Spoiler for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to come, so read at your own risk.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 firmly closed the book on this iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fan-favorite team of cosmic benefactors. But as we consider how things ended for each of the Guardians, it’s also a great time to reflect on their travels. Writer/director james gunn did just that during his trio’s press tour, as he shared behind-the-scenes details about the story. One of the main details he discussed is the fact that Zoe Saldaña’s Gamora was supposed to die before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Additionally, he also revealed that he “prayed” for a specific scene in this team-up flick that would help push his story forward.
Some fans seem to think that what James Gunn did with Gamora in Flight. 3 was “painful” but the pain could have come much sooner. The filmmaker opened up about the beloved character’s journey during an interview with The New York Times. Midway through the conversation, he recalled how Thanos’ daughter would meet her demise in the second installment of his franchise. He also shared if there were any other scrapped plans for the other members of the titular team:
Gamora was originally going to die in Vol. 2 and then we talked about it in Infinity War and it worked better for the story. But the others, I always knew where they were going. I knew the whole trilogy was about Rocket, who we think of as a side character, becoming the captain of the Guardians.
The idea of the green-skinned warrior dying in the 2017 film seems somewhat odd now, given everything that’s happened up to this point. Also, I really appreciated that it was Yondu who met his fate in this film – even though it was sad at the time. The emotional third-act moment solidified the relationship between the Ravager and his surrogate son, Peter Quill. So overall, I’m glad Zoe Saldaña’s character got to live a little longer.
She also had some solid moments to shine Infinity War, before she was thrown off that cliff onto Vormir, of course. One of her most tender scenes involved her boyfriend and, like the Great director explained, he specifically asked her to help develop The relationship between Gamora and Star-Lord:
I begged them to have that kiss in the movie, because it needed to really cement their relationship. I had a kiss in Vol. 2 that I cut – it was great, but it came at a weird time. At the end of Vol. 2 you establish the fact that they have feelings for each other quite distinctly but in Infinity War we had to establish that they were now boyfriend-girlfriend and that was a normal thing for them . It wasn’t really about the kiss, it was about showing that they were now a couple.
This liplock did indeed confirm her relationship status with Peter Quill, and while it was nice to see, it made her eventual death all the more heartbreaking. It also gives viewers a better understanding of why Quill got carried away when he and his fellow heroes had Thanos on the ropes. (Though I still don’t think fans are going to forgive him for this reckless move.) But within the MCU and in real life, everything seems to have gone according to plan for him and Gamora as well as the rest of the Guardians.
The two former lovers may not have ended up together at the end of Flight. 3, but they respect each other. Kudos to James Gunn for landing the landing there and for staying flexible and sticking up for his character’s story when needed.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is playing in theaters now, and you can check out CinemaBlend’s schedule for 2023 new movie releases for details on other movies hitting the big screen this year. You can also stream past MCU movies using a Disney+ subscription.