Avengers: Endgame may have arrived back in April, but every week includes more information about The Russo Brothers' epic blockbuster. The pair of directors managed to do the impossible, crafting a narrative that was complicated but not overstuffed, and able to service the myriad characters that make up the MCU. Since the movie was so jam-packed, plenty of moments had to be left on the cutting room floor. And this includes an air battle, which would have featured Sean Gunn's Kraglin.
Kraglin is a quirky side character in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, played by James Gunn's brother Sean (who is also the stand-in for Rocket during filming). After Endgame was released, a set photo was revealed of Sean Gunn filming as Kraglin, revealing that the Ravager leader was somewhere in that final battle against Thanos. He recently opened up about that deleted sequence, saying:
All I can tell you is really what we shot. Obviously, some of the fragment footage was cut from the final battle for good reason. From a narrative standpoint, they didn't want to cut to the Battle of the Sky, which makes sense, but I all I can say is that Kraglin was wearing his fin. He had the Yaka arrow on him, but it was sheathed and remained sheathed. So, I think all of that qualifies as canon, and the rest of it is up to anyone to speculate on that one.
FOMO alert. Not only did Kraglin have a deleted role in Avengers: Endgame, but we also would have gotten a brief appearance from Youndu's signature arrow. Even if he didn't actually use it in the battle.
Sean Gunn's comments Screen Rant are exciting, and will have fans wondering what the Battle of the Sky would have looked like during Endgame's epic conclusion. The galaxy's final stand against Thanos was a huge battle, which featured every major character of the MCU. Epic team-ups occurred, and even Howard the Duck joined the fight. Kraglin was there for it too, although we didn't actually see him on screen.
Related: Avengers: Endgame Writers Explain Why Nick Fury Wasn’t In The Final Battle
There are plenty of MCU character are capable of flight, so seeing the battle in the air would have been another interesting perspective on Endgame's final battle. And in addition to characters like War Machine, Iron Man, and Rescue, the portal sequence showed a variety of ships arriving for the battle as well. They came from Wakanda, New Asgard, and the Ravagers all flew in artillery to take on Thanos, but the movie didn't focus on the battle happening above the rest of the characters.
As a reminder, you can check out the set photo featuring Sean Gunn's Kraglin below.
Ultimately Kraglin didn't get any screen time in Avengers: Endgame, including during Tony's funeral. Still, Sean Gunn's contribution to the blockbuster can't be understated. He was the one filming as Rocket and being a scene partner for the rest of the cast, before visual effects and Bradley Cooper's voice was ultimately added to the fan favorite character.
Avengers: Endgame is currently available on DVD and Blu-ray, and Sean Gunn will return to the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
