And yes, according to James Gunn, Star-Lord is not the protagonist of “Guardians of the Galaxy”! He then reveals who he thinks is the real star…
Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the highlights of the MCU. With its thrilling space adventures, quirky characters and iconic soundtrack, the franchise has captured the hearts of Marvel fans.
As you know, the first two parts of the trilogy are devoted to Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), leader of a small group of rather mismatched space mercenaries. His character is not only the emotional anchor of the story but is also the only human on the team, made up mostly of extraterrestrials, with whom we can identify.
But if you think Star-Lord is the main character in the movies, think again! Director James Gunn indeed reveals who he thinks was the real protagonist of the feature films.
ROCKET IS THE HEART OF GUARDIANS!
And yes, as our colleagues from Filmstarts report, for James Gunn it’s Rocket Raccoon the hero! Interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, the director has indeed spoken on the subject.
For me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies. From the start, they were rooted in who he is as a character. I think he exemplifies a lot of the traits of all Guardians. They all have trauma and it brings them together. I just think his is more extreme than the others.
In the character, voiced by Bradley Cooper in the original version, James Gunn sees everything that characterizes the Guardians of the Galaxy in its purest form. This is one of the reasons why he felt it was important to focus on his origins in the third chapter of the saga, scheduled for May 2023, which will therefore dwell on the story of the talking raccoon. .
One of the reasons I came back for [faire] this movie was because I felt I needed to tell Rocket’s story. I would have been very sad not to complete the trilogy for many reasons, but I feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like no one could tell his whole story if it wasn’t me.
Rocket has always been one of the director’s favorite characters who previously said he was loosely based on himself. His goal for Volume 3, then, was to give Rocket the story arc it deserves, including exploring how the villainous High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji) transformed him from an ordinary raccoon into a genetically-engineered killing machine.
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“He was fine as an animal and he was turned into something else he didn’t want to be”, explains James Gunn. “I think the transformation itself was extremely painful, but I also think it made him feel incredibly alienated from everyone. In Volume 3, we learn a lot about his background – where he came from, who he is and what he was. It has been a rough road for the little animal.”
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A VOLUME 3 “BIGGER”
About the upcoming film, James Gunn aptly adds: “It’s the biggest. This is where things really happen. This is where we learn the truth about who these characters are and where we face the biggest stakes.”
More importantly, the director makes it clear that he wanted the installment to be a good start – for himself, for the characters, for the cast and crew.
Once I started making the first Watchmen movie, I felt drawn to it. I felt called, if that makes sense. So I feel very good [à propos du Vol. 3] because I feel like I did everything I could to make this trilogy as good as possible. And I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have had all these people around me to do that. It is the greatest blessing of my life.
During his time at Marvel, James Gunn gave pride of place to hitherto relatively unknown characters, who have now become icons of the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will debut in theaters on May 3, 2023. In the meantime, you can catch the first two installments – along with its christmas episode released on November 25 – streaming on Disney+.