Guardians of the Galaxy Director James Gunn Explains Why Yondu Should Stay Dead

James Gunn's next big film is DC's The Suicide Squad, but that doesn't mean his days with Marvel [...]

By Jamie Jirak

James Gunn's next big film is DC's The Suicide Squad, but that doesn't mean his days with Marvel are over. The director does have plans to helm the inevitable Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, if you're hoping for a Yondu (Michael Rooker) resurrection, we've got some bad news. Gunn has been chatting with fans on Twitter today and character deaths have come up since he asked who people think will survive The Suicide Squad. The conversation eventually shifted to Yondu's death in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

"There are angry fans no matter what choice you make. I still get hate messages for Yondu dying in #GotGVol2 & Boltie in SUPER. Yet their deaths were integral to the stories (&, for the record, I get a lot MORE messages from folks saying how deeply those deaths affected them)," Gunn shared. "Clearly those are not comic book readers as we all know Yondu will not stay dead," @dpullen17 replied. "I get sometimes you can bring back characters in a cool way. But usually, if a character dies, & it's a meaningful part of the story, the character should stay dead. So unless it's a flashback, Yondu will stay dead, as far as I'm concerned. Otherwise, it ruins his sacrifice," Gunn explained.

"Personally for me, I saw Guardians Vol. 2 about 6 months after my mom unexpectedly died, and when Yondu sacrificed himself, I sobbed until the credits. It will always be so meaningful to me for that reason. Plus I loved Yondu anyways," @lsploosh9 shared. "And that's exactly why, as long as I have the power, Yondu will stay dead. I don't want to cheapen moments like these. 🙏❤️," Gunn replied. You can check out the tweets below:

While it doesn't sound like Yondu will be making a return from the grave, Rooker has previously said that he'd be down to return as the character in a prequel.

"I will sign onto anything. I'm out of work right now," Rooker quipped when interviewed by Mama's Geeky. "So bring it on, baby, bring it on [laughs]. I'll sign onto anything. I love the [character]. I really, really, truly enjoyed playing Yondu."

Rooker told ComicBook.com that "anything's possible in the Marvel universe," where characters are capable of returning through time-travel or the Multiverse.

"You know what? I loved the character," he said the recent interview. "I don't know how they could do it, but of course it's possible. Anything's possible in the Marvel universe, you know, there's time traveling and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, of course it's possible. But will they be able to afford me? I don't know. At Marvel, they don't have a lot of money you know, it's really tough out there!"

How do you feel about Yondu staying dead? Tell us in the comments!

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