“Everybody’s open to everything but whether anything would ever happen…who knows?” Gunn said in July about his conversations with the heads of Marvel and DC about the possibility of a crossover film. “But the idea of bringing Marvel and DC together in a movie – that would be really fun for me. And I know it’s exciting for even the heads of Marvel and DC to think about (Kevin Feige over at Marvel and Toby Emmerich over at Warner Bros.). It’s something that we all like to dream about.” For now, it’s wishful thinking for Gunn and others fans who want to see the crossover happen, especially as both Disney and Warner Bros. continue to battle it out for box office and streaming space supremacy. It’s no secret that Disney having to share Spider-Man and his rogues with Sony has been a difficult process at times. A deal between the House of Mouse and WB would be an absolute cosmic nightmare, to say the least. But if you’ve always dreamed of seeing Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman flying around the Marvel Cinematic Universe — or Aquaman swimming alongside Namor the Sub-Mariner — upcoming MCU installment Eternals delivers the closest thing to a genuine Marvel-DC crossover as you’re likely to get on the big screen. Yes, you heard that correctly: “Dad, that’s Superman with the cape and you were shooting laser beams out of your eyes.” That’s the son of Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos comparing Ikaris (Richard Madden) to the Man of Steel himself. “I don’t wear a cape,” Madden replies dryly. It’s a pretty massive namedrop, but what does it mean for the MCU going forward? Again, absolutely nothing in terms of DC and Marvel characters actually crossing over on the big screen. It ain’t happening in this movie or any other. But the easter egg does suggest that MCU characters’ understanding of what a superhero is has been at least somewhat informed by DC characters like Superman. It opens up the MCU to the possibility that its characters have DC comic books on their pull lists at their local comics shops. Maybe MCU characters even lined up to watch Man of Steel in theaters and fondly reminisce about the era of Christopher Reeve. Eternals opens in theaters on Nov. 5.
