Much like The Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy team from Marvel Comics hasn’t always consisted of the same lineup. Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot have certainly become the most well-known heroes from that pool of characters, but over the years fans have seen names come and go as group dynamics change and plots have developed. This fact has led some wonder whether those kinds of shake-ups will be present in the movies as well, and now director James Gunn has provided a very clear answer: it’s definitely going to happen.
With Guardians of the Galaxy set to be released on Blu-ray and DVD next week, I recently had the chance so speak with James Gunn one-on-one over the phone, and during the interview the filmmaker confirmed that we can expect some important changes for the titular comic book team in the near future. Asked if future films will reflect Marvel Comics and change the Guardians lineup, Gunn told me,
"Definitely. It’s not a concrete roster where those five people will always be the Guardians of the Galaxy. Some of those people can leave and do other things; other characters can join in and be new additions. Definitely it will not stay the same – into the next movie."
When Guardians of the Galaxy first came out in August, James Gunn hinted that we could wind up seeing another hero from the comics join the team for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but the idea of characters going away in addition to having new ones come in is definitely an interesting wrinkle to the development of the sequel. The director didn’t elaborate on exactly how radical the changes would be, but it’s interesting to think that the Guardians could have a very different look by the time we’re walking out of a theater in May 2017.
While there are many characters that could wind up joining the Guardians of the Galaxy – including Adam Warlock, Angela, Moondragon and more –it’s hard not to wonder how exactly Gunn and the folks at Marvel would go about axing one of the established core members of the team . Easily one of the best things about the first movie is the fact that every single main character gets their own moment to shine and has their own lovable qualities, and the idea of taking any of them out of the equation for the future will be a depressing prospect for fans. That being said, Marvel Studios has been talking about doing the same thing with The Avengers for years now, and still our anticipation for the future outweighs fears of losing our favorite big screen characters.
Who should stay, who should go, and who should join the roster for Guardians of the Galaxy 2? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
