'Guardians Of The Galaxy 2' Will Be All About Family

Guardians of the Galaxy felt like a departure for Marvel in some ways, but one of the things it definitely has in common with other MCU films is its lingering daddy issues. It sounds like they'll only get more intense in the sequel, which director James Gunn says is "about fathers."

And Star-Lord won't be the only one dealing with family drama. Gunn reveals Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will place added emphasis on Star-Lord's foster father Yondu, as well as warring sisters Gamora and Nebula. More about the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 fathers and family themes after the jump. 

Gunn discussed the theme of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in a chat with Vulture:

Listen, I'm still excited about Star-Lord's character and where he goes. At its heart, Guardians is a story about families, and if the first film was about him and his mother, this is a story about fathers. So it's exciting to go there.

It's a safe bet Gunn intends to dig deeper into the mystery of Star-Lord's paternity, which was introduced in the last film. But his use of the word "fathers," plural, suggests Star-Lord's absentee dad won't be the only parental figure involved. Indeed, he tells MTV that Star-Lord's father figure Yondu will play a bigger role in the next film, along with Gamora and Nebula (who share an adopted dad, Thanos):

I think it's about getting to know the characters a little bit more. You know, in the first one, we kind of had one hand tied behind our backs because we had to introduce all those characters in one movie. And in this one we really get to play and have a good time and have fun. And then also get a little bit more — I don't want to say serious, but go a little bit deeper with who the characters are. [...]

I think the characters of Gamora and Nebula and Yondu, those are some characters we get to know a little bit more, in a way we got to know some of the other characters more in the first movie.

The relationships between Star-Lord and Yondu and especially Gamora and Nebula were underserved in the last film, so it's great to hear we'll get a bit more of it in the next one. Before we get to see that movie, though, Gunn still has to write the damn thing. He told ET:

I'm just about to start the screenplay so it's a heavy time. I'm going to lock myself away. I'm not going to see anybody. Going to become very very stinky. Going to eat a lot of crap food and not have much of a life for a little while, while I'm working on the screenplay. But I'm really excited about it and I feel really good about the story. It really is something unique, so I feel good about it.

At least he has the soundtrack worked out. "I did feel a little pressure for the soundtrack because so many people loved it and we went platinum and all that other stuff," he said. "But I feel like the soundtrack in the second one is better. I feel like it's better, so I'm excited about it."

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 lands May 5, 2017.