James Gunn Reveals Which Fox Character He Would Have Used In Guardians Of The Galaxy

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise explored some of the strangest and most exotic corners in the Marvel cosmos, introducing many fan-favorite characters and concepts into the cinematic universe.

And while director James Gunn has brought characters to life such as the Watchers, the Celestials, the Eternals, the Elders of the Universe, the Kree, and the Nova Corps (to name a few), there are still many concepts that are off limits due to Marvel’s original deal with 20th Century Fox and their rights to the Fantastic Four properties and concepts.

The director recently revealed during a Facebook Live question-and-answer session that there was one character he would like to have included in the film as an antagonist if he was given the option, but because of the character’s status as a villain in the Fantastic Four comics he was unable to do so.

“I think that there’s a good chance that if we had all of those characters—I really like the character of Annihilus,” Gunn said. “And there’s a chance that I would have done Annihilus as a villain in one of the movies.”

Annihilus is the ruler of the Negative Zone, a barren parallel universe filled with antimatter. First discovered by the Fantastic Four, they eventually ran into Annihilus who then tried to escape his dimension and attempt to conquer Earth.

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Annihilus also controlled a vast race of bug-like alien warriors referred to as the Annihilation Wave which he used in an attempt to destroy the universe. By wielding the Cosmic Control Rod, Annihilus is able to augment his own abilities and extend his lifespan.

Unless Fox and Marvel make a deal, we will probably never see Annihilus in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even if they do make a deal, he probably will not appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 because Gunn stated in the same Q&A that he’s already decided on the villain for the last film in his trilogy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters now.

What did you think of the latest volume of the Awesome Mix? Let us know with your ranking in the Movie Database below!

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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 and stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell.