James Gunn’s Creative Control Over Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn had to fight to protect his beloved franchise "Guardians of the Galaxy" from the studio that produced it. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gunn shared his experiences and decisions that shaped the franchise.
Protecting the Franchise from MCU Interference
Gunn revealed that he resisted the connected timeline of the MCU after seeing Thor join the Guardians in the final "Avengers: Endgame". He expressed his concerns about incorporating Thor into the Guardians, stating, "I don’t understand the character so much. I love to see his films and I love Chris Hemsworth as a guy. I don’t understand how to write this character."
The Post-Credit Scene Debacle
Gunn also discussed the post-credit scene in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", which introduced Adam Warlock. Although it seemed like a significant role for the character in "Guardians 3" at the time, Gunn felt like it was "a square peg brought into a round hole". He explained, "I didn’t like what I did in ‘Guardians 2’, where we put Adam Warlock, and we set up the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and set up all these things that I don’t necessarily intend."
Creative Freedom and Collaboration
Things took a turn when Taika Waititi, the director of "Thor: Love and Thunder", took the burden of connecting Thor to the Guardians, giving Gunn full creative flexibility for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". Gunn expressed his gratitude, stating, "You decided that this ends with processing… And I didn’t think it would be in there. ‘Endgame’ came out immediately after I decided to do ‘Guardians’ again. So I didn’t have much to say what was in ‘Endgame’, and it came out and then I thought: ‘What the devil, I will do?’ That is then [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] told me that Taika will do ‘Thor’ and we will have the Guardians in it. I said ‘thank God!’… To be honest, Thor was never in this film. Taika took a ball for me. Because I didn’t want to get him. I just wanted to start and there is no Thor."
