Nathan Fillion Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 Posters; James Gunn Issues New Challenge

Want to win a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 poster signed by its director?

As he promised last week, director James Gunn has released the Nathan Fillion as Simon Williams/Wonder Man posters that were cut from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

If you’re not aware, Fillion is one of Gunn’s best friends and has appeared in every movie that he has directed — up until now. After giving him a small speaking role in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn came up with a clever way of sneaking Fillion into the sequel without having him film any scenes.

“I really do love the character of Simon Williams/Wonder Man in the comics – a sometimes douchey actor/superhero – and could see Nathan clearly in that role (not because he’s a douchebag but because he’s great at playing one),” Gunn shared on his Facebook page. “But, of course, in a movie set 99.9% in space I didn’t really have a place for him. So in a small flash to earth I decided to put a theater playing a ‘Simon Williams Film Festival,’ with six Simon Williams movie posters outside. Obviously, from the posters, he’s had a run of B movies. Most of them in themselves are Easter eggs of some sort or another.

“Unfortunately, the small section of the scene where they appeared slowed down the movie and I had to cut the Easter eggs from the film (along with storefronts named after comic book luminaries Starlin, Mantlos, Annett and others),” he continued. “Equally a bummer was that a lot of people took photos of these posters on the day so suddenly every fan site was reporting that Nathan was playing Wonder Man in he movie. He was even the third-billed actor on IMDB!”

As for the posters themselves, you can view them in our gallery below. They include references to actual films, like Inception and The Toxic Avenger; people that have worked for Gunn, like Alexei Krassovsky who was the digital assets coordinator for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; and Marvel characters, such as the Conan-esque Arkon as well as a Tony Stark biopic with Fillion posing like Michael Fassbender in the Steve Jobs poster.

By now, you might be thinking: ‘Hey! What about that signed poster you mentioned?’ People are having a hard time figuring out the primary reference for one of the mock movie posters, so Gunn is offering a prize for the lucky person that comes up with the correct answer.

“And STILL no one has gotten the primary reference for the Haxan 2 poster,” Gunn wrote. “I’ll sign a Vol. 2 poster and send it to the first person who gets it below.” Take a look at it directly below, and if you think you have the answer, send Gunn a message.

In the comics, Simon Williams (a.k.a. Wonder Man) is a former member of the Masters of Evil, who reformed and joined the Avengers. Williams eventually retired from being a superhero so that he could pursue an acting career. Despite becoming a pacifist during his time away, he was later dragged back into the Avengers’ active roster, becoming a member of the their Unity Division. Sadly, he paid the ultimate price while defending the Earth from the Apocalypse Twins.

MORE: James Gunn Explains Why Ego Told Star-Lord About His Mother / Director Says That’s Not Teen Groot / “Brandy” Songwriter Comments On Song’s Use / Alternate Costume Designs For Ayesha

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 now playing!