The Guardians of the Galaxy saga is famous for highlighting a motley crew of the universe’s most colorful characters. From Rocket Raccoon to Drax the Destroyer, the series is full of zany heroes and villains. But there’s one comic book character that director James Gunn has never been able to introduce to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though he’s tried (and failed) to bring them into all three Guardians movies.
In a recent Twitter conversation, James Gunn revealed that he has attempted to use the character Bug in all three of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies with little success. Check out his post below:
Marvel is not allowed to use Bug in films. I have tried to use him in all three movies, and was not able. I hope this settles your argument.January 22, 2022
While the insect-like creature has appeared in several comic book installments and has a fairly involved backstory, Bug has never actually graced the silver screen. According to the Twittersphere, there’s a good reason for that. As much as James Gunn would like to include Bug in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, a few fans claimed that Marvel Studios does not own the film rights to the character. Apparently, that honor belongs to Hasbro, and the company has not given their permission for James Gunn to bring Bug to life.
It’s a shame, because Bug is actually pretty darn cool. Fans of the Marvel comics will already be familiar with the so-called ‘insectivorid’ that went on several adventures throughout multiple galaxies. Using his superhuman strength, speed, and agility, Bug has acted as a master thief, political insurgent, and occasional traveler of time and space. His fun personality would fit right in alongside the wisecracking Guardians of the Galaxy.
But just how would Bug fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe storylines? Quite easily. Bug has interacted with several Marvel heroes with their own films, including Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four (the group is due to make their MCU debut sometime in Phase Four). Most notably, Bug became part of the Guardians crew after a run-in with Peter Quill, although he was always a bit miffed that he wasn’t a member of the original line-up. With Marvel Studios’ sky-high makeup and CGI budget, it would be easy as pie to make Bug a part of the MCU. Unfortunately, Hasbro will have to sign off on the film rights before James Gunn can add another hero to the Guardians roster.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on May 23, 2023. While Bug will not be featured in the film, Marvel fans can expect to see familiar faces such as Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, and, of course, Vin Diesel as Groot.
