James Gunn almost killed Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

James Gunn told ComicBook.com that he nearly killed off Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but was talked out of it by Marvel executives.

“Gamora almost died in ‘Vol. 2,’” James Gunn said. “I knew from the beginning Zoe only wanted to play the character for so many years, and she’s been very honest saying that she’s done [after this]. And so I was going to have her die. I thought she was the one that was going to sacrifice herself…I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito], and then it just didn’t work that well. It didn’t feel right, it felt much more right to go where we go in that movie. That seemed what was correct for the story.” With Gamora saved for the time being, Gunn still needed a character to sacrifice themselves, and that honor fell to Michael Rooker’s Yondu. As Rooker is a close friend, Gunn admitted that he was “afraid” of telling him the fate of his character.

While Gamora may have escaped being killed in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, death eventually came for her in Avengers: Infinity War. James Gunn said that Joe and Anthony Russo told him of their plan to kill Gamora, as they wanted to be sure he could work with it in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While Marvel may have stepped in to talk Gunn out of killing Gamora prematurely, there were no such limitations for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, meaning that any of the characters are fair game.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finds our beloved band of misfits settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them. The first reactions to the threequel have been reasonably positive, with some calling it the best Marvel movie since Endgame.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will hit theaters on May 5th, so be sure to check out the review from our own Chris Bumbray. Any guesses on which character(s) will make the ultimate sacrifice?