Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3's Poker Scene Features A Few Delightful MCU Cameos
At the very end of James Gunn's 2014 film "Guardians of the Galaxy," a character called the Collector (Benicio Del Toro) sat among the remnants of his high-end collection of galactic rarities, destitute that it had been largely destroyed earlier in the movie. One of his collectibles, a living Soviet space dog, licks his face in sympathy. A voice from off-screen notes that the dog is gross. It was none other than Howard the Duck (voice of Seth Green), a 1970s Marvel Comics comedy staple and star of a notoriously terrible 1986 feature film. It seems Howard was also one of the Collector's prisoners. One might admire Gunn's chutzpah for including Howard the Duck in his film, seeing as the character still bears the weight of the 1986 film's failure on his shoulders.
Howard's appearance was fun, but it wasn't so well-received that it lead to a new Howard the Duck feature film. Instead, the character has popped up in tiny cameos throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including in a nightclub in "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2," and on the final battlefield in "Avengers: Endgame." One might immediately picture a scenario wherein Howard the Duck, and not Iron Man, had snatched up the Infinity Stones at the end. "I am inevitable," says Thanos. "And I'm gonna duck you up," Howard replies.
Howard appears again in "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3," currently playing in theaters. While the bulk of the Guardians are away from home, seeking a cure for their ailing raccoon friend Rocket, Kraglin (Sean Gunn) stays behind with the above-mentioned Soviet space dog Cosmo (voice of Maria Bakalova) to guard the homestead and play poker with friends. Howard is one of Kraglin's poker buddies.
Howard is a good duck
Things are strained between Kraglin and Cosmo, as Kraglin idly referred to Cosmo as a "bad dog" early in the film, and she finds such a slur to be an unforgivable slight. Cosmo continues to hound Kraglin (heh) throughout his poker game. Howard the Duck grows impatient and implores that Kraglin take it back.
Also impatient is the Broker (Christopher Fairbank), a character who first appeared in the first "Guardians" film. The 2014 original involved the buying and selling of a rare and mysterious orb, later revealed to house an Infinity Stone. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) offered the orb to the Broker, a weasely merchant from the planet Xandar, who refused when he learned that a supervillain wanted it. It seems there were no hard feelings, and the Broker now occasionally shows up on Star-Lord's home base of Knowhere to play cards. Perhaps notably, the Broker is not a character transported from Marvel Comics.
Also listed in the credits of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" are Bzermikitokolok and the Knowheremen, the pop band who debuted in "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special." They don't play poker, but they do wander around Knowhere, seemingly as professional buskers. Bzermikitokolok and the Knowheremen are notable because they are, in fact, the real-life band Old 97's, fronted by one Rhett Miller. James Gunn has made no secret of his affection for Old 97's and once made a Rhett Miller/Old 97's playlist on Spotify for everyone to listen to.
Other cameos besides
Warning: this section may contain spoilers.
Gunn peppered in multiple other "Guardians" cameos besides throughout "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3." The character of Stakar Ogord, a Ravager captain played by Sylvester Stallone, appears for a few moments in "Vol. 3" Marvel Comics fans will likely know that Stakar Ogord was the real name of the superhero Starhawk. Unlike in the comics, this Starhawk does not hail from the year 3014. Stallone also appeared in Gunn's R-rated superhero film "The Suicide Squad." He played the voice of the anthropomorphic shark man King Shark.
Although the character died in "Vol. 2," Yondu (Michael Rooker) will make a brief cameo during the climax of Vol. 3. Yondu has a specially implanted mechanical mohawk that reached into his brain and allowed him to control a two-foot-long spear merely by whistling. If used properly, the spear could jet through a battlefield and puncture hundreds of attackers in a matter of seconds. Kraglin inherited the mohawk and spends several scenes of "Vol. 3" attempting to wield the spear properly. It won't be until Yondy appears to him in a vision that he'll get the hang of it.
Other sharp-eyed Marvel nerds will likely see references to many other obscure cosmic characters, although the above roster seems to be the only ones who appeared in previous "Guardians" movies. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for the character played by actor Jonathan Mercedes. He plays "Gamora Shoots This Guy!"