MOVIE NEWS

Guardians Of The Galaxy 2: What We Know So Far

By PRAISE EMMANUEL

There are no two ways about it: James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be an absolutely massive hit. Not only did it earn some of the best reviews of 2014, it also turned out to be massively popular with movie-goers and a box office smash. With all of the buzz going into opening weekend, it was barely a surprise when Marvel Studios announced before the first film even opened that a Guardians of the Galaxy 2 would be out in 2017. Now it’s easily one of our most anticipated future titles.

Marvel Studios is, of course, very good at keeping details about their in-development projects secret, but every so often a cool little bit of info sneaks out and tells us just a little bit more about the film. That’s where we come in. Below you’ll find a compilation of every detail we know about Guardians of the Galaxy 2 so far, from who we know is coming back to what new characters we can expect to show up. Read on, and learn!

James Gunn

Prior to the first Guardians of the Galaxy, writer/director James Gunn never worked on a feature with a budget higher than $15 million, but any and all doubts about him as a blockbuster filmmaker were put to rest with movie’s release. Throughout production, Gunn and Marvel got along famously, which is perhaps a big part of why he is coming back to both write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The news was made official at San Diego Comic-Con 2014 when the director paired up with star Chris Pratt on a video presentation to announce the project’s official release date: May 5, 2017. As the film moves through pre-production, he will surely keep hammering away at the script, getting it prepared for the start of filming in 2016.

Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord

Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt) was a womanizing, asshole thief when we first met him as an adult in Guardians of the Galaxy, but he undergoes an incredible arc in the movie that sees him really transform into a mature leader. As noted in Gamora’s final lines in the film, he is who the rest of the Guardians are now looking to for guidance as they go on further adventures. We can surely expect him to still have deep emotional ties to his dead mother – which will come out through Awesome Mix Vol. 2 – not to mention the fact that he will be on the hunt for the identity of his real father, who it turns out wasn’t actually from Earth.

Gamora

Gamora (played by Zoe Saldana) has certainly had it rough for her entire life, her parents being killed right in front of her by a psychotic alien who would wind up raising her as a daughter. But those dark days seem to be behind her. She has found a new family in Peter Quill, Rocket, Drax and Groot, and she is pursuing her happiness. Of course, just because she may be trying to leave the past in the past doesn’t mean that her enemies will do the same. Thanos will be incredibly displeased that his "favorite" daughter has betrayed him to become a hero, and let’s also not forget that the dangerous and extremely pissed off Nebula is still around and fighting. We won’t be surprised in the slightest if both come back to play key roles in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 as a result.

Groot

He can only say three words (okay, five words), but still Groot, the alien tree voiced by Vin Diesel, was able to create some of the most emotional moments in Guardians of the Galaxy - one of them being his incredible self-sacrifice to save his friends in the third act. Aboard the Dark Aster with the rest of the Guardians as it was crashing down to the surface of Xandar, Groot grew and morphed to become a protective shell for his teammates in order to save them… and he was shattered into a million pieces as a result. The good news is that it’s incredibly hard to kill a Groot thanks to their regenerative powers. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Groot is nothing more than a sapling who enjoys grooving to the sound of the Jackson 5, but by the time we see him in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 he may be full grown once again. At that time, he will once again be back in fighting shape to perform the tasks that his teammates physically can’t.

Drax The Destroyer

In bringing Drax the Destroyer to life in Guardians of the Galaxy, Dave Bautista not only provided the movie with some of its best laughs, but also many of its most dramatic moments. The hatred and rage that Drax felt towards Ronan was extremely powerful and palpable, and while it ultimately wasn’t he who 100% directly killed his sworn foe (it was a team effort), he certainly got his revenge. The problem is that killing Ronan didn’t give him the satisfaction he needed to get over the death of his wife and daughter (this is why revenge is no good, people!). Now the character has turned all of his attention towards Thanos, who he knows has been pulling the strings all along anyway. Will he succeed? It’s hard to say at this point, but the characters most certainly do have a history in the comics. Whether or not that will be Drax’s main drive in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is up in the air right now, but James Gunn has at the very least promised that we will learn a bit about the alien warrior "that nobody knows." 

Rocket Raccoon

We pretty much learn everything we need to know about Rocket’s attitude and general outlook on life within the first few moments of meeting him in Guardians of the Galaxy. Making fun of various aliens who are doing nothing more than going on with their day, the diminutive furry gun-lover is the exact opposite of a people person, and is as surly as they come. By the end of the film he does even out a bit by understanding the importance of having other people in his life, but he is still far from a happy camper. He will be along for the ride in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, with Bradley Cooper returning to provide the voice. And while we don’t know anything plot specific about his arc yet, that information will certainly come in time.  

Yondu

There’s a seemingly endless number of shockingly entertaining characters in Guardians of the Galaxy, but perhaps the most surprising of them all is the performance given by Michael Rooker as Yondu. Part Boba Fett and part Jabba The Hutt, this blue, mohawked Ravager stole every scene he was in with his Kentucky fried accent, and whistle-controlled arrow. Rooker’s many years of working with director James Gunn practically insures that Yondu will be back for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but it’s also important to remember that it’s Yondu and the rest of his crew who actually know the identity of Star-Lord’s father. As that plot plays out, expect Yondu to be a big part of it.

Ronan The Accuser

Let’s keep this one short and sweet: Ronan The Accuser, brought to life by Lee Pace, is dead as Dillinger. While he was certainly formidable (he honestly made Drax look like a toddler at times), and was basically invulnerable with the power of the Infinity Stone, the Guardians of the Galaxy used teamwork to turn him into purple dust at the end of the movie. It’s true that some kind of weird comic book loophole could possibly bring him back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe somehow, but the reality is that you shouldn’t expect him back for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - and James Gunn has gone on record confirming that it definitely isn’t going to happen. 

Thanos

Ever since the Mad Titan Thanos was first teased in the mid-credits sequence of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers as the mastermind behind the Chitauri attack on New York, we’ve been aware of his presence. Our awareness grew further with Guardians of the Galaxy, as he was finally mentioned by name and shown to be an incredibly powerful figure in the intergalactic community. So does that mean that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will finally be his real time to shine? The answer is no. James Gunn has confirmed that Thanos will only play a part in the sequel if it is determined that he helps out the story, and if not, he won’t appear at all. Given that both Gamora and Drax have serious bones to pick with him, I suspect he will at least featured in the movie, but he won’t be the most important thing in Guardians 2.

This development adds an interesting wrinkle to comments made by Josh Brolin, who voices Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy. In late 2014, the actor said that he would be spending time in both 2016 and 2017 playing Thanos – which could suggest that he will have a part in the 2017-released Guardians of the Galaxy 2.  

Nebula

If there was any central supporting character in Guardians of the Galaxy that we really want to see more from, it was actress Karen Gillan’s Nebula. The character’s design and behavior were incredibly badass, but the movie having so much going on didn’t allow her nearly enough screen time. Fortunately, we can expect Guardians of the Galaxy 2 to fix that problem. Ronan and Korath may be dead, but Nebula managed to survive her fight with Gamora (albeit minus one cyborg hand), and took off in a spaceship to god knows where. Will she reunite with Thanos? That question doesn’t have an answer yet, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Fiege has made note of the character’s importance in certain major comic book arcs that could someday wind up finding their way to the big screen and played out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We do know for certain that she will be back for Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

Taneleer Tivan a.k.a. The Collector

The Collector, played by Benicio Del Toro, seemed to be set up as a villain when he was introduced in the post-credits sequence of Thor: The Dark World, but the reality is that he actually played more of a neutral role in Guardians of the Galaxy (unless his sinister intentions were just being well-hidden). He is identified simply as a buyer/museum curator interested in purchasing an Infinity Stone from Gamora. What’s not laid out specifically in the film is the explicit danger present in an individual’s attempt to collect all six Infinity Stones, however. When combined and put into a glove known as the Infinity Gauntlet, the stones provide the wearer god-like powers over all of existence. In the comics, Thanos is best known for accomplishing this task, but the fact that Taneleer Tivan is interested in completing the collection is seriously bad news for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s worth noting that there has been some suggestion that The Collector could wind up fighting for the forces of good in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but we really know nothing at this stage.  

Rhomann Dey

Played by the always-lovably John C. Reilly, Rhomann Dey is one of the main faces of the Nova Corps in Guardians of the Galaxy and is introduced as having a pre-existing relationship with Peter Quill (though he does mock the future hero for having a code name). By the end of the film, he plays a crucial role in getting the Nova Corps to unite with the Guardians and the Ravagers to help stop Ronan from destroying Xandar. He winds up creating a good friendship with Quill by the end of the movie, but it remains to be seen if that relationship will be strong enough to bring the character back for Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Hopefully it will be.

Star-Lord’s Dad

Other than the full tracklist for "Awesome Mix, Vol. 2," the biggest cliffhanger left in Guardians of the Galaxy is the identity of Peter Quill’s father. While the hero always thought that he was 100% human, the reality is that he is actually 50% alien. Whoever Star-Lord’s dad is, he’s part of a powerful, ancient race, and is described by Peter’s mom as looking like an angel (though Yondu does call him a "jackass.") James Gunn has already said that the search for Star-Lord’s dad will play a big part in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and that they will be deviating from the comics (sorry J’Son of Spartax, you are NOT the father). That being said, Gunn has also noted that the big reveal of who the dad is won’t be what the entire movie rests on. What direction will they go in? We’ll have to wait and see.