James Gunn has a few issues with how the Avengers movies handled the Guardians of the Galaxy characters

Last Updated on May 2, 2023

When Guardians of the Galaxy was first announced, it was seen as risky for Marvel, who was in the middle of a super hot streak following the first Avengers. But the adaptation was the baby of one of the few filmmakers of the MCU who both wrote and directed a series of films in the universe. James Gunn has overseen the creation and development of the Guardians through the whole trilogy and Christmas Special. However, directing duo, Joe and Anthony Russo had taken the characters under their wings for their inclusion into the epic Avengers chapters, Infinity War and Endgame.

James Gunn was on board as an executive producer for the Avengers sequels, but the director was not involved in the writing process. According to ComingSoon, James Gunn recently spoke about how he feels the Guardians were handled in the films. And while he was pleased for the most part and still able to tie in his vision to the overall arc, Gunn took umbrage to a few aspects. “They did some things that I wouldn’t have wanted,” Gunn responds.

One of the things Gunn says he would have changed is during a moment in Infinity War, Gamora asked Peter Quill to kill her if she was captured by Thanos. In a tense scene where that happens, Quill hesitates to shoot her when she asks for him to. Gunn said he would have had Star-Lord shoot her as soon as she asked. There was also a controversial moment in a heated scene where Quill loses his composure with a neutralized Thanos and starts punching him, which ultimately gave Thanos the victory. Gunn also said he wouldn’t have had Quill make that decision.

Gunn brought on a new name in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with Pom Klementieff getting added to the team as Mantis. She would continue with the crew in the Avengers movies but felt slight concern for the new creative minds behind the Guardians. She claims that, at certain points, both she and Chris Pratt would call up James to make sure the characters were being handled correctly. “I can’t imagine playing Mantis with someone else writing the words. I was being given directions, and I was like, ‘I think I’m going to call James,’ ” Klementieff admitted. 

The Guardians are set to conclude their arc with the upcoming Vol. 3, which hits theaters on May 5.
You can read our review on the film here.