James Gunn Reveals His Growing Responsibility Within The MCU

With the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, James Gunn has further proven that the franchise’s success was not a fluke.

The director took a little-known property and made it into one of the most popular series under the Marvel Studios banner. They’re the focus of their own cartoon, video game, and now they even have a ride at Disneyland called Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout.


Gunn spoke with IGN about his involvement with making the ride and even discussed his growing role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he’s been helping out Joe and Anthony Russo for the next big team up movie, Avengers: Infinity War.

“I think my situation with Infinity War is almost exactly the same was what my situation with [Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout] is,” Gunn said. “It’s dealing with the characters, changing what needs to be changed, saying what’s being done well and checking in and making sure everything is going to plan.”

When asked about whether he’d take on a bigger role with Marvel Studios, as hinted at by Kevin Feige, where he might shepherd the direction of the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gunn was revealed a bit more about his plans for the future.

“We talk about it all the time,” Gunn said. “It’s already a part of what I’m doing with Marvel and the conversations that Kevin and I have every day. When we’re talking about Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and that story, that’s a story that will lead to other stories. It’s innate to the DNA that that’s the end of a trilogy but it’s the beginning of a whole other element of the Marvel Cosmic universe. That’s a part of what I’m doing now.”

Both movies in the Guardians series have greatly expanded the scope of the MCU, bringing a ton of fan-favorite and obscure characters to the mix. Celestials, Elders, the Nova Corps, the original Guardians, and even Howard the Duck have all made appearances over the course of two films. The next one is set to push the film even further with the appearance of Adam Warlock, a beloved character from Marvel Comics.

But for now, Gunn seems to be focused on Guardians Vol. 3. But we’re still about a month removed from the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is still playing in theaters now.

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Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).