James Gunn recently let the cat out of the bag, revealing on Twitter that fanboy icon (and all around great dude) Nathan Fillion would collaborate with the director on Marvel’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn called it "a very small, fun cameo he did as a favor to me," which ignited the Internet with speculation. Could he be playing Nova, a former member of the Nova Corps who eventually absorbs all of their powers? Or would he simply cameo as Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, his beloved Firefly character?
As it turns out, it’s neither. And we think we know who Nathan Fillion actually will play in Guardians of the Galaxy, but if you don’t want to know, turn away now, as we’re about to get into spoilers!
Are you still here? OK, well, the guys over at Schmoes Know cite a source close to the production who claim that Nathan Fillion will lend his voice to Cosmo, the psychic Russian cosmonaut dog who frequently appears in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy comic books. And when he does, he looks like this!
Cosmo is a Russian dog who communicates telepathically. He initially was paired with Nova, but recently has become the liaison to the new Guardians of the Galaxy, and frequently assists them in plotting their missions. He was first introduced in Nova #8 (back in 2008), and is a tremendous nod to the in-joke history of the Guardians.
Now, I hear what you are saying. A telepahtic, Russian dog with the sarcastic vocal tones of Nathan Fillion? Just how bizarre is James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy going to be? Well, pretty bizarre, it seems… and that’s the film’s selling point. I mean, up to this point, we already have a talking, machine-gun-wielding raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper. Vin Diesel lends his voice to a tree-like creature who ONLY says the sentence "I am Groot." Somehow, a Russian dog who speaks through his mind fits perfectly into the realm of Guardians of the Galaxy, and this cameo information solidifies the fact that Marvel is letting James Gunn be himself, and not adhere to the mainstream template that informs cherished characters like Thor or Captain America.
How big a role will Cosmo play? No idea. It might be a brief, walking-through-a-scene moment. Or Nathan Fillion might not be playing Cosmo at all. But if this source is to be trusted, then kids will want talking plush dolls of Cosmo once Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1.
