When James Gunn was first announced to be the co-head of DCU alongside Peter Safran, the fans were certain that the Peacemaker creator would be a messiah for the universe. However, the reception to a recent DCU report suggests that some fans are now concerned about Gunn’s plans. To be precise, Kumail Nanjiani’s rumored casting as Booster Gold has raised huge online chatter.
Kumail Nanjiani is not a stranger to the superhero genre with previous appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Eternals and Amazon Prime’s The Boys. While the latter can be ignored for now, he played a major role in the MCU flick as Kingo. It can be observed from the recent surge of tweets that despite his popularity, nobody can really envision him as Booster Gold.
Kumail Nanjiani’s DCU rumor raises some serious questions about James Gunn’s plans
When James Gunn announced his planned DCU projects in 2023, a Max series that raised a massive buzz was Booster Gold. Admirers of Gunn know how the filmmaker has been a genius in popularizing the comparatively less popular characters in superhero media. The fans even had a face in mind for the character, Glen Powell. A major section of the internet wanted the Anyone But You star to don the role of Michael Jon Carter.
According to an exclusive latest report by Nexus Point News, Kumail Nanjiani has been rumored to be cast as Booster Gold. But soon after the rumor circulated on the internet, it did not take much time for the netizens to witness another Ben Affleck situation. A majority of the audience did not resonate with the idea of a 46-year-old playing a goofy young superhero.
A few days ago, Kumail Nanjiani also showed his support (via X) when James Gunn unveiled the official emblem of the new Superman. Although he openly stated in his tweet that he is not “IN” the upcoming DCU flick, many fans can now speculate about the possible connection to Booster Gold.
Previously, Gunn had also roped in 53-year-old Nathan Fillion to play Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern in the DCU. Besides that, the Batman for the upcoming Batman: Brave and the Bold project is also said to be the father of a 10-year-old Damien Wayne. It hints that the new actor for the Caped Crusader is also likely to be of a significant age.
James Gunn saw this lineup and went "MAKE THEM ALL 50 YEARS OLD" pic.twitter.com/dS1Om59xsj
— Alice (@AerithsSeat) July 13, 2024
All these factors combined have led many fans to raise their concerns about James Gunn’s plans. While Superman being played by 31-year-old David Corenswet seems alright, numerous DC enthusiasts cannot figure out why Gunn is not going for younger actors for the other superheroes as well. Compared to aged stars, younger actors can run the universe for a longer period.
The fans are not happy with the potential plans of the DCU
It must be noted that Kumail Nanjiani’s casting is a rumor and is yet to be verified by James Gunn or the Big Sick actor. Nonetheless, the DCU fans have taken it to X to raise their voice against Gunn’s plans. Many fans could not figure out how the Guardians of the Galaxy mastermind plans to rival the MCU if the majority of the superheroes are old.
Let’s take a look at some tweets:
But I thought he was DC’s saviour
— Axel Droga (@AxelRDroga) July 13, 2024
Why is everybody so old yo 😭
— Denjisolos2 (@denjisolos2) July 13, 2024
IM STILL PISSED ABOUT THIS AFTER SLEEPING ON IT
Making booster old just completely changes what you can do with his character, his whole thing is being a 20-something wannabe superhero who’s a little funny, if you make him old hes either pathetic and still trying or not funny https://t.co/69QwUhN35B— bash🎠 (@orvillepecks_) July 13, 2024
my point exactly when i say the dcu is cooked i say that bc in a decade 70% of the actors will be retired. https://t.co/ypWJN1HcEy
— jake (@dustythecowboy) July 13, 2024
It makes some sense but I think it’s a very BOLD choice that may prove risky
— Johnny (@Johnnyrassling) July 13, 2024
Another side of the fans has also raised the point that Robert Downey Jr. was 43 when he was first cast as Iron Man. Some others have also added that we should wait until the filmmaker unleashes all his cards for the superhero universe. However, it must be noted that there is a difference between Booster Gold and Iron Man.
Age will not play a factor if it serves justice to the character. On top of it, there should also be a perfect balance between old and new faces so that the universe can survive in the long run.
DCU’s first theatrical release Superman will be released on July 11, 2025.
