James Gunn Explains Why He Didn't Use Peter's Comic Parentage in GotG Vol. 2

While engaging with fans during a Facebook Q&A today, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 writer and director James Gunn explained why he altered Peter Quill's (Chris Pratt) comic book heritage.

"Because his name is 'J'son' to start," Gunn said when asked about Peter's parentage change. "And I'm just not into telling yet another story featuring the science fiction trope of the orphan with the dad who is King."

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (spoilers), the grown-up Peter Quill finally meets his long lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell), a powerful Celestial who is quite literally a Living Planet.

As seen in the earliest moments of Guardians of the Galaxy, young Peter Quill's mother dies from cancer, only moments after she described the absentee elder Quill as an "angel, composed of pure light." Audiences wouldn't learn about Ego until Vol. 2, which exposed Peter's space dad as a massive a-hole with a penchant for breeding, kidnapping, and murder.

Acting on a desire to conquer the cosmos with infinite extensions of himself, Ego's rabbitlike breeding sought to birth a second Celestial — a move which would make Ego powerful enough to enact his universe-threatening plan, deemed "the Expansion."

In the Marvel Comics, J'Son, aka Jason of Spartax, was a crime lord and the Emperor of the Spartoi Empire. He has little in common with Peter's Marvel Cinematic Universe father, other than both dads were villains, operated in space, and gave their superhero son a lifetime of daddy issues.

Ego was seemingly killed off by the end of Vol. 2, which also saw the loss of Peter's "daddy," Yondu (Michael Rooker), but James Gunn said ahead of the film's release that Russell's appearance is "definitely not a one-off," describing Ego as a character that "we've taken a lot of time to develop," adding he's "a big part of the MCU now."

Gunn could have just been covering for spoilers — you aren't going to admit the character dies months before the movie is released — but with Ego's godlike power, a resurrection would be feasible. It's currently unknown if Ego and Russell will be involved in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, already being scripted by Gunn who will return to direct.

The Guardians of the Galaxy — Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and Adolescent Groot (Vin Diesel) — will next return in Avengers: Infinity War, in theaters May 4th, 2018. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 releases to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on August 22nd.