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By Megan Cartwright
Associate News Editor
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Jeremy Latcham, an early Marvel Studios executive who worked on Iron Man, The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, will become president and chief creative officer of DC Studios on December 1, according to a Skydance press release.
Skydance, which now oversees Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios following its acquisition of the company, appointed Latcham. He replaces James Gunn and Peter Safran, who are leaving their leadership positions after four years but will continue working creatively on certain DC projects.
Latcham has publicly discussed his Christian faith and a filmmaking philosophy centered on redemption, heroism and stories capable of connecting with ordinary families.
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Those comments offer clues to his personal approach, but Latcham has not announced that DC Studios will adopt a more explicitly Christian or family-focused creative direction.
Newsweek reached out to Skydance via email for comment on Tuesday and is awaiting a response.
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Why It Matters
Gunn and Safran arrived with plans to build a connected DC universe and have since established characters and projects intended to continue for years.
Their departure puts Latcham in charge of that evolving franchise, bringing with him both extensive superhero experience and a distinctly stated philosophy about what blockbuster storytelling should accomplish.
What To Know
From Marvel's Early Days to DC
Latcham joined Marvel Studios in 2004, before the Marvel Cinematic Universe existed. He eventually rose to senior vice president of production and development.
Working closely with Kevin Feige, Latcham accumulated credits on some of the movies that established Marvel as Hollywood's dominant superhero studio. These included Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
That history also connects him directly to the executive he is succeeding. Latcham worked with Gunn on 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, the film that helped propel Gunn into Hollywood's top tier of blockbuster directors.
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After leaving Marvel in 2017, Latcham founded Latcham Pictures and worked on films including Bad Times at the El Royale and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Now Latcham is returning to an executive role with responsibility for some of American popular culture's best-known characters, from Superman and Batman to Wonder Woman.
His Christian Faith and Filmmaking Philosophy
Latcham's background extends beyond his blockbuster résumé.
He has spoken publicly about his Christian faith and his attraction to stories built around redemption, heroism and moral choices. In comments to Movieguide in July, he said audiences want inspiring films and added that superhero stories naturally lend themselves to ideas about "doing the good thing and doing right."
His experience with Iron Man became particularly important to that outlook.
Latcham recalled his grandmother calling after the movie's 2008 release to tell him that her church sermon had discussed Tony Stark's story of redemption. For Latcham, the fact that someone in Perkins, Oklahoma, could recognize that theme demonstrated how a superhero movie could reach audiences far outside Hollywood.
That idea became part of an unusually personal test he used while developing movies.
The 'Grandma Test'
During his Marvel years, Latcham said he would sometimes ask himself: "I don't know if my grandma would like that."
Rather than simply meaning that every movie needed to be suitable for grandparents, he described her as a stand-in for people outside the entertainment industry's cultural bubble.
"What does this [movie] say for a regular family?" he recalled asking in an interview with CBS News in July.
It's a simple question, but one that sheds light on how Latcham thinks about mass-market entertainment. His comments suggest he values accessibility alongside spectacle and wants stories to leave audiences with something emotionally or morally meaningful.
What It Could Mean for Superman and DC
Those views are likely to attract particular attention as Latcham assumes responsibility for characters whose identities have long been tied to questions of heroism, justice and hope.
Superman provides the clearest example. Latcham's past emphasis on heroes doing good, helping their communities and inspiring audiences could fit naturally with the character's traditional ideals.
Still, there is an important distinction between Latcham's personal creative philosophy and a new corporate mandate.
He has not announced plans to remake DC around Christian themes, make every project family-friendly or abandon the direction established under Gunn and Safran. Existing projects are also continuing, including Gunn's Man of Tomorrow, while the former co-CEOs will remain creatively involved with some titles.
For now, Latcham's Marvel history and previous comments offer a window into the instincts he brings to the job, rather than a blueprint for what comes next.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Megan Cartwright and James Debens
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