Life as James Gunn is a good place to be right now. His passion project Guardians of the Galaxy will blow past $150 million at the domestic box office this weekend and is closing in on $250 worldwide. Rocket Raccoon and Groot, a talking raccoon and tree, respectively, have become instant pop culture icons where they could have easily been the laughing stocks of Hollywood. And to top off the good times for Mr. Gunn, he celebrated his 44th birthday this past week only a few days removed from Guardians topping $90 million its opening weekend.
Marvel realizes they have something special in Gunn and have already tapped him to write Guardians of the Galaxy 2, coming to a theater near you in July 2017. That’s why they sent him an amazing birthday gift that is befitting the role Gunn played in successfully bringing a band of cosmic misfits to the big screen, a gift Gunn decided to share with the world via his Instagram feed.
What you’re looking at in the James Gunn birthday gift image above is the orb from Guardians of the Galaxy that Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) steals from a vault and then half the galaxy tries to get their hands on its immense power. Inside the orb is one of the six Infinity Stones that Thanos will need to complete the Infinity Gauntlet. He’s got zero so far so there’s much work to be done.
The best part about the gift is the plaque Marvel wrote. It reads, “That was a pretty good plan,” a nod to Star-Lord’s speech about having a plan — make that 12 percent of a plan — to Groot, Rocket, Gamora and Drax in a pivotal moment for the group. Marvel acknowledges the parallels between Gunn and Star-Lords plans, and how both came together despite the odds stacked against them.
Given the number of Marvel films already produced and the number on the upcoming slate, you have to wonder how many cool gifts they’ve sent out to directors and creative talent over the years; maybe enough to fill Odin’s Vault.
