James Gunn might have wrapped up Guardians of the Galaxy with the recent threequel, but the intergalactic trilogy will always be close to Marvel geeks. A spacefaring adventure led by a bunch of quippy yet heartwarming extraterrestrial mercenaries, the superhero film series is perhaps the most memorable one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As adroitly as Gunn concluded the Guardians’ journey across the cosmos with GoTG Vol. 3 though, things would’ve looked much different in the third installment had he gone ahead with a particular decision, that of killing Gamora.
James Gunn Almost Wrote Off Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora
The Russo brothers’ Avengers: Infinity War might’ve marked Gamora’s death, but James Gunn had been planning on killing the warrior assassin long before the 2018 film, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Zoe Saldaña, who portrays the adopted daughter of Thanos across various MCU projects, had made it crystal clear from the very beginning that she wasn’t big on the idea of playing the character indefinitely. This genuine frankness, in turn, led Gunn to envision a different premise for the GoTG sequel wherein Saldaña’s character would meet her end by sacrificing herself.
Talking about the same with Comicbook.com recently, Gunn, 54 revealed –
“Things always change and you never know. But Gamora almost died in Vol. 2. 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, and Quill was going to learn about himself as opposed to in the second movie, and I thought different of it.”
Alas, the writer/director ended up getting talked out of it, courtesy of Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige along with executive producer Lou D’Esposito.
See also: James Gunn Replaces 7 MCU Actors in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 Including Miley Cyrus
Not Axing Gamora in GoTG Vol. 2 Worked Out for James Gunn
“I was kind of talked out of it by Kevin [Feige] and Lou [D’Esposito], and then it just didn’t work that well,” the DCU head remarked. “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.”
It’s also imperative to note that the Gamora we meet in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t the one from the first movie, it’s instead a different, time-displaced version of her.
See also: “I think the time has come”: Zoe Saldana Wants Gamora Recast After Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Both Infinity War and Endgame led to a plethora of changes across the MCU owing to the different universes and timelines that intersected. And if anything, Gamora’s death in the former ensured a smoother plan of action pertaining to the Guardians’ story. So, in hindsight, not killing off her character in Vol. 2 was for the best. Even Gunn believed the same. “I think it works really well for the third movie,” he admitted.
Source: Comicbook.com
