While most of us probably weren’t expecting to see him making an appearance following the character’s tragic demise in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), writer-director James Gunn has recently come forth once again to confirm that Guardians fans shouldn’t expect to see their favorite arrow-slinging mohawked blue alien returning in the upcoming third film in the series.
Michael Rooker‘s fan favorite Yondu Udanta made the ultimate sacrifice in the finale of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) in order to save his surrogate son Starlord’s life. It was a uncharacteristically noble action made by a character who is known best for being a bit of a scoundrel, and its impact made him very much the heart of the second Guardians film.
Writer-director James Gunn, the mastermind behind the space-faring Marvel franchise, has gone on record a number of times saying that he had no plans on resurrecting the character as he feels it would diminish the meaning of his sacrifice. This week he hammered that point home once again in response to a fan’s question on Twitter. You can see his response below.
As I’ve said before, Yondu is dead & will stay dead as long as I’m involved with the Guardians. His death means something to people & I’m not about to diminish that. https://t.co/27Xem0vX7l
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 18, 2021
It doesn’t get much more concrete than that. As long as James Gunn is involved with the Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise, Yondu will be staying figuratively six-feet-under (I mean that man was incinerated and his remains were jettisoned into space, it doesn’t get much deader than that). If Michael Rooker does in fact sit out Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, it will be the first ever film from James Gunn that Rooker didn’t make an appearance in.
Even actor Michael Rooker agrees that Yondu is best left dead, saying last year on fellow actor Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast:
No way, I’m dead. My character’s dead. I’m with Gunn. There’s consequences when you die. You’re supposed to stay dead. You’re dead. What the hell are you coming back for? Why are they bringing all these schmucks back? Give me a break. Move on. Get another movie.
James Gunn is currently wrapping up his duties on Peacemaker at HBO Max for Warner Bros, which is itself a spinoff of his upcoming film The Suicide Squad, which releases both in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service on August 6, 2021. Once Gunn finishes up his work on Peacemaker he is set to dive into a promotional tour for The Suicide Squad and then straight into production on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 for Marvel Studios.
James Gunn and Marvel Studios’ Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to release sometime in 2023, although no official date has been confirmed by the studio at this time.
Are you sad to hear Yondu is gone for good? Would you like to see Rooker return in another capacity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below and be sure to stick around Geek Anything for the latest Guardians Of The Galaxy updates!
