SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains information about the ending of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Sean Gunn, who pulls double duty in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as both the Ravager Kraglin and the performance capture artist for Rocket Raccoon, has revealed that one of Kraglin's key moments in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was inspired by Milos Foreman's classic Ken Kesey adaptation One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. During Yondu's Ravager funeral at the very end of the recent Marvel movie, Kraglin delivered a memorable cheer, and Gunn says that this moment was based directly on Christopher Lloyd's performance during the final moments of the 1975 Best Picture winner. Gunn explained:
That moment where Kraglin sees that Yondu gets the Ravager funeral, like anything else, I just try to put myself in the right frame of mind. My brother, Jimmy, had told me that he had thought of the moment at the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, where Christopher Lloyd is cheering at the very end of the movie. I watched that the day before. I remembered exactly the moment he was talking about, and so we kind of thought it should be inspired by that.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Michael Rooker's Yondu Udonta sacrificed his life to save Chris Pratt's Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In a scene leading directly into the one Sean Gunn tells ComicBook.com about, Yondu forced Star-Lord to take the only flight suit. Exposed to the unforgiving vacuum of outer space, Yondu suffocated and froze to death in front of his adopted son. Proving himself to be more of a father to Peter than Kurt Russell's Ego ever was, Yondu also saved the universe in the process. He was rewarded at the very end of the film with a Ravager funeral, celebrated by all 100 factions with a brilliant display of space fireworks (not to mention a few celebrity cameos).
Part of the reason Yondu's death made such an impact is because it's entirely possible we'll again never see Michael Rooker in the role. Then again, death is something that's not necessarily on obstacle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What's more, even if we don't see Yondu appear again, it's entirely possibly that he could return in a flashback or even potentially play a role in an upcoming film like Captain Marvel, given that the 2019 blockbuster is set in the 1990s and has confirmed ties to the Marvel cosmos.
Sean Gunn has been filming next summer's Avengers: Infinity War, but he's only confirmed to participate as Rocket Raccoon on set. Whether or not Kraglin also gets to join in the fun remains to be seen. The massive superhero ensemble is set to hit the big screen May 4, 2018, with the full Guardians of the Galaxy team set to cross over with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. You'll be able to revisit the team a lot sooner than that, however, as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is set to debut on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K next Tuesday, August 22. If you just can't wait a week, you can also catch the film now via Digital HD.
