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On Threads, Gunn — always one to interact with fans on social media — answered a query about how things work in the clear prison cells Lex Luthor has set up in his pocket dimension. “No privacy. Those things in the back left of each cell are toilets,” Gunn wrote in response to a post featuring a still of Superman punching his way out of his cell (see below). As for where the waste goes after one is done using the facilities, “Into the bottom of the toilet and there are slots where the waste can be removed (likely by Mr. Handsome, and probably not often). You might think we don’t think about this stuff but we really do.”
James Gunn’s Detail-Oriented Approach to the DCU
Pocket universe toilets shouldn’t have any major ramifications on Gunn’s 10-year vision for the DCU’s core narrative, but the fact that he’s actually put thought into something as minor as this (something that likely didn’t even cross most viewers’ minds when they were watching Superman) shows why he was the best choice to spearhead the new shared universe. It’s an illustration of Gunn’s commitment to detail, an approach that’s already paying dividends and should continue to do so as the DCU goes on. Gunn’s comments may seem silly at face value, but they’re proof the DC creative team is keeping the macro and micro in mind when developing a project.
It would have been easy for something like pocket dimension bathrooms to be an afterthought. After all, Luthor’s interdimensional prison doesn’t have the most screen time, and how its toilets operate is inconsequential to Superman‘s plot. Gunn taking the time to figure out how they work, however, is a sign that nothing on screen was included just for the sake of it. Gunn’s admitted he doesn’t have the time to approve every piece of set dressing, but it stands reason to believe most of what we see had at least some thought behind it — those Batman references being spotted in Clayface set photos likely aren’t just for show.
