Yep, the first MCU poster and James Gunn’s new ‘Superman’ promo are giving major ‘Parent Trap’ vibes

Whether he its it or not, James Gunn is a pupil of Kevin Feige through and through. The design for the Superman poster is only the latest example of how much of his Marvel knowledge he has brought to the DC camp.

Although we have yet to see Gunn’s first official film production under the DC Studios banner, it’s already become pretty clear that the comics’ giant struck gold when they stole the director from its biggest rival. Along with all of his insider info.

To the outside world, the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker feels like a student attempting to become the master by applying everything he was taught. And, with Marvel experiencing a decline since the heydays of Endgame, it could just work.

First up on the big screen is David Corenswet’s debut in the highly-anticipated Superman, for which Gunn has just shared the first poster. Fans were quick to point out the similarities between the image and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s signature design style, particularly that of its very first film — 2008’s Iron Man.

Yes, they share a color palette and a certain dramatic flair, but it’s DC Studios’ new logo that received most of the heat as a near direct copy of its competitor’s — the classic comics’ logo followed by the word “Studios” in between two straight lines.

The Parent Trap twin vibes become even more apparent when you that rebranding the company from DC Films to DC Studios was one of Gunn’s first moves after being appointed co-chairman and co-CEO of the branch in 2022. He also dropped the “E” from DCEU (DC Extended Universe), to both differentiate his projects from the Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck Justice League era, and to, no doubt, emulate the resonance of the “MCU” initialism.

Don’t get us wrong, Gunn has proved, beyond doubt, that he is a capable filmmaker and storyteller — one of the superhero genre’s best, even. But he has arguably yet to earn his stripes as an executive. What might differentiate his cinematic universe’s identity from the one that basically created and popularized the concept, however, is that the 58-year-old is a self-professed champion of characters, whereas Feige tends to value the plot.

When speaking with superhero fatigue was equal parts a subtle dig at Marvel’s recent shortcomings and a razor-sharp observation on the broader state of the genre. It’s no wonder his collaborations with the comics giant were some of the franchise’s most successful and critically acclaimed.