James Gunn has shared the biggest reason why he returned to the MCU the create Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it’s to do with Rocket. The Guardians of the Galaxy superhero movies are up there with the very best MCU movies around.
They follow the story of the rag-tag group of aliens, led by Chris Pratt‘s Star-lord, as they adventure around the galaxy to maintain peace, and make some money along the way. Both of the science fiction movies have been praised for balancing comedy with genuine heart and emotion, which is down to the actors’ performances as well as the writing and direction of James Gunn.
However, after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, it wasn’t completely certain that Gunn would return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, because he seemed to have changed his focus to the DC movie universe after being fired (and subsequently re-hired) from his MCU work.
Now, the director has spoken about the one reason why he was compelled to return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Speaking to EW, the director revealed that it was all to do with Rocket Racoon, the MCU character voiced by Bradley Cooper.
He said “One of the reasons why I came back to [make] this movie was because I felt like I needed to tell Rocket’s story. I would’ve been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like nobody would be able to tell his full story if it wasn’t me.”
So, for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 audiences can expect there to be a big focus on Rocket Racoon, and his story. This is clear in the trailer, where it’s teased that the action movie will explore his origins. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will be the final instalment in the movie series within the MCU, but it isn’t clear if the many characters will continue to appear in subsequent MCU movies or not.
Either way, it will be the end of their collective adventure, as well as Gunn’s foray into the MCU. For more on the MCU, check out our guide to Phase 5, or the Ant-Man 3 release date.