James Gunn Never Intended For Kraglin To Be A Core Character In Guardians Of The Galaxy
The "Guardians of the Galaxy" series has what is probably the biggest and most colorful supporting cast of the entire Marvel universe. Whether it's the first movie's Nova Corps, the second movie's emphasis on the Ravagers and the Sovereign, or the third movie's Humanimals, there's no denying that in addition to the main cast, the trilogy is filled to the brim with memorable and funny characters.
Because of the series' more comedic tone, the characters tend to be in service of some kind of gag, which requires them to be immediately interesting — you can't just have them show up and say some cryptic lines that might get paid off in future installments. For another thing, writer and director James Gunn, who helmed all three movies, didn't have every potential plot beat for the series planned out, which meant that some characters who showed up early on simply got adopted into the fold.
That's where Kraglin, played by the director's brother, Sean Gunn, comes in. In the early days of the series, he was merely the first mate of an exiled Ravager leader named Yondu (Michael Rooker). Without Gunn's penchant for character definition and development, Kraglin could have been left at that. But by the end of the series, he is responsible for not just some of the funniest moments throughout the trilogy, but some of the most touching, especially in Marvel Cinematic Universe highlight, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." Had the character not been followed up on over the next couple of movies, all of that could have been lost.
Yondu's first mate
James Gunn cast his brother to perform some of the on-set motion capture work for the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" film in 2014. Alongside its humans and heavily made-up aliens and androids, the movie would incorporate CGI characters like Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Thanos (voiced by Josh Brolin). Sean Gunn's acting career went back nearly two decades at the beginning of the movie's production, and had seen him playing series-long parts on "Gilmore Girls" as well as brief appearances on shows like "Angel." He had the chops to provide the performance capture for both Rocket and Thanos.
Thanos had been a thorn in James Gunn's side when he began structuring the movie. But with the character arc for the film figured out (in a way that wouldn't really pay off until 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War"), Sean Gunn got the chance to play the evil cosmic overlord on set. He had fun, describing it to Van Gogh's Ear Anthology in 2014 as "easy." All he had to do was "stand on a big forklift and speak in a deep voice," giving the character the necessarily intimidating physical presence that special effects artists and Josh Brolin would bring to life later on.
Rocket Raccoon was the more significant role. As Sean Gunn said, that character — despite being a superficially funny gun-toting raccoon — is the defining Guardian of the trilogy. His humor is a mask for deep-seated trauma, and the emotional and physical work behind the role was "challenging," as Gunn told Van Gogh's Ear Anthology.
With Sean Gunn already on-set to play those roles, James Gunn jokingly recalled to Collider in May 2023 that he realized his brother could play a human role and it would be "cheaper" than finding someone else.
The Kraglin saga
That role eventually became Kraglin, the eternally loyal first mate to the sometimes antagonistic Yondu. The first film suggests little about Kraglin's backstory, where he came from, or how he came to join the Ravagers. When Yondu leads a hunt for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Kraglin does his best to help, even being somewhat threatening in doing so. As the series went on, the character's hapless sweetness overcame his shady dealings and criminal nature.
By "Vol. 2," which dealt extensively with the nature of Peter Quill's childhood abduction and upbringing by Yondu, more of Kraglin's character came to light, especially with Yondu's heroic sacrifice. The disgraced Ravager's funeral gave Kraglin a strong emotional anchor for the movie's final moments when he received Yondu's telepathic arrow (and head fin), and cheered on the fireworks left behind by his old allies.
By the series' 2022 "Holiday Special," Kraglin had become a de facto team member, extremely chummy with the Guardians on their base of operations, Knowhere. There, he even played a part in introducing Quill, at one time a fairly significant rival, to his childhood hero Kevin Bacon (Kevin Bacon). Throughout the series, he moved from being a vaguely villainous character to someone worthy of emotional moments that became a series staple.
End of an arc
In "Vol. 3," the series' final entry, Kraglin had become an essential piece of the "Guardians" magic, another misfit whose bad or selfish actions at the outset was ultimately redeemed by becoming enmeshed in his found family. Like Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff), his initial evil alignment was something to rise above. And it couldn't have happened without Sean Gunn's performance.
As James Gunn told Collider, he "never thought [Kraglin] would be on the poster with the head fin" that belonged to Yondu at the series' beginning. Kraglin started out as little more than an interesting side character who was effectively in the margins of the first movie's heightened, colorful, cosmic world. A bit of flavor.
Luckily for Sean Gunn, the evolving nature of the series and its numerous sprawling plot threads meant that Kraglin kept coming back and developing, bit by bit. As Sean told Van Gogh's Ear Anthology, his ideal method of character development was in the longform style that tended to be an outgrowth of working in television. In particular, he mentioned appreciating "when a character grows a little and changes a little over time, and my performance helps shape the way the writers see him."
In many ways, Gunn was able to experience that across the multiple "Guardians" movies, and even in other Marvel movies like 2022's disappointing "Thor: Love And Thunder," where the Guardians (including Kraglin) appear briefly during the opening act. Not a bad showing for someone who began in the films with such a small role.