The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth franchise, one that has captured the attention of countless hardcore fans. But since the comics are so rife with awesome characters, there are always questions about when we’ll be seeing certain iconic heroes or villains. And now Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn has clarified a fan theory about Galactus.
Since Thanos was turned to dust in Avengers: Endgame, moviegoers have been wondering who the next big bad of the MCU might be. In addition to Kang the Conqueror, fans are hoping to see the massive villain Galactus on the big screen. Some thought that he might have been born throughout the course of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, leading to James Gunn shutting down this idea on social media. Check it out below,
No. Marvel didn’t have the rights to Galactus in 2014. Just another example of comic book pareidolia - in the millions & millions of comic book panels that exist & the millions & millions of shots in films there is bound to be an enormous amount of coincidental overlap. https://t.co/FuXqyzlJSqDecember 11, 2021
Well, there you have it. James Gunn definitely wasn’t setting up the first appearance on Galactus in the MCU back in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Namely because Marvel Studios didn’t have the rights to the villain or the Fantastic Four at the time he was bringing the acclaimed sequel to life.
James Gunn’s comments come from his personal Twitter account, where he’s known for fielding questions from the countless Marvel fans out there. That’s exactly what happened in this case, when he was asked if Galactucs’ birth was shown in Guardians of the Galaxy. The short answer: no, it was not.
While James Gunn is known for being a massive comic book fan with passion for Marvel iconography, he was unable to include Galactus in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies even if he wanted to. Although with Disney and Marvel Studios now having access to the character, perhaps we could see him appear in a future sequel like Guardians 3. Only time will tell, but Gunn could seemingly take his story anywhere now that the cast has assembled to begin filming.
Fan theories about Galactus in the MCU also came as a result of the recent release of Chloé Zhao’s Eternals. In it the titular team of heroes does the bidding of the Celestials, with their former master Arishem being about the same size as the rumored Fantastic Four villain. But it’s still unclear if/when Kevin Feige and company plan to bring Galactus into the fray. Perhaps the Fantastic Four will be introduced first.
Phase Four of the MCU is introducing a ton of new characters, which should help fill out the shared universe now that favorites like Iron Man and Captain America are gone. But it’s currently unclear when an overarching villain will be introduced, and exactly when the next Avengers-level crossover might occur.
James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on May 23rd, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
