Warning: spoilers ahead for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2! Read ahead at your own risk!
Although it was one of the funniest comic book movies of the summer (if not of all time), James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also managed to pull on our heartstrings in a few key sequences. As many of you already know, some of the worst offenders of the bunch are Yondu's death and funeral scene -- which sees The Guardians and The Ravagers pay their respects to the fallen leader. The moment pretty much hits every imaginable emotional beat, and it apparently can even make Kevin Smith ugly cry. Check out the professional geek's video below to see for yourself.
Kevin Smith has always been vocal about his willingness to cry during emotional scenes in superhero blockbusters, but this one is different. He's not just crying because he feels the emotional toll of Yondu's death. He's also crying because he has a personal and professional connection to Michael Rooker as an actor -- having cast him in Mallrats back in the 1990s. Rooker has experienced an insane resurgence in popularity over the course of the last few years (first with his role as Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead, and then in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), so to see him deliver an (in Smith's opinion) Oscar-worthy performance must be a pretty amazing sight.
It obviously doesn't hurt that Yondu's death and funeral were handled beautifully by the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 crew. James Gunn clearly understood the weight of this particular character when he set out to make the Guardians sequel, and in many ways, one could even argue that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is Yondu's story. In his final moments, we see him become the father to Peter Quill that he always wanted to be, and his funeral caps off the film by reminding us of the goodness and honor that always lurked beneath the surface. It's hard not to agree with your video, Mr. Smith; we all cried, too.
Of course, it's always possible that we could potentially see Yondu again someday -- albeit in a flashback or hallucination capacity. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 marks the chronological end for the Ravager badass as a character, but the MCU has never shied away from bringing back dead characters to make appearances in period pieces or dream sequences. With Captain Marvel currently gearing up to give us an entire film set in the 1990s, there's no reason not to assume that Yondu could potentially show up in a future Guardians of the Galaxy movie that might not even take place after the events of Vol. 2.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is currently available on Digital HD, and the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K editions of the film will hit shelves later this month on August 22. As for the future of this cosmic team of superheroes, The Guardians will make their next appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when they face off against Thanos in The Avengers: Infinity War on May 4, 2018.
