While the MCU has done an absolutely fantastic job of taking characters from Marvel Comics and transferring them quite effectively to the big screen , the films are never an exact carbon copy of the comics. This is mostly the case due to the franchise working diligently to make the stories as practical and believable as possible when implementing these characters into a version of our real world, but there are always some details that don’t make the cut.
This is even the case with the more otherworldly and mythical heroes from franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy , although it hasn’t deterred its popularity in the slightest. Thanks to a new thread on social media, the director of this franchise has shared some inside information on a comic book detail associated with the lead character that didn’t make its way into the film.
NEWS
In a new thread on his personal Twitter account , Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was asked by a fan why Star Lord didn’t have the classic elemental blaster weapon in the film that he uses in the comics. Gunn replied, explaining that he wanted to make sure the audience didn’t have too much science fiction stuff thrown at them in a two-hour movie, and that even while he loved them in the comics, it would “add one weird thing too many.”
The fan question, along with Gunn’s full response, can be seen here:
He also explained why he couldn't just throw the elemental guns into the picture without explaining anything about them in the following tweet:
WHAT THIS MEANS
While they haven’t been utilized in the MCU yet, Peter Quill’s elemental blasters are a classic weapon choice of his from the comics , and powerful ones at that. There are multiple versions of the blasters in the comics, which include two different barrels and triggers for firing in both lethal and non-lethal fashion. In the 616-comic continuity, they can even be used to summon the four major elements of Earth/wind, fire, water, and lightning.
Quill’s parental lineage was changed slightly from the comics, making him the son of Kurt Russell’s Ego the Living Planet, and having him spend most of his life as a galactic outlaw. The blasters he uses in the film seem to fit his background and personality a little more realistically since he is more of a rebel and a thief than he is in the comics.
The elemental guns have been missing throughout Peter Quill’s story on screen up until to this point, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will never be utilized. Gunn is a master at both teasing his films and hiding spoilers simultaneously, and choosing to answer this fan question could open up the possibility of the elemental gun coming to fruition in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 .
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to go into production sometime in 2021 , likely in the fall after Gunn finishes his work on DC’s Peacemaker . There is no official release date currently set .
