James Gunn sure has come a long way since making a bulbous woman impregnated by aliens explode in a barn

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 landing in theaters tomorrow to mark James Gunn‘s fond farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe before he makes co-CEO of DC Studios his full-time occupation at long last, it’s incredible to see how far he’s come in less than two decades.

Getting his start at schlock merchants Troma, the aspiring filmmaker worked his way up the ladder by penning the two live-action Scooby-Doo movies, before making his feature-length directorial debut on a gross-out horror that bombed horrendously at the box office after failing to recoup its $15 million budget from theaters.

Make no mistake, though; Slither is very, very good, and it even features several of what would soon become Gunn’s trademarks. There are needle-drops that marry unexpected musical interludes with explosive set pieces, quip-happy exchanges between bickering characters, as well as roles for Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, and even his wife – except it was The Office alum Jenna Fischer at the time, not Jennifer Holland.

Stylistic tendencies aside, you’d have been laughed out of the room for even suggesting that Gunn would one day end up as arguably one of the most important and influential figures in all of Hollywood. Not only has he delivered what many believe to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s finest standalone trilogy, but he’s now the top dog at the comic book company’s greatest rivals.

He’s writing, directing, and producing a Superman reboot, and holds the keys to the kingdom for at least the next decade of DCU content, something that would have seemed unthinkable back in the days of Slither when he had a woman impregnated by alien interlopers that saw her engorge to disgusting proportions, before she promptly exploded in a heap of bloody goo.