James Gunn reveals his five favorite comic book movies, and to much surprise, the list does not include an MCU entry but has some shocking choices.

James Gunn’s five favorite comic book movies have been revealed, and his list leaves out the Marvel Cinematic Universe while including two surprising choices. Gunn has quite the experience in the comic book movie medium, having directed a Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for Marvel Studios and helmed The Suicide Squad for DC. Gunn is also the person in charge of the creative side of the new DC Universe, with a 10-year plan in motion. Given his experiences, Gunn’s list of favorite comic book movies is a little surprising.

Speaking with GQ, Gunn revealed that his top five favorite comic book movies are Deadpool, Oldboy, A History of Violence, Superman (1978), and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, from least to most favorite. Gunn’s list does not contain an MCU film but does feature two Marvel movies, with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 now bringing that franchise into the MCU. The director did say that Iron Man and Spider-Man: Homecoming almost made the list, showing what his favorite MCU films might be. While Superman being included makes sense for Superman: Legacy‘s director, the inclusion of the lesser-known Oldboy and A History of Violence says a lot about Gunn’s sensibilities as a filmmaker.

What James Gunn’s Favorite Comic Book Movies Reveal About His Films

Gunn is a creator known for being able to balance comedy, drama, and action to great degrees of quality in his comic book movies. The filmmaker is also known for often escaping what is the norm for the medium, always trying to remain inventive and coming up with new creative set pieces for his films. The inclusion of Oldboy and A History of Violence in the director’s top five comic book movies makes sense, as both films came up with pretty inventive use of action scenes, which Gunn strives to do.

Oldboy‘s groundbreaking action inspired Gunn, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doing a hallway fight like the Korean film, and David Cronenberg’s inventive use of the camera to tell the story of A History of Violence‘s action has stayed with Gunn. The two films also escape the superhero bubble, showing Gunn’s versatility in his preferences. On the Marvel side of the list, Deadpool‘s inclusion just makes sense, as Gunn’s superhero work is veered toward the same inventive comedy/ action influences of the Reynolds film. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse tops Gunn’s list, with the film being the closest thing to a living and breathing comic book to exist.

Spider-Verse‘s humor, action, tight script, and groundbreaking art inspired Gunn to pick the film as his favorite comic book movie, with the director’s films resembling a live-action take on what makes the animated movie work. Gunn’s favorite comic book movies could not be complete without Richard Donner’s original Superman. The film made a whole generation believe a man could fly, with a Superman that was kind and inherently human, despite being an alien. Now that Gunn’s Marvel Cinematic Universe work is done, the director’s Superman: Legacy is bound to bring back what made Donner’s movie so special, inspiring a whole new generation.