'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Almost Cut This Post-Credits Scene
Since 2008's Iron Man, post-credits scenes have become an integral component of all Marvel Studios [...]
Since 2008's Iron Man, post-credits scenes have become an integral component of all Marvel Studios films, as they often tease the next chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the case of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, director James Gunn almost a post-credits scene involving Adam Warlock to ensure he could include a sequence featuring Ravagers, who comics fans recognized as members of the original Guardians of the Galaxy team.
11 I awoke with a vision of the Stakar Ravagers scene in my head and couldn't stop thinking about it for days. We almost didn't include the Adam Warlock scene because he was definitely not in Avengers 3 or 4 and we had no plans for him in general.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 21, 2017
As a treat for fans, Gunn released his script for the sequel online so audiences could learn more about how the final product compared to his original vision. The filmmaker also offered insight into the script to preemptively answer questions he knew he'd be asked.
The filmmaker revealed all of the post-credits scenes were in his head from the initial treatment, minus the one featuring the Ravagers, which he would have opted to include over the Adam Warlock scene. He also made sure to clarify that the character's brief appearance doesn't confirm he'll play a role in any future MCU film.
Gunn's series of tweets also offered some interesting insight into the future of the MCU, pointing out that Marvel Studios didn't interfere with the script at all in hopes of making it tie more directly into Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, Gunn passed his script along Infinity War filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo in October of 2015 so the duo would be aware of where the adventures of Vol. 2 took the Guardians.
"The studio suggested no changes to make it more amendable to Avengers 3 or 4. I did, however, give [Christopher] Markus & [Stephen] McFeely and the Russo Brothers the script in October 2015 so they knew where the Guardians ended up while they were writing," Gunn wrote.
A release date for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has yet to be announced, but you can see the team in Avengers: Infinity War when it lands in theaters May 4, 2018.