Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will bring back an actress from the Avengers movies but in a new and unexpected role for the MCU's next threequel.
Director/writer James Gunn is pulling out all the stops with Guardians 3's cast, bringing back major players from past movies while introducing a couple of major rising stars in their MCU debuts.
Will Poulter's ultra-powerful Adam Warlock is set to blast his way into the narrative after first being teased in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
On top of that, Gunn will work with Chukwudi Iwuji for a second time after DC's Peacemaker as Iwuji plays the High Evolutionary, although he's far from the only repeat collaborator joining Gunn on this massive blockbuster.
Guardians 3 Reuses Avengers Supporting Actor
Collider revealed that James Gunn cast Linda Cardellini as the voice of Lylla the Otter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
This marks Cardellini's fourth appearance in the MCU, as she also has portrayed Laura Barton since her debut in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
It also marks the fifth official collaboration between Gunn and Cardellini, including their second time in the MCU after Gunn served as an executive producer on Avengers: Endgame, which included Cardellini.
Most notably, Gunn was the writer for 2002's Scooby-Doo and 2004's Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed, in which Cardellini played the live-action Velma.
The report also revealed casting for two other new characters, with Asim Chaudhry playing Teefs the Walrus and Mikaela Hoover playing Floor the Rabbit.
Teefs the Walrus is almost definitely inspired by a character named Wal Rus, who was an engineer that traveled with Rocket and his crew of animals from Marvel Comics
Floor the Rabbit ties back most closely to Blackjack O'Hare, a mercenary who serves as the leader of a unique group called the Black Bunny Brigade.
Gunn described this group of animals as "best friends," teasing a scene between them in which they all dream about going out into the world and finding out what it's like to live freely:
"They’re best friends… and I think it’s a really beautiful scene with them… where they talk about going outside into the sky, in the world, which they’ve never experienced."
With this casting, Cardellini also becomes the 15th actor to play multiple roles in the MCU, most recently following Dave Dastmalchian in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
How Will Avengers Star Shine in Guardians 3?
Linda Cardellini is no stranger to movies like Guardians 3, as she already became an MCU fan favorite through her roles in the Avengers franchise and the Hawkeye series on Disney+.
This threequel will now give her the opportunity to take on a new challenge as a voiceover actor playing a CGI character, teaming up with Bradley Cooper's Rocket Raccoon to close out the Guardians trilogy in style.
This also officially dispels the rumors that circulated surrounding Lylla being played by Lady Gaga, which hit the internet years ago while Guardians 3 was in the early stages of development.
Now, Cardellini looks to play a key part in the story this threequel looks to tell, particularly as Rocket's backstory is fully explored in the MCU for the first time.
And with the MCU's next theatrical release teasing imminent doom for the Guardians' troubled raccoon, Cardellini's inclusion will only add that much more emotion and depth to the story.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will debut in theaters on Friday, May 5.
