Seeing famous people make fun of themselves is a joy. It lets their fans know that they understand the criticism and can take a joke. You see this a lot on Rick and Morty. Performers like Ice-T (who played Magma-Q), Logic, and Hugh Jackman (who both played themselves) have appeared in different episodes to make light of themselves. After watching the seventh episode of season 8 of Rick and Morty (titled "Ricker than Fiction"), it looks like this trend won’t end.
Rick gets annoyed with the franchise he loves called Maximum Velocitree and decides that he wants to speak to the manager. This leads to him, Morty, and Jerry visiting the creator, James Gunn. Despite Superman's upcoming release, Gunn gets in on the joke of the issue with comic book movies.
One of the first things that’s pointed out is Batman. James Gunn says that he’s a fan of the franchise and asks Rick why he thinks Warner Bros put him in charge. Rick responds, “So you could pitch Batman ideas to yourself?” Gunn says, “Exactly,” but then says something that people forget. “Making movies isn’t easy.” Rick scoffs and decides that the next Maximum Velocitree movie needs his touch. It doesn’t go how he thinks, and it’s due to Rick’s normal hubris and some shots at people using AI.
While Rick and Morty are on their adventure inside the movie-making machine called the Movie-lizer, James Gunn goes about his day. While at lunch, he’s visited by Zack Snyder, who does his own voice and makes fun of himself. Among the jokes are him getting extra creatine with his meal and how Gunn’s Superman needs more slow-motion punching.
The real James Gunn would probably get over the ridiculous comments from Rick. But this isn't him. Instead of letting things go, Gunn gets involved with Rick's shenanigans and makes things worse by almost getting Rick and Morty killed.
In the end, with the help of Jerry, a perfect Maximum Velocitree movie is made with the Movie-lizer. Gunn steals the script and brings it to his boss, Mr. Brothers (as in Warner Bros, get it?). He’s pleased with what James has brought him and tells his security to give him (Gunn) a sundae. Sundae is the name of the gun that shoots James Gunn.
Overall, this was a typical episode of Rick and Morty, but the addition of James Gunn made it better than average. It was funny watching him overreact to things he probably wouldn’t and get involved in Rick’s nonsense. It also put out an important message to “fans” and trolls that making content isn’t as easy as you think.
Hopefully, this won’t be the last we see of James Gunn in this universe. Because, just like a comic book character, unless you confirm the kill, there’s no guarantee that James Gunn is dead. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to see if he returns.
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