James Gunn Shuts Down Captain America & Star-Lord Fan Theory

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Captain America Star-Lord

Fan theories are highly prevalent with nearly every blockbuster movie franchise running, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is now into its 26th project with no signs of slowing down. Some of these theories even find their way into interviews with the MCU's leading personalities, giving reason to think hard about what's really coming.

In Phase 4 alone, Marvel Comics big bad Mephisto already made the rounds online through the course of WandaVision even though he couldn't have been further from developers' minds. Fans are currently enveloped in ideas about Kang the Conqueror making his full MCU debut in Loki, which could come to fruition in the next couple of weeks.

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn recently took a look at a fan theory from his own movies, although it isn't one that turned out to be true.

CAP AND STAR-LORD AREN'T RELATED

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn took to Twitter to clarify the fan theory that Captain America is Star-Lord's grandfather in the MCU.

laura-haddock-marvel-movies
Marvel

This theory seemingly started when fans realized that actress Laura Haddock played two roles in the MCU: an adoring fan in Captain America: The First Avenger and Peter Quill's mother Meredith in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies. As such, some fans speculated that these two characters could be mother and daughter and that Steve's on-screen interaction with the adoring fan in The First Avenger led to an off-screen fling.

Guardians of the Galaxy Opening Scene Peter Young
Guardians of the Galaxy

When a fan asked about the validity of Peter Quill being Steve Rogers' grandson, Gunn reiterated that Greg Henry plays one of Star-Lord's grandfathers and that the other would be Ego the Living Planet's father. Gunn also confirmed that Meredith Quill was born long after Captain America sacrificed himself in 1945 during the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. Gunn continued to explain to a persistent fan that Quill's grandfather would have been too young to have fought in World War II:

The Direct Image
James Gunn Twitter

NOTE: The above Tweet has been deleted, a snapshot of the Tweet has been provided by the Wayback Machine

UPDATE: The first She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode has provided further information on Captain America's love life, further disproving that he was ever Star Lord's grandfather.

SEPARATE WORLDS FOR TWO AVENGERS

As cool as it would be to have seen a familial tie between two of the MCU's trio of Chris, Evans and Pratt's characters are simply portrayed as coworkers with no blood relations.

It's fun to see Gunn actually dive into theories like this and help fans learn the intimate details about the stories he helps to create. With nearly two dozen MCU projects confirmed through 2023 and more reportedly on the way after that, there will be no shortage of ideas flowing from every corner of the fandom.

Gunn is currently preparing for the streaming and theatrical debut of The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros., which will arrive on August 6. He will then switch gears to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which will come to theaters on May 5, 2023.

- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.