For the early part of 2014, most fans sawGuardians of the Galaxyas a giant gamble forMarvel. It was a sprawling space epic with little known characters and a director mostly beloved for his cool, hip cult movies such asThe Specials,SlitherandSuper. But Marvel and Disney knew they had a hit earlier on, announcing a sequel at last year’s Comic-Con before the movie even opened, confirming aMay 5, 2017release date. Thing is, they had no idea just how big of a blockbuster hitGuardians of the Galaxywould prove to be, or how prophetic that news was.Guardians of the GalaxyturnedChris Prattinto one of the biggest stars in the galaxy. And it excelled at giving us a group of characters who all ‘stole’ the show. Now, more than possibly any other Marvel movie planned to hit over the next five years,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(the official title confirmed byJames Gunn) is the most anticipated. But what do we really know about it Guardians 2 so far? Quite a bit, actually!
Marvel and Disney are very good at keeping secrets. They let just enough information sneak out gradually as the movies near the multiplex. The really big reveals are saved for the big screen, when an audience is sitting in the theater, watching the movie. That seems nearly impossible in this day and age. But it helps to have a director who is as suave asJames Gunn. He lets us know just enough to keep us satiated until thatGuardians of the Galaxy 2release date hits. And he is a master at social media manipulation. Over the past two years, he has left a trail of bread crumbs, making the anticipation something that is interactive and worthwhile for fans. He knows how to keep the home fires burning, so fans don’t forget about the movie, and move onto the next big thing. It’s a giant puzzle. One that is fun to see come together. Each piece will slowly shift into place as photos are revealed. The trailers will offer more insight. Soon, we’ll be watching the movie for ourselves, with a comfortable sense that we know what is coming. But for now, the only thing we know for certain is that the entire main cast is coming back. And so is the director,James Gunn. First, let’s take a look at the three main captains of the ship.
18The Release Date
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will arrive in theaters this coming summer. It hits screens across the world on August 03, 2025. In fact, some countries will even be getting it earlier than most, which is true of most Marvel movies nowadays. The film is essentually kicking of the summer movie going season of 2017. Other studios are so afraid of this movie, nothing else is being positioned against it. There is not one other big movie hitting in this arena at this time. And it doesn’t even have much competition in the following weeks, which means it should stay at #1 for most of May. In the meantime, we’re sure to get plenty of trailers, TV spots and special Disney sneak peeks to keep us tide over.
17Star-Lord
Chris Prattchannels equal parts Han Solo and Mal Reynolds to create a unique new space pirate that audiences immediately gravitated too. This, despite the fact that he is a thief and womanizer known by many to be a straight up ‘asshole’. As a young child, he was abducted by aliens shortly after his mother died from cancer. And the big arc ofGuardians of the Galaxy 2will revolve around finding out just whoStar-Lord’s Dadis. Throughout the first film, Quill experiences some major growing pains, as he learns to be a better person without losing his edge. He also learns how to become a leader, and what it means to make a sacrifice. The rest of the Guardians look up to Peter, and will follow him on many further adventures. While the search for his dad will definitely come into play, it isn’t known what his next space quest will entail. During Comic-Con 2016, the idenity of Star-Lord’s Dad was announced as Ego the Living Planet, who will be played by Kurt Russell. How he ties into the overall arc of the movie, though, is something that is being saved for the Guardians 2 premiere next summer.
No stranger to epic space odysseys, with threeStar Trekmovies under her belt,Zoe Saldanatrades her Blue Na’Vi skin fromAvatarin for the green hue of Gamora, a badass alien whose parents were killed in front of her as a young child. She’s led a pretty rough life, being raised by thepsychotic alienwho murdered her mother and father. She’s found a new home as part of theGuardians of the Galaxy, and is now pursing something that she never though was possible. And that is her own happiness. Even though she is trying to leave her past life behind, she has accumulated a number of enemies over the years, any of which might come looking for her. She is Thanos' favorite daughter. The most evil being in the galaxy will surely not be pleased to see she’s decided to become a superhero. She also left her ‘sister’ Nebula fighting mad. It’s more than likely that both of these forces will be back for revenge inGuardians of the Galaxy 2. How or why that happens, and how it pertains to the story is anyone’s guess at this point.
15Drax The Destroyer
It would be easy to sayDave Bautistastole the show as Drax inGuardians of the Galaxy. But then there’s Groot, and Rocket Raccoon, andHoward The Duck…And that only scratches the surface. Whoever may be your favorite, Drax is easily one of the funniest ass-kickers in the galaxy. Even if he doesn’t know it. That doesn’t mean he has a hilarious backstory. Far from it. The man’s family was killed. And he got his revenge. But helping kill Ronan only helped curb his blind rage and hatred. He’s still not over the death of his wife and daughter. With Ronan out of the way, Drax is now gunning for Thanos. And it promises to be an epic showdown. While theMarvel charactersmost certainly do have a history in the comics, it’s not yet clear if their ultimate battle will come inGuardians of the Galaxy 2, or perhaps their feud will stretch intoAvengers: Infinity War Part 1. What ever happens with Drax inGuardians of the Galaxy 2,James Gunnhas hinted that we will get to know more about his guarded personality and his former life as a loving husband and doting dad.
14Rocket Raccoon
Bradley Cooperdid a perfect job of capturing the obscure Marvel character Rocket Raccoon, turning him into one of the most unique aliens in a movie overstuffed with unique aliens. But unlike the rest of the Guardians crew, he is the one sole member who doesn’t really have an arc with a forward momentum. We’ve learned quite a bit about his backstory. He isn’t out for revenge. He doesn’t have any father issues that we know of. And he’s not back from the dead. So how will Rocket move forward in the sequel? How about a love interest?Lady Lyllais a sentient otter hinted at inGuardians of the Galaxyduring a brief peek at Rocket’s rap sheet. She happens to be the raccoon’s soul mate. But their affair is currently on hiatus. Will the star-crossed lovers reunite? That certainly would give Rocket an arc moving forward.
The big question on everyone’s mind when it comes to Groot is…Did he die?James Gunnhas hinted that the Baby Groot we see at the end ofGuardians of the Galaxyis actually Groot’s offspring. A twig that has sprung to life. Is that true? Or does this Baby Groot still hold the soul and essence of the one, true Groot? A sentient tree voiced byVin Dieselwho can only say three words, the character became a quick favorite, and gets possibly the coolest fight scene in the whole movie as he proves exactly what he is capable of. He also saves his entire team from complete obliteration, a self sacrifice that is for the greater good. Though, it is incredibly hard to kill Groot completely off due to his regenerative powers.Guardians of the Galaxy 2will pick up just a few months afterGuardians of the Galaxy. Groot be an adolescent that is still growing, and remains diminuative in size throughout the movie, according to director James Gunn. It doesn’t sound like we’ll see a full-grown Baby Groot untilGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
12There Will Only Be One New Guardian
While most big budget sequels want to go bigger and bolder than what came before it, directorJames Gunnpromises he is pulling back onGuardians of the Galaxy 2. This means we get less characters than we did inGuardians of the Galaxy. We know for a fact thatRonanwill not return. But other characters may be absent as well. In exchange, we will get one new Guardian joining Star-Lord and his team. And that character is Mantis. Rumored to be one of James Gunn’s all-time favorite Marvel characters, she will be played byPom Klementieff. Some believe Adam Warlock is showing up in the movie, but we haven’t seen anything that proves that. That character’s evil side Magus has been rumored to appear inAvengers: Infinity War Part 1. And Adam’s cocoon was spotted in the Collector’s menagerie. So, Adam Warlock might be a ‘lock’ for the sequel. Just because there is only one new character joining the team doesn’t mean the movie won’t subtly introduce us to other aspects for different sequels and Marvel spinoffs. The story is said to be so huge, and we know another very popular character has already been cut out of the script.
11Kurt Russell is Ego the Living Planet, Star-Lord’s Father
It has been confirmed thatKurt Russellis playing Ego the Living Planet inGuardians of the Galaxy. We know the story will focus on Peter Quill’s father. And many believed thatKurt Russellis playing this particular character. That was confirmed during Comic-Con 2016, with a trailer that showed Ego creating his own human body (and Penis). But who is Ego, really? We’re not sure.
10New Cast Members
Joining the cast this time out are Elizabeth Debicki and Chris Sullivan, though we don’t know who they are playing yet. Perhaps coolest of all is a confirmed cameo fromSylvester Stallone. Finally, we’ll get the Tango and Cash reunion we’ve been waiting for. While the first footage of Sylvester Stallone was revealed at Comic-Con, there is no confirmation on whom he is playing. Though, his character is believed to be tied to Nova Corps. There will also be the introduction of the Sneeper aliens, who are being portrayed aby a group of Motion-Capture actors. These Marvel Extraterrestrials were at first banned from the movie, because there name sounds like ‘clitoris’ in the Icelandic language. But they were later cleared for use.
9Nebula Is Back for Revenge
The heroes inGuardians of the Galaxydidn’t get to have all the fun.Karen Gillanfound her sweet spot as the blue-hued and bald baddie Nebula. And she certainly set fans hearts fluttering with her evil ways. The step-sister of Gamora, the pair certainly have a lot of issues to work out. The first movie had so much going on, we didn’t really get to see enough of Nebula. That should change inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The woman survived a fight with her sister, taking off in her spaceship. But to where has yet to be revealed. Is she setting a course for Thanos? Will she fight by his side as he sets out to retrieve the Infinity Gauntlet? Those questions might not be answered in full by the sequel, but they will certainly be teased. While Chris Pratt and the rest of his Guardians team are set for Avengers Infinity War, it’s not yet known if Nebula will be around for the epic Marvel ensemble. One thing is for certain, Nebula is confirmed to return in this sequel.Kevin Feigedemands it!
