For their final full trip to the big screen under James Gunn, the Guardians of the Galaxy are blazing a trail for cursing in the MCU. As revealed in a previous clip, Chris Pratt dropped the first F-bomb in the history of the Marvel films and in a pretty mundane spot too, making it all the more hilarious when the seal was finally broken. The monumental moment for these PG-13 films opens the question of what the MCU's stars would say if they were given the freedom to say whatever they wanted. Collider's own Perri Nemiroff interviewed stars Pom Klementieff and Karen Gillan ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's release and asked Klementieff specifically what swear she'd like Mantis to drop in a future project.
The MCU movies are family affairs and swears are hard to come by, making it all the more impactful when someone, like Peter Quill, says something uncharacteristic of the squeaky-clean franchise. Things are likely to get a bit spicier with Deadpool 3 which will keep its R-rating, but more often than not, the naughty words are disguised with cuts or clever writing in order to get the point across without actually saying anything out loud. Technically, Vin Diesel's Groot has even snuck in a bad word! Mantis, however, is especially naive and definitely the most innocent of the Guardians, meaning it would be all the more hilarious to hear her curse - and hear Drax (Dave Bautista) react to the shocking development.
Klementieff recalled a discussion she and the team had on set when thinking of the perfect swear. "Oh my god. We tried a lot of different words on set, and then he chose — what was it at the nut thing? It was so funny." Gillan wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about, but Klementieff then came up with a better idea. "Something with nuts! No, I would just say something in French." Her specific word of choice would be "Merde" which, as the star explains, "It means shit."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Will Be an Emotional Goodbye for the Found Family
For Klementieff, and the rest of the Guardians, Vol. 3 is set to be an emotional and glamorous sendoff for the team nine years after they first took to theaters. Their last tour together under Gunn will be a darker one too as it explores Rocket Raccoon's (Bradley Cooper) past while the rag-tag group tries their best to save their friend. On top of that, Quill is still reeling from the death of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) whom he not only loved but helped discover himself with. Despite the dire circumstances, this found family never seems to lack humor hence why it's so fitting to openly discuss swearing in relation to this team.
Joining the final installment alongside the Guardians is Will Poulter as Adam Warlock and Chukwudi Iwuji as the cruel High Evolutionary alongside fellow MCU newcomers Daniela Melchior and Nico Santos. Cosmo the Space Dog is returning with Maria Bakalova voicing once again with the rest of the cast also featuring Sean Gunn, Asim Choudhry, Linda Cardellini, Sylvester Stallone, and Elizabeth Debicki.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres in theaters on May 5. Check out the fill interview with Gillan and Klementieff below: