Director James Gunn has had a lot on his plate lately after leaving Marvel Studios to work for DC. However, despite his busy schedule, Gunn explained via Entertainment Weekly why he had to return and give the third iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise a shot, citing the film's tiny and armed character as one of the reasons.
In a lengthy interview with EW, the director addressed the phenomenon of lackluster third films in trilogies but assured fans that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would shift away from the usual third film formula. "The amount of good third episodes in a trilogy, I can count them on one hand," he said, adding that there are simply not enough excellent third ones. Serving as his final film at Marvel Studios, Gunn shared that the third Guardians film will showcase each character's story. Even while he has a lot to do with his latest project in the DC Universe, the Guardians of the Galaxy have always been in the back of his mind, and he believes that the entire Guardians' character arc is still unfinished, especially the one to whom he has the strongest connection: the brooding and outwardly stubborn Rocket.
Explaining his return, the director said: "One of the reasons why I came back to [make] this movie was because I felt like I needed to tell Rocket's story," he told EW, explaining that there are many reasons why it could be sad for him to leave the trilogy unfinished, but his connection with the anthropomorphic raccoon has been the primary one, to which he said: "To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies. From the beginning, it has been rooted in who he is as a character. I think he exemplifies a lot of the traits of all the Guardians. They've had all these traumas, and it brings them together. I just think that his is more extreme than others."
It's safe to say that Rocket's charm overshadows his vulgar and sometimes selfish persona, which has made him one of the franchise's fan favorites. And despite Rocket's headstrong personality, Gunn believes there's more to Rocket than meets the eye:
"He was just fine being an animal, and he was transformed into something else he didn't want to be. I think that transformation itself was extremely painful, but I also think it made him feel incredibly alienated from everyone else. In Vol. 3, we learn a lot about his past — where he came from, who he is, and what he's been through. It's been a difficult road for the little animal."
Gunn has directed various films for Marvel Studios, including Avengers: Infinity War, the two Guardians of the Galaxy installments, and the upcoming third film in the Guardians franchise. On the DC side, he directed The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, and the forthcoming Superman film, which has caused quite a stir online due to a casting setback involving Henry Cavill—but that's a story for another time.
Gunn's explanation alone makes us want to root for Rocket even more. He has so far promised a lot of good things about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But would he be able to keep his promises? That would have to wait until the film opens in theaters on May 5, 2023. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer below.