James Gunn Confirms Yondu Is Not Mary Poppins Y'All, Will Not Be Coming Back
If you were hoping to see Michael Rooker's character, Yondu, make his live-action return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it won't be happening ... not if writer-director James Gunn has anything to say about it.
Gunn and Rooker reteamed this year for "The Suicide Squad," so the pair have continued their working relationship outside the MCU, but Yondu died at the end of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." It was a big, emotional moment in which the blue-skinned Ravager sacrificed himself to save his surrogate son, Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt). Prior to his death, Yondu revealed that the reason he had kidnapped Quill from Earth as a boy was because he wanted to save him from his real father, the evil Ego (Kurt Russell).
Replying to a fan comment on Twitter, Gunn reiterated that, despite the comic book precedent for resurrecting any and every beloved character, there are no plans to bring back Yondu while he's around.
As I've said many times before, as long as I'm a part of the Guardians, Yondu is dead, 100%, forever, no magic resurrections. Any other way would be belittling his sacrifice and what his story means to so many people. https://t.co/QveTjUi2nm
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 2, 2021
As you can see from the tweet above, Gunn is dead set against robbing Yondu's death of meaning. He wrote, "As I've said many times before, as long as I'm a part of the Guardians, Yondu is dead, 100%, forever, no magic resurrections. Any other way would be belittling his sacrifice and what his story means to so many people."
Yondu Already Returned This Year ... in Animated Form
It seems clear that Gunn is discussing Yondu in the context of the mainstream MCU, as seen in Marvel's live-action movies and TV shows. However, Rooker actually did return as Yondu this year in the animated series, "What If...?"
In "What If...?" we met a version of Yondu from an alternate timeline who kidnapped T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the boy who would otherwise grow up to be "Black Panther," instead of Peter Quill. T'Challa helped shape the Ravagers into something more like Robin Hood and his merry band of space thieves, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
If fans are really jonesing to see Yondu again, all they need to do is go watch "What If...?" You'll hear Rooker's voice and you'll see Yondu summoning his Yaka Arrow by whistling, same as he's always done. Producer Kevin Feige has even teased that we may begin to see characters from "What If...?" crossing over into the core MCU, so it's always possible that some parallel-universe Yondu could show up after Gunn concludes his "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie trilogy.
With the Marvel's multiverse opening up more and more in everything from "Loki" to the upcoming "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," characters who are dead in one reality could theoretically show up alive again in another reality, or jump from one reality to another. Flashbacks could also be employed to feature Yondu, and if all else fails, you can always just go back and watch the first two "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies and enjoy the time we had with Yondu there.