Originally published May 11, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
Warning. Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 follow…
As James Gunn revealed on numerous occasions in the build up to the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the main theme of the Marvel sequel is family, and while Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill does meet his father Ego (Kurt Russell), it’s clear by the end of the film that his real “daddy” has always been Yondu (Michael Rooker), with the Ravager making the ultimate sacrifice to save Peter’s life.
Speaking to Uproxx, Gunn has spoken about the emotional ending to the film, revealing that he initially resisted the urge to kill of Yondu before finally accepting that was where the story needed to go:
“I didn’t want that to be the ending, and I kind of refused to put that in as the ending for a long time,” said Gunn. “It wasn’t how the movie ended. But, at the end of the day, I knew that’s where it needed to go. I knew that we need to have real stakes in these movies. We need to lose characters. And not everyone who sees Marvel movies loves that. [Marvel] don’t love losing characters. But for the characters to really make a difference, to really make their lives mean something, you needs to have these kinds of losses.”
“The whole movie led to that one moment,” he continues. “It seemed to be calling to me. And that’s what fulfills this true story. This is a story about a father’s love for his son, his ultimate love, so much love that he sacrifices himself for that, and that’s what Yondu is. He is 100 percent Peter Quill’s father. And Ego is 100 percent not his father. Just because Ego is biologically his father, that isn’t who he is.”
SEE ALSO: Why Yondu is the best character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Michael Rooker also weighed in on Yondu’s noble end, stating that: “What are we going to do? You know? But it worked so well for this story in this movie. That’s what really worked. And, yeah, what are you going to do? And it’s for the good of the movie. The hero of the movie ends up being remembered,” says Rooker. “And the hero of the movie ends up being, well – you’re the hero of the movie! You know, they’ve done something! They’ve given up something that most of us would not even come close to having the balls to give up in real life, and in the movies as well.”
Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is out now and sees director James Gunn reuniting with returning cast members Chris Pratt (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Dave Bautista (Drax), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Vin Diesel (Groot), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Glenn Close (Nova Prime), Sean Gunn (Kraglin) and Laura Haddock (Meredith Quill) alongside new additions Pom Klementieff (Oldboy) as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as Ayesha, Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight) as Ego the Living Planet, Chris Sullivan (The Drop) as Taserface, Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy) as Tullk and Sylvester Stallone (Creed) as Stakar.
