I Want to Grow Up and Be Like James Gunn (But Less Famous and With Worse Hair)

There comes a time in every person’s life when they realize they’ll never be Batman. That’s when you have to pivot. For me, that pivot is James Gunn. I don’t just want to be like him—I want to absorb his essence, steal his creative brainwaves, and somehow channel his ability to blend chaos, heart, and an absolute killer soundtrack into everything I do.

With the release of Superman: Legacy on the horizon and his Peacemaker series proving that even the dumbest, most absurd characters can make us cry into our leftover pizza, Gunn has solidified himself as the ultimate superhero storyteller. But what makes him so great? Let me break it down.

1. He Treats Music Like a Cheat Code

James Gunn doesn’t just slap music onto a scene—he surgically implants it into the very soul of the story. Guardians of the Galaxy turned “Come and Get Your Love” into an anthem for intergalactic misfits. Peacemaker took ‘80s glam metal (a genre I didn’t even know I needed in my life) and made it the beating heart of an emotionally stunted dude in a shiny toilet-bowl helmet.

I don’t know how he does it, but every time he picks a song, it feels like he reached into the deepest part of my brain and said, “Yeah, that’s the one.” The man is a walking mixtape with the emotional depth of a therapist who only prescribes power ballads.

2. He Makes You Care About the Weirdos

James Gunn could write a show about a sentient can of tuna, and by episode three, I’d be crying over its tragic backstory. He has this ability to take the most absurd characters and turn them into fully realized, deeply flawed, lovable disasters.

Take Peacemaker, for example. This is a guy who, in The Suicide Squad, was basically a murder-happy man-child in a tight red shirt. Then Gunn said, “Hold my mixtape,” and gave us a show that made him vulnerable, hilarious, and weirdly relatable. The dude has daddy issues, a pet eagle, and a dance routine that should have won an Emmy.

3. His Comedy Is Unhinged, but It Works

There’s something about Gunn’s humor that feels like a late-night conversation with your most unfiltered friend. It’s chaotic, inappropriate, and somehow still full of heart. Whether it’s a talking raccoon screaming about stealing someone’s prosthetic leg or John Cena playing the piano in full superhero gear, he knows exactly when to push a joke just far enough to be ridiculous but not lose the emotional core of the story.

I try to imagine what it must be like in his writers’ room. “Okay, so in this scene, the hero fights a Nazi gorilla while ‘Sister Christian’ plays in the background.” And somehow, that becomes one of the best moments of the show.

4. He’s Living the Dream

James Gunn is the rare Hollywood guy who actually seems to be having fun. He got fired from Disney, came back like a cinematic phoenix, and is now in charge of the entire DC Universe. He cast his own wife in his projects (power move) and somehow got mainstream audiences to care deeply about a CGI shark who eats people. If that’s not success, I don’t know what is.

My Plan to Become James Gunn (Or at Least a Discount Version)

Step 1: Develop an encyclopedic knowledge of every rock song from the ‘70s and ‘80s. Step 2: Befriend a misunderstood raccoon (or just adopt a really dramatic cat). Step 3: Convince people that a dance sequence is the best way to introduce any character. Step 4: Start writing ridiculous, heartfelt stories about lovable weirdos (which, let’s be honest, is basically just my friend group).

So yeah, if anyone needs me, I’ll be aggressively curating playlists and working on my own absurd, action-packed, heartwarming masterpiece. James Gunn, if you’re reading this, please know that I’m coming for your job… but, like, in a totally non-threatening, deeply admiring way.

Now excuse me while I go rewatch Peacemaker and contemplate my life choices.