James Gunn Pitched A Power Pack Max To Marvel Once

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has has nothing but nice things to say about his working experience with Marvel Studios — but once upon a time, they were instrumental in rejecting a pitch he made to Marvel Comics.

After a fan joked about a “gritty reboot” of the kid-friendly Marvel superhero team Power Pack, Gunn responded to the tweet with the surprising revelation that we almost got one — in the comics, not onscreen — but that Marvel Studios “nixed” it.

“No joke; back in the day – 2009 or so – I pitched a Power Pack Max (NC-17) series to Marvel Comics,” Gunn tweeted. “They loved it. Marvel Studios nixed it!”

After receiving dozens of comments (it’s a shock, we know), Gunn elaborated on and clarified his original comments:

“It was an [alternate] Universe story & the Pack was in their teens/early 20s & they were all very screwed up from their childhoods,” Gunn explained.

That’s not too different from Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, a 2004 play that did something similar with the characters from Peanuts.

Power Pack, created by Louise Simonson and June Brigman, has long been considered a property that’s got big-screen potential for Marvel, although no specific rumors have surfaced in quite a while.

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).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters now. Spider-Man: Homecoming lands on July 7, 2017, followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.