James Gunn on “spoiling” the identity of Star-Lord’s father in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Anyway, people have been particularly excited, confused, and supportive of keeping Marvel Cosmic truly cosmic with the reveal of Peter Quill’s father’s identity. However, there have been a minority of folks who have questioned, and even been angry, that I and Marvel would reveal something so major months before the film comes out.

I get it. If we lived in a perfect world, I wouldn’t tell you ANYTHING before you walked in to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. I wouldn’t tell you Groot was now Baby Groot, I wouldn’t tell you Mantis was in the movie, I wouldn’t say that Ayesha and Taserface are our antagonists, that Yondu and Nebula have incredibly important roles in the film, nor would I tell you that Quill’s father is Ego the Living Planet.

However, the world is imperfect.

Firstly, we have to advertise our film. And it will be impossible to show you very much of Vol. 2 since Ego is very much a part of all of it. We just don’t have a way around it.

Secondly, there are journalists online who love giving you scoops about characters and plot twists in upcoming films. Ego is such a big part of the movie, this was going to come out soon, as much as we’ve tried to hide it (when our online press day happened on set, Kurt Russell sat in a chair that read “J’son,” and all of our script pages and artwork featuring him used the same name). Frankly, I would rather be in control of the announcement myself than have it come out on SpoilersRUs.com in a few weeks.

That said, knowing who Quill’s father is will not diminish your enjoyment of the film in any way. The story is not built to be a shocking twist in the same way Luke’s father was Darth, Soylent Green was people, Rosebud was a sled, or that that pretty woman from Crying Game had a penis (I guess I should have said spoilers before all that). Ego the emotional center of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 from the beginning to the end, and is not a twist.

And believe me – there are many, many more surprises we still have in store for you from Vol. 2 – hopefully the biggest of which is how much you’ll love the movie itself. Because, to me, that’s the only twist that matters.

James

SEE ALSO: James Gunn gives us a look at the Ravagers from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

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.

SEE ALSO: Follow all of our Marvel Cinematic Universe coverage here

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled for release on April 28th 2017 in the UK and on May 5th in the States, with 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) and Sean Gunn (Kraglin) 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 and Sylvester Stallone (Creed) in as yet-unrevealed role.

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Originally published July 29, 2016. Updated November 30, 2022.