James Gunn reveals that the real Guardians of the Galaxy hero isn’t Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, despite the fact that he was considered the lead for two films. The cosmic superhero team will experience an emotional final adventure under Gunn’s direction in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film, where they will face off against characters like The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji, from Peacemaker), and Adam Warlock (Will Poulter, from Midsommar). The Guardians of the Galaxy movies have largely focused on Pratt’s Star-Lord, also known by his birth name, Peter Quill, as he united Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, Dave Bautista’s Drax, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel’s Groot, and Pom Klementieff’s Mantis to save the galaxy from a variety of threats, even though he apparently isn’t the main hero in one
James Gunn recently discussed the plot of the eagerly awaited Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in an interview with Empire (via The Direct). While acknowledging that Peter’s reaction to Gamora’s departure will play a significant role in the story, Rocket Raccoon revealed that he has always believed Cooper’s hero to be the true Guardians of the Galaxy protagonist throughout the trilogy. Check out what Gunn said below:
“I would say Peter’s kind of a mess. I think he’s suffering from major detachment issues. For me, [Rocket] was always the secret protagonist of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. You’ve never seen Rocket in any movie not do something altruistic. He’s never done anything other than for his friends. He’s not a hero in the typical sense of the word. Telling his story was really important to me.”
Why Rocket Is The Vol. 3 Protagonist
It’s comprehensible. Through the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films and the newly released The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Star-Lord has largely been regarded as the main protagonist. His family history served as the primary plot point of 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and the Disney+ holiday special touched on his grief over Yondu’s passing and his relationship with the former Ravager leader during the Christmas season. His backstory was properly introduced in the trilogy launcher. However, in stark contrast to the previous films, it was obvious early on in the production of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that it would be focusing more on Rocket than Pratt’s Star-Lord.
To put an end to rumors that Cooper’s character would be the main focus and might even pass away by the end of the story, Gunn confirmed both before and during production which Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would eventually explore Rocket’s origin story. Rocket appears to be dead in the newly released first Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer, exasperatedly declaring that he was “done running” from the ghosts of his past. Other scenes of the team crying over an unidentified person, the character saying, “We’ll all fly away together,” and being in a mysterious white setting have also made many viewers cry in anticipation of the character’s possible demise.
On the other hand, some theories have noted Lylla the otter’s appearance in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer as possibly hinting at a different interpretation of their comic book relationship, in which she and Rocket have a happy ending rather than her leaving to wed Rocket’s adversary Blackjack O’Hare. Given that Gunn has made it clear at least one important character will die in the movie, it’s possible Rocket will end up being the only surviving member of the original Guardians and will carry on the lessons his friends taught him throughout the previous movies. When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres in theaters on May 5, only time will tell.
Source: Empire (Via The Direct)