Most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects have taken place on Earth, but director/writer James Gunn has carved out his own play area with the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. This band of miscreants was introduced to the big screen in 2014, and their sequel adventure is only a few months away. Following that, the Guardians will return for Avengers: Infinity War, which is set to include almost every major MCU hero since the franchise's inception. It will be the first time these versions of the characters are in anyone's hands other than Gunn's, but Zoe Saldana, a.k.a. Gamora, has faith in directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
After joking about how Gamora and the other Guardians of the Galaxy will react to Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Infinity War, Zoe Saldana admitted to IGN that while she's curious to see how the Guardians will be used in the next Avengers movie, she's confident that the Russos will do a good job having seen their work on Captain America: Civil War and knowing about their reputation. Saldana said:
The good thing that keeps me relaxed is that these directors are good. They have a really good pedigree. Their last movie, I liked it. I liked their choices. And everyone that worked with them had a really great experience. And James Gunn is a producer on it, so I know that he won't ever let the integrity of what he's created for the Guardians ever be compromised. So I'm at ease. Plus I love the Marvel producers. They're all great, they all want us to win.
Although the Guardians of the Galaxy existed in the Marvel comics universe long before the movie came out (both in their classic and modern incarnations), James Gunn definitely popularized them for casual moviegoers and even some hardcore comic book fans, to the point that it's hard not to picture him when they're mentioned. Since the Guardians are just a few of the heavy hitters appearing in Avengers: Infinity War, they obviously won't be snagging the spotlight all to themselves, but it will be interesting to see what Joe and Anthony Russo do to make them stand out from the crowd. Plus, like Zoe Saldana said, Gunn will still be involved to make sure his "babies" are treated properly.
It was rumored for a long time that the Guardians of the Galaxy would appear in Avengers: Infinity War, and sure enough, Vin Diesel confirmed their inclusion last year. It remains to be seen how exactly they'll be thrown into the story, but given how Thanos is Gamora and Nebula's "father," it shouldn't be hard to come up with a plausible reason. This will also be Peter Quill's first time being back on Earth since he was taken away by Yondu and the Ravagers in 1988, so unless he's been keeping tabs via the space internet, seeing how his home world has changed over nearly 30 years should come as quite a shock.
Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018, but before that, you can reunite with Gamora and the gang when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is released on May 5.
