Why The Collector Is Not In Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2. Revealed

In 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot head to the Knowhere (a mining colony built inside the decapitated head of a Celestial), where they met Taneleer Tivan/The Collector (portrayed by Benicio Del Toro). “The Liberace of the Universe,” as he was referred to in James Gunn’s script, showed off his extensive collection of interstellar fauna, relics and species and explained the true value and power of the orb that they possessed.

Even though Del Toro had expressed a desire to reprise the role so that he could further develop the creepy and seductively charming character, The Collector will not appear in the sequel. Why is that?

“I think part of it was about making the universe feel big,” executive producer Jonathan Schwartz told ComicBook.com, along with other members of the press, during a set visit. “We love the Collector. We’d love to tell more of that story but I think there’s so much more of the cosmic of the Marvel universe to explore that it’s about establishing new worlds and going new places. It wasn’t about visiting characters we’ve seen before. There are characters that’ll come up who have arcs that are unfinished, but there’s only mentions of the Collector in this movie.”

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).

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 5, 2017. Avengers: Infinity War is set to hit theaters May 4, 2018.