In cinematic terms, the Guardians of the Galaxy are Jame Gunn’s “babies.” Essentially, Gunn wrote the book on them for the MCU in the first two Guardians movies. But with these children, the writer/director had joint custody in a way, for two whole films. The entire Guardians team appeared in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, directed by the Russo brothers, not Gunn. And he recently revealed there were some things they did with those characters he did not necessarily agree with. Especially when it came to Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord and his decision in Infinity War leading to Thanos’ infamous snap.
Gunn revealed his misgivings in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter (via Gizmodo). He said “They did some things that I wouldn’t have wanted.” He says Star-Lord would have killed Gamora as she asked him to, as a way of stopping Thanos. And Gunn does not believe that a grieving Peter Quill would have punched Thanos at a critical moment and doomed the universe. It sounds like that’s a creative decision he would not have made for Star-Lord. Read the full context below:
The Guardians will undoubtedly continue as a property after Gunn completes the transition to DC, and the new film hints at a future, albeit with a different lineup of Guardians. Gunn is enthusiastic about a handoff, though protective. When the characters appeared in the Avengers two-part epic directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Gunn saw disconnects with certain storylines. “They did some things that I wouldn’t have wanted,” says Gunn of the films. (Yes, he says, Star-Lord would have killed Gamora if she asked him to; no, he would not have punched Thanos and doomed the universe.)
The Guardians of the Galaxy characters remain intimately tied to James Gunn’s vision. So much so, that some of them even called him while shooting the back-to-back Avengers films in 2017. Mantis actress Pom Klementieff called Gunn while on the set of one of the Avengers films. She asked him if her character would say or do the things written for her.
The Guardians cast see James Gunn as the real authority when it comes to their characters. Whatever future lies ahead for the Guardians, it’s clear that without James Gunn, it won’t ever really quite be the same.
