shows that he likes to inject a more family element into the MCU. That’s something the Justice League movies can really thrive on, since they’re usually seen as a team, rather than a family. Now that the team has already been established, it’s now time to build their relationships. James Gunn can do that, but so can the Russo Brothers.
The vision of the Russo Brothers would put the Justice League in a more world-threatening situation, but can they give us that family element? They spent a lot of time developing the family relationships for the Avengers, so they can start with Justice League 2. I’m sure they’ll add in that humor we’ve seen in their Avengers movies, but one thing they’ve got on James Gunn is their ability to up the stakes. They did things in Winter Solider, Infinity War, and Endgame that actually brought tears to my eyes. Taking unexpected turns is that they do best and I believe they can do the same for a Justice League sequel. Honestly, I’ll take James Gunn or the Russo Brothers. They’re all good directors and can bring a lot to the DCEU.John Cena
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