GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Director James Gunn Calls Out Sites and Blogs Who Post Spoiler Rumors

Editorial: Movie spoilers. It's a fine line to walk in the reporting biz. Sometimes information is provided to me is too spoiler-y and sometimes it's straight up false info.

Here at The Daily SuperHero I've tried to walk this fine line of spoiler publishing. Sometimes a rumor is so juicy to ignore and it needs to be shared but rarely do these type of posts reveal a huge plot twist and there is always a spoiler warning attached at the very beginning of the post. Major plot point rumors and reveals are mostly ignored here.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 director James Gunn went on record with a recent response to a wild rumor about his sequel and who the father of Star-Lord might be. Gunn debunked it. Then, the tabloid site who posted about it retracting it with a ridiculous amount of apologies to Marvel. This is the same site who is already blacklisted by Marvel and who previously lauded the fact they're blacklisted. So weird.

Anyway, Gunn is now urging websites and blogs to reconsider what should and should not be shared as scoops, exclusives, rumors, etc. I can't give you enough applause for this Mr. Gunn!

"I get the desire to get 'scoops' on character inclusion and casting choices, etc. But since when is a plot spoiler a 'scoop'? Is this really what fandom wants to know? Plot details in movies ahead of time? I got in this business because I love movies, and I think most film journalists are the same way. And spoiling plot details doesn’t add to the enjoyment of the film-going experience. So bravo to those folks out there who don’t partake in this sort of thing."

And here's the embed of his entire Facebook post:

All right. From this moment on I’m going to stop commenting on any rumors surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,...
Posted by James Gunn on Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Online media has become so click oriented, and Gunn has a solid point. A movie is above all clicks and press who are posting scoops, wild rumors or aggregating info that's too spoiler-y for readers, moviegoers and the fan base. In light of Gunn's message, it is a disservice to fans and readers because ruining a film's surprises takes away from the movie experience. And the surprises during a movie viewing experience should not be ruined for anyone.

Of course there is a section of every fan base who desire all the info they can consume since we are in a digital society that thrives on consuming as much content as possible. This is what has made the Internet what is it today and has changed how news media works. But at what expense? To ruin a movie? Are we at the point in today's society where instant gratification is so much more important than experiencing the thrill of surprises or a plot twist?

There are too many websites, blogs and tabloid mongers who can't see past monetizing and web hits to clearly see they could be ruining a movie experience for both the hardcore fans and the casual moviegoers. And this can only stop when sites and blogs stop aggregating this type of content. Just because a site or blog posts something they claim is a rumor, scoop or juicy plot info doesn't mean everyone needs to also post about it. This is the problem with the Internet and more specifically editorial staffs across the web. The hits, clicks and cha-ching of ad impressions needs to be put on the back seat when it comes to many so-called scoops because, in the end, you'll only lose readers, web traffic and credibility if a rumor or scoop is debunked by a director or producer or whoever is working closely with the film.

Is sacrificing journalistic integrity and credibility worth page hits? Some websites don't even have a real editorial staff or even a staff with past journalism experience and this is also part of the problem with wild rumors and aggregating these crappy stories across the web.

As of right now, I can tell you that I created The Daily SuperHero to cover only the updates you need to know and I have ignored many, many spoilers and rumors. Starting today, I am happy to say that Gunn's passionate post is something I will take more to heart and I hope more website owners, editors and admins do the same because there's other ways to get clicks and web hits without spoiling big reveals and potential plot points.

The Daily SuperHero will do its best to continue its trend of not sharing wild rumors, tabloid-like scoops and anything that seems as a disservice to readers and fans of The Daily SuperHero. Because without you there is no such thing as The Daily SuperHero.


Thank you for your time, for supporting the website and for reading this rant.

Daniel Wolf
Founder & Publisher, DailySuperHero.com