Guardians of the Galaxy is considered one of James Gunn’s best works to date, as it manages to stand the test of both critics and financial measures. Even in the current climate, where several high-profile superhero movies have suffered due to superhero fatigue, Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 earned $845 million globally, emerging as 2023’s fourth highest-grossing movie.
The Chris Pratt starrer trilogy, which has grossed more than $2 billion at the box office, is often praised for bringing a refreshing take on Marvel superheroes that is very different from other high-profile MCU projects, choosing to prioritize the dynamics between the characters rather than the plot itself. The idea of focusing on the familial theme is more prevailing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 than any other movie in the franchise, so much so that Gunn received some very touching reactions from viewers.
How James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Healed Broken Families
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself in a conundrum more than anybody else after meeting Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell), a man claiming to be his father.
As the story progresses, we learn that since Ego was killing his own children, Yondu (Michael Rooker) became the adoptive father of Quill and trained him. During the conclusion phase, Yondu sacrifices himself to save Quill by letting himself die in the vacuum of space.
Speaking about the movie’s influence during a segment for GQ, James Gunn underlined that the dynamic between Quill, Yondu, and Ego helped many individuals deal with broken relationships. He said:
“For the second movie, I was really proud of how, you know we really told this story about a, you know, adoptive father and his son, and how that came together, and how many people have written me over the years saying, I finally like forgive my stepfather for all this whatever they put me through. It’s changed people’s relationships with their family members.”
Making noise at the box office is one thing (GOTG Vol. 2 grossed $869.8 million globally) but influencing the relationships of your viewers is simply heart-touching.
What Dispute James Gunn Had With Guardians of the Galaxy Screenwriter Nicole Perlman
Apart from Gunn, co-writers Nicole Perlman and Dan Abnett also get plenty of plaudits for setting the tone for the franchise. However, it seems the director of all three movies wasn’t convinced when it came to sharing credit with Perlman for the 2014 hit.
MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios revealed that the now co-CEO of DC Studios recognized that the screenwriter started off the process of writing the film, but still didn’t feel that was enough to land her a writing credit. An excerpt from the book read:
“He allowed that Perlman ‘definitely got the ball rolling,’ but didn’t give her much credit beyond that. ‘The original concept was there, that was sort of like what’s in the movie, and then there’s the story and the characters- those were pretty much recreated by me.'”
Regardless, the Writers Guild of America didn’t agree with that sentiment and concluded Perlman deserved credit for the screenplay.
