Stard-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Groot, and Rocket. Those are the Guardians of the Galaxy to most people, but as hardcore comics fans will tell you, they’re not the only ones who’ve been on the team. The Guardians have gone through different incarnations on the printed page, and more recent additions have included other Earth heroes like Iron Man and The Thing. While moviegoers will still see the above five as the main characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it’s been known for a while that the team will add some new members, and we may finally know who they are.
According to a report from Geek.com, the Guardians will add Yondu, Nebula, and Mantis to their ranks in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It’s been confirmed that Michael Rooker and Karen Gillan will reprise Yondu and Nebula, respectively, while newcomer Mantis has previously been rumored to be played by Pom Klementieff. This is the second piece of character news Geek has reported this week, following their claim that Ego, the Living Planet will make an appearance.
We learned in the first movie that despite being hired by Peter Quill’s father to retrieve his son, Yondu instead kept the boy around and raised him as a Ravager. The two went their separate ways at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, and despite being screwed out of the Power Stone, Yondu was amused by Peter pulling one over on him, so it wouldn’t be big a stretch to see him working with his former mentee. As for Mantis, although she started out as an Avenger in the comics, she served as the Guardians’ counselor for several years, so she certainly fits the bill for recruitment. In addition to her helping the team on their down time, Mantis is also a skilled fighter and telepath, making her useful in the field as well.
Then there’s Nebula, who makes the least amount of sense of the three. The last time we saw her, she and Gamora were fighting on Xandar, and when Gamora got the upper hand, Nebula opted to sacrifice her actual hand (it was cybernetic) and escape from the battle. So it’s not like she and Gamora are on good terms. What may end up happening is that the Guardians and Nebula share a common enemy, so she’ll be have no choice but to work with them. This may force her to work out her issues with Gamora, which, to be fair, Thanos deserves a lot of the blame for.
Evidently some fans have already questioned director James Gunn about whether this report is legitimate, as he took to Twitter to remind people that he not addressing rumors about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 anymore.
Following a rumor back in November about Peter Quill’s father being the MCU version of Mar-Vell, Gunn told fans on Facebook that he was done addressing their queries about the sequel. So, until Marvel releases official details about the new lineup, we’ll just have to keep waiting on who will be on the team beyond the founding five.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.
