James Gunn Originally Planned To Kill Gamora In Guardians Of The Galaxy 2
Zoe Saldana's Gamora has truly become a huge part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Heck, Thanos wouldn't have gotten his hands on the Soul Stone in "Avengers: Infinity War" if he hadn't sacrificed his beloved, adopted daughter to obtain it. Now, "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy director James Gunn has revealed that the MCU as we know it could've been quite different, as he nearly killed Gamora several years ago.
Speaking with ComicBook.com in anticipation of the release of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," Gunn explained that he originally planned to have Gamora die at the end of the "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," which would have led to a rather different, yet still emotional conclusion for Chris Pratt's Star-Lord. Here's what he had to say about it:
"Things always change and you never know. But Gamora almost died in 'Vol. 2.' I knew from the beginning Zoe only wanted to play the character for so many years, and she's been very honest saying that she's done [after this]. And so I was going to have her die. I thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself, and Quill was going to learn about himself as opposed to in the second movie, and I thought different of it."
Pratt's Peter Quill ultimately did have to contend with Gamora's death in "Infinity War" and, because he couldn't keep his s*** together, he kind of doomed the universe. That's a decision that Gunn didn't necessarily agree with though. Regardless, Saldana's character lived on to serve an important purpose, and is even able to return in "GOTG3" thanks to the time-travel shenanigans in "Avengers: Endgame."
Save Gamora, kill Yondu
But why did James Gunn decide to change his mind on such a crucial part of the story? In the end, it came down to being talked out of it by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, as well as Marvel Studios co-president Louis D'Esposito. Instead, he decided to sacrifice Michael Rooker's Yondu, who was Star-Lord's adoptive father:
"I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D'Esposito], and then it just didn't work that well. It didn't feel right, it felt much more right to go where we go in that movie. That seemed what was correct for the story. I think at the time I was afraid of killing Michael Rooker because he's my friend. So I felt bad about killing Rooker and I didn't want to do that. But that was where the story naturally progressed to. So a lot of the things that I was planning on dealing with, I dealt with through what the Russos did, which they called me up and said, 'We're thinking about this, does this work? Can you work with this?' And I went, 'Yeah. I really can.' And I think it works really well for the third movie."
Yes, it did suck for Rooker to have his character killed off in a blockbuster franchise. Be that as it may, Yondu's death in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is easily one of the most impactful deaths in the MCU to date. Everything worked out in the end, and his sacrifice truly meant something.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" hits theaters on May 5, 2023.