Gunn the Geek
by Jennifer-Oksana
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
Charles Gunn is a geek.
Charles Gunn secretly wants to be Mace Windu, except in a good Star Wars movie. It doesn't even matter that Mace carries a purple lightsaber. Gunn knows how to spell badass, and that's as Samuel L. Jackson. Possibly, he wants to be Morpheus but even hotter. Andrew, Xander, and Gunn could all bond over how much they hate Chuck Austen's writing for X-Men and how they can't believe he's getting Supes.
But, but, but you say...Xander? And Andrew? Gunn has anything at all in common with Andrew?
And I say unto you...yes. As a matter of fact, have you noticed who tends to drop the pop culture references? Who scared the living crap out of Comic Book Guy in "Supersymmetry" by giving us a detailed rundown of an issue of Daredevil? Who freaking referenced freaking Galaxy Quest when he kicked everyone out of their cell in "Peace Out?"
Yes, homies, Charles "Secret Hot Geek" Gunn. There's significant canon evidence to show that Gunn is well aware of popular culture, despite claiming he hasn't gone to a theatre since Malcolm X was robbed at the Oscars. (Who knows? Maybe he knew some Hong Kong bootleggers back in his street days and thus never had to pay theatre prices). He seems fairly fond of martial arts movies, as he managed to use his deep knowledge of samurai movies to get into the party in "Players." He knows his comics, as well....a snarkier thing to point out is Gunn had to see the Rogue parallels in Gwen Raiden (and they might well have turned him on) and that's an interesting way to read the Gunn/Gwen ship.
So what does that mean for you as an aspiring Gunn writer? Couple of things.
First off, it suggests that if you have some talent in writing Xander or Andrew (particularly Xander), you have a leg up in writing Gunn, especially Gunn dialogue. This is doubly true if you can combine it with any knowledge of black youth culture AT ALL. If you can talk about East Coast/West Coast hip-hop or talk about rap, r&b, et cetera, added with geek culture? Golden.
But other things Gunn-the-Geek means...it also means Hooper's speech about Lando and Star Wars in "Chasing Amy" would be one of Gunn's favorite cinematic moments of all time, though Banky would possibly remind him (uncomfortably) of himself at times. But in short, if you know geek things that Xander or Andrew would like, Gunn would more than likely also enjoy them. Gunn? Would have a good time at Comic-Con. Could argue the merits of Picard vs. Kirk (Gunn, like me: "Fuck that Picard vs. Kirk shit. Benjamin Sisko was the MAN and no one's convincing me different." Andrew and Gunn would have, like, the mad Star Trek Captain fight. It would be glorious.) Now, you might have to pick and choose the geek...Gunn is less a D&D/fantasy/LoTR/gaming geek and more a sci-fi/martial arts/comics geek (or at least, so decrees Sheila Perez, Queen of Gunn), but he's cognizant of popular culture and geek culture.
Second, it suggests that Gunn is not all street and badass, and/or those aspects do not mean he is divorced from mainstream culture. Like many or even most LA kids, he knows the media and its many-tentacled self very well and partakes of its glitz and glamor while having his issues with it (has probably fought with Cordelia and/or Wesley about the merits of Spike Lee as a director; felt a little sad that nobody he knows could completely get Undercover Brother or would have liberal guilt if they did). There are some interesting character issues that can be facilitated by the geek side of Gunn...for one, it helps explain why he's got a massive jones for Fred and Wesley, who are mild-mannered and dorky. For another, geek Gunn is also humorous and low-key Gunn (again, the good comparison is Xander, though Gunn is more self-confident than Xander. Both would use pop culture references to share humor), an aspect that is evident in the best Gunn fiction. It also gives you a way to express the intelligence I think is more than apparent in Gunn's character. He's good with quips, and for those a little overwhelmed by writing Gunn, knowing that a good pop culture quip in Gunn's mouth will usually work, even if it's dicey.
Best of all, Gunn the Geek is in the body of Gunn the Hot and Sexy Man. How often does one get to work with the an awesome Geek Man....who looks like Gunn? Cuz, damn, yo. Bad mother...shut your mouth....and yet knows where to get all the best bootlegs. Viva Geek!Gunn, and viva Gunn fiction.
