Comic book movie crossovers are nothing new, but Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were delighted by the comical pairing of Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy (or “Asgardians of the Galaxy,” if you ask Thor) in Avengers: Infinity War. The God of Thunder officially joined the team at the end of Avengers: Endgame. However, according to GotG director James Gunn, it was a surprise to learn about the Norse deity’s addition to the team he popularized, because he had no intentions of incorporating Thor into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As a matter of fact, when Gunn initially learned about the team-up, his reaction involved an expletive. That’s right, The Suicide Squad filmmaker’s reaction involved an F-Bomb.
While Marvel fans might have been thrilled by the potential of The ‘Asgardians of the Galaxy,’ it turns out that the decision to bring the musclebound hero, played brilliantly by Chris Hemsworth, into the Guardians’ world was one that James Gunn never planned on exploring. It was a decision that Marvel Studios made after Gunn briefly parted ways with Disney, the DC Studios boss told Rolling Stone. According to Gunn:
They chose to have that ending in editing. And I didn’t think it was gonna be in there. Endgame came out right after I decided to do Guardians again. So I didn’t have much say in what was in Endgame, and then it came out and then I was like, ‘What the fuck am I gonna do?’ That’s when [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] told me Taika’s gonna do Thor, and we’ll have the Guardians in it. I said ‘Thank God!’
Gunn’s anxiety over what to do was short-lived since Taika Waititi decided to handle the Thor/Guardians pairing in Thor: Love and Thunder. That’s a good thing too, for both MCU devotees and Gunn, because if the crew hadn't appeared in the God of Thunder's movie they likely would have been confused when he didn't show up in GotG Vol. 3. According to The Belko Experiment writer, he intended to begin his upcoming superhero movie without mentioning Thor. He continued:
To be completely honest, Thor was never going to be in this movie. Taika took a bullet for me. Because I was not going to have him in. I was just gonna start up and there’s no Thor.
It’s clear that Gunn had a particular vision for the third Guardians flick, which did not include the likes of Thor. Marvel Studios may have had other plans, but Gunn remained steadfast in his vision for his franchise, which is shaping up to be one of the strongest trilogies in the entire MCU.
Before the Guardians of the Galaxy debuted on the big screen, they were virtually unknown in mainstream pop culture, leading many to question Marvel Studios’ decision to take a big risk on such an obscure property. However, today they are widely recognized as some of the most beloved heroes in the entire comic book movie universe, and it’s James Gunn’s vision we have to thank for that. Maybe this guy knows what he’s doing after all.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the second movie released in Phase 5, is set to fly into theaters on May 5. Until then, make sure you catch up on all the teams’ other adventures, which you can watch streaming with a Disney+ subscription. You can also check out our schedule of 2023 new movie releases to plan your next trip to the Cineplex.
