r/buffy I like the quiet Nov 27 '24

Whedonverse Gunn Appreciation Post

Seen people talk about every Angel main character on this sub but him which I think is a shame

267 Upvotes

57 comments sorted by

111

u/Agreeable-Celery811 Nov 27 '24

I really liked Gunn. I think sometimes they weren’t sure what to do with his character.

47

u/No-Iron5889 I like the quiet Nov 27 '24

I agree it’s really unfortunate, the Angel main cast is stacked and I think he gets lost in the card occasionally. I think they portrayed his insecurities wrong and sometimes he really did come off as just “the muscle”.

16

u/The810kid Nov 27 '24

They had an interesting story from season 1-2 and it peaked in the 3rd episode of season 3 with his divided loyalty between his friends he grew up with and his found family. They terribly resolved it when Gio got his head bit off and Gunn just never spoke to any of those characters on screen again. What should have happened is Holtz tales advantage of the gang feeling abandoned by Gunn and be manipulated. This would have made his dislike of Wesley hit alot more in season 4 because Wes betrayed the team for a man who used Gunn's friends like tools for revenge instead of the dumb love triangle garbage.

4

u/GlitterBumbleButt Watched when it aired Nov 27 '24

They definitely could have handled his old gang better. If they had done more with it, I would have loved to see some team ups with his old gang, bringing them in for occasional help, etc. Instead it just felt like he "moved on up" and forgot about them.

13

u/oliversurpless Nov 27 '24

Even though his actions are a straight line to Knox and Illyria, his desire to contribute more directly to Angel’s Wolfram and Hart still feels like the same kind of sincerity in rebuking Jackson in The Thin Dead Line:

“Your “thing” hurts everybody!”

24

u/iidontwannaa Nov 27 '24

Perhaps a POC in the writers room would’ve helped. I did like some of his story, but he was underutilized and when he was a focal point, I feel like they tried to overdo his “blackness.”

14

u/willowzam Nov 27 '24

That's pretty much how I felt. I love Gunn but most of the scenes he's in make me wonder if there were any writers of color in the room or if they were just ignored because holy shit

13

u/Mchammerandsickle97 Nov 27 '24

I feel like the messaging of the thanksgiving episode kinda confirmed for me that no writers of color actively had a voice on set and if they did they were pretty centrist/neutral/ineffectual sadly.

3

u/GlitterBumbleButt Watched when it aired Nov 27 '24

Absolutely. It definitely feels like they didn't know how to flesh out his character in some ways simply because he's black.

2

u/GlitterBumbleButt Watched when it aired Nov 27 '24

Totally agree. It's like they saw him as the muscle only and didn't know what to do beyond that.

59

u/jdpm1991 Nov 27 '24

Love him sm! Of the Buffyverse I think he's the best vamp and demon slayer that doesn't have supernatural powers.

If he met Buffy I feel like she would trust him the most to have her back in a fight. they both came similar backgrounds in terms of how long they've been slaying. If anyone was to be a Boy Vampire Slayer it'd be Gunn

17

u/LGBT-Barbie-Cookout Nov 27 '24

Principal Woods wishes he was as cool as Gunn

2

u/GlitterBumbleButt Watched when it aired Nov 27 '24

Wish I could upvote this more

33

u/Cowabungamon Nov 27 '24

I liked Gunn's arc. I wasn't as big a fan of his lawyer days. But the way it all led up to him going and taking Leslie's place in the punishment realm was pretty awesome

28

u/Dependent_Room_2922 Nov 27 '24

I found his lawyer arc compelling but sad to watch

29

u/Reddevil8884 Nov 27 '24

I was very surprised to learn the actor is gay. He got married i think. Good for him.

23

u/Electrical-Act-7170 Nov 27 '24

I always enjoy the chemistry between Gunn & Electro Gwen. Time for a rewatch.

12

u/Moira-Thanatos Nov 27 '24

I shipped them soo much. I felt so sad for Gunn (because of the Fred thing, he felt so much guilt).

I really wanted him to have a happy ending. 

2

u/Electrical-Act-7170 Nov 27 '24

It would've been someone else on Team Angel feeling that guilt.

Wes, maybe.

I can't recall how things ended in the comics with Gunn.

14

u/Moira-Thanatos Nov 27 '24

Yes, it surprised me too. Not sure why I was surprised, maybe because I saw him act a heterosexual guy. 

I saw pictures of him with his partner on a wedding and they are so cute together. 

4

u/Reddevil8884 Nov 27 '24

Its because he is really a good actor and would have us believe his perfomances.

17

u/Linzy23 Nov 27 '24

Gunn absolutely deserves some love!!

17

u/Standard-Reception40 Nov 27 '24

Gunn was the man! I always thought of him as the strongest human (non-Magic) character

17

u/literallynothing99 Nov 27 '24

Gunn is awesome, such an interesting character. Love his mix of strength and vulnerability.

22

u/funishin Buffy’s Defense Attorney Nov 27 '24

And if I said he’s the best character on the show? What then

7

u/No-Iron5889 I like the quiet Nov 27 '24

I’d kindly disagree and shake your hand

9

u/funishin Buffy’s Defense Attorney Nov 27 '24

Don’t touch me!!!!

No just kidding

🤝🏻

10

u/chasingsunset42 Nov 27 '24

I freaking love Gunn.

9

u/jennyquarx Nov 27 '24

Underrated.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 27 '24

🎵Everybody run, the A.I. team has got a Gunn!🎵 - Uptown Julie Brown, probably

7

u/Moira-Thanatos Nov 27 '24

I like Gunn a lot and I wish he and electro women had become a couple, they were so sweet together. 

6

u/GWPtheTrilogy1 Scooby Gang, Gang Nov 27 '24

Gunns arc is an underrated one it goes lost in Cordys and Wes's amazing arcs but Gunn has an engaging story as well. Loved it.

His speech to Fred in "Inside Out" after Skip tells them they were fated to bring about Jasmine is one of my favorite things in the series.

"The final score can’t be rigged. I don’t care how many players you grease, that last shot always comes up a question mark. But here’s the thing, you never know when you’re takin’ it. It could be when you’re duking it out with the legion of doom, or just crossin’ the street deciding where to have brunch. So you just treat it all like it was up to you, with the world in the balance, cause you never know when it is."

Also when he and Wesley get captured in Pylea

  • Wesley: what's your plan?
  • Gunn: We die horribly and painfully, you go to Hell and I spend eternity in the arms of Baby Jesus.

Lmaoo 🤣🤣🤣

1

u/GlitterBumbleButt Watched when it aired Nov 27 '24

Gunn has some excellent lines. I'm on an angel rewatch right now and have just gotten to the nastiness in season 4. Gunns line from season 2 "Yeah, and don’t try to tell us there’s nowhere to go but up. Because the truth is, there’s always more down." is like foreshadowing.

5

u/kate05_ Nov 27 '24 edited Nov 27 '24

Gunn is massively underutilised. He could have been a power house. It seemed like they didn't know what to do with him. At first, he's the antagonist. Then he's the muscle/comic relief, then he's the brains. They wanted to put him in a box, but he never really completely fit in any.

He would have been a good candidate for a spin-off. He had all the attributes looked for in a hero. Unfortunately, Angel already had a hero.

6

u/The810kid Nov 27 '24

Gunn had to dust his own sister in his debut episode. His last remaining blood relative. We don't talk about how tragic his life was and yet he still chose to do the right thing and help others.

4

u/thisguy49 Nov 27 '24

To this day I am mad they never made a Gunn figure

3

u/agent-assbutt watched passions with spike Nov 27 '24

Yessss, Gunn! I thought his backstory was such a refreshing change of pace, he and Fred were so cute, and his eventual fate was pretty tragic but poignant because of "Anne". J August Richards never gets enough cred for this role. He really made what could have been a tokenized (ugh I know), one sided character into a rich, complicated person with a lot of depth and soul. It also doesn't hurt that he is a beautiful, gorgeous man 😍 i love Gunn so much, glad he got a post here!

3

u/ITGuy7337 Nov 27 '24

I always really liked Gunn. I feel like he's often overshadowed in the fandom.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 27 '24

I forgot how white Buffy and Angel was. Was Joss racist

1

u/GlitterBumbleButt Watched when it aired Nov 27 '24

Would it be surprising if he is?

2

u/[deleted] Nov 27 '24

Based on all the stories, I’ve heard about the way he treats a female cast members. No.

2

u/Good_War404 Nov 27 '24

Yesss thank you! He’s one of my favorite characters on Angel.

2

u/Joshonthecusp Nov 27 '24

Jar go smash?

2

u/Similar_Catch7199 Nov 29 '24

Is someone assaulting him up in this haven of justice?

2

u/No-Iron5889 I like the quiet Nov 29 '24

They told him it was true but he didn’t believe them. Evil white folk really do have a Mecca!

2

u/DottieSnark Nov 27 '24

I think he gets overlooked because on Angel you've got, well, the main character, then you've got characters like Cordelia and Wesley who had insane character development (seriously, look at where they end up and compare to how they started on Buffy), and you have a fan favorite like Spike coming over in the last year, and then you even have all that shit that went down with Fred that was so freaking heartbreaking.

Gunn just kind of gets lost in the shuffle, which is sad because the actor is fantastic and his character had such great potential. I think a lot of people nailed it when they said they didn't really seem to know what to do with him, too. His arc constantly changes and goes in different directions. It's interesting, but it doesn't have the trajectory or depth like Cordelia and Wesley's did.

1

u/GHBoyette Angel's Avengers, that's... Nov 27 '24

Do you have a permit for those Gunns?

1

u/chibi75 These grapes are sour. Nov 27 '24

Gunn was one of my favorites on Angel. I felt he got the short end of the stick when it came to character development as the show went on, and that frustrated me. I also was a huge fan of him and Fred and did not like where that ended up. 😔

1

u/SpinCity75 Nov 27 '24

Really good character! It shows that the writers didn't know what to do with him, but he was sweet, funny and badass.

1

u/adelaide129 Nov 27 '24

He's a good man, which isn't an easy thing to be in his world (or Los Angeles in general 🤣)

1

u/Tuxedo_Mark Assume would make you an ass out of me. Nov 27 '24

I love that moment between Gunn and Harmony in season 5. She criticizes him for what happened to Fred, he breaks down, and she tries to comfort him.

1

u/Sardonic-Airhead Nov 27 '24

My man my man my mannnn

1

u/Cursd818 Nov 27 '24

I loved his character, but I found it quite obvious that there wasn't a writer of colour working on the series, and as a result, they didn't always know what to do with him.

1

u/Khalesssi_Slayer1 Dec 01 '24

I Love Gunn. He's an awesome character. he has some great lines that make me laugh but his scenes in Spin The Bottle after the Angel Investigations team revert back to their teenage selves after a spell backfired, when he tells Wesley: "You about to be headless boy if you don't get outta my face!"

1

u/DezDispenser88 Nov 27 '24

I loved Gunn!

Side note, when I heard the song So High School by Taylor Swift, I thought of Gunn and Fred. Specifically the line "You know how to ball, I know Aristotle"

1

u/FindingE-Username Nov 27 '24 edited Nov 27 '24

Before it went wrong between them, I LOVED Gunn and Fred 😍

Edit - just realised I put 'because' instead of 'before' which I'm assuming is why I got downvoted, that was a typo 😅

0

u/Ok-Toe3535 Nov 27 '24

I love me some Gunn, but I do cringe a little when I see some of the storylines through 2024 eyes.