As the release date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 edges closer, James Gunn has explained how Yondu’s presence will be felt in the superhero movie sequel despite his death. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will follow on from the first two instalments in the series, and is expected to act as the conclusion to the story of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, after Yondu’s death, Peter Quill (also known as Star-Lord) is gifted the blue ravager’s Zune. This transition to a digital media player, rather than a classic mixtape, opened up a world of musical possibilities for Quill. And, James Gunn has hinted that this will have an impact on the soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The writer and director explained that, unlike in the first two MCU movies where the soundtrack largely featured songs chosen by Meredith (Quill’s mother), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s soundtrack will be taken from the Zune which belonged to Yondu. So, rather than Meredith’s music taste, audiences are going to get the chance to hear what music took Yondu’s fancy.
Gunn stated that “Meredith didn’t pick the songs on the Zune, so they’re different from the songs in Vol 1 and 2 (although Yondu may or may not have deleted songs he didn’t like off of it).”
The soundtrack to the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies have acted as the emotional heart of the narrative, serving as Quill’s tether to his mother and childhood. So, it’s a pretty safe bet to guess that the shift in music in the upcoming Marvel movie will come with a shift in emotions and tone.
In addition to influencing the action movie with his choice of music, it would be fair to assume that the impact of Yondu’s death will be touched on in the upcoming sequel as well. Yondu’s relationship with Quill was the driving force behind much of the story of the first two movies, like the conflict between Gamora and Nebula, so brace yourself for some emotional moments alongside the usual comedy movie quips and action set pieces.
Does the wait for the space-adventure Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seem too long? Check out our guide to the best adventure movies to keep you going. And for more Marvel fun, here’s our guide to the MCU Phase 5.