Warning: Spoilers(?) follow.
This past weekend’s Comic-Con saw the big reveal that Kurt Russell is playing Ego the Living Planet, the father of Star-Lord.
Apparently some fans are upset that James Gunn and Marvel announced the news as they consider it a big spoiler.
Now James Gunn has taken to Facebook to explain why they announced the news, and also why the revelation is not that big of a spoiler.
For comparison, the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 story is not like Empire Strikes Back with Darth Vader telling Luke Skywalker, “I am your father,” it’s that – per Gunn’s words below – “Ego [is] the emotional center” of the film. Gunn previously said in a video posted to Facebook that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is more about family, how Ego felt lonely, etc.
Gunn also says that Kurt Russell/Ego is a big part of the movie, so it would be near impossible to not reveal the role.
Personally, I don’t mind the reveal because now we don’t have to focus on who exactly Star-Lord’s father is, but other questions surrounding the character: How did Ego achieve human form? Why did Ego achieve human form? How will Star-Lord (and the rest of the Guardians) react to the news? Is Ego even a good guy? Does Ego have powers (in human form)? Could someone or something be after Ego because of something he did as the Livng Planet, and now that he is in human form, he’s more vulnerable? Does Ego even have a planet form?
You can read what Gunn had to say below.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” has a May 5, 2017 release starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker and Sean Gunn. New cast members include Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface and Kurt Russell as Ego the Living Planet.
Synopsis:
Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” continues the team’s adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.
Via Facebook:
WHY THE IDENTITY OF STAR-LORD’S FATHER ISN’T A SPOILER.
Don’t read any further if you don’t want to know who he is.
Also you might want to stay off the internet until May and definitely unfollow me and don’t watch our trailers or other ads…
Anyway, people have been particularly excited, confused, and supportive of keeping Marvel Cosmic truly cosmic with the reveal of Peter Quill’s father’s identity. However, there have been a minority of folks who have questioned, and even been angry, that I and Marvel would reveal something so major months before the film comes out.
I get it. If we lived in a perfect world, I wouldn’t tell you ANYTHING before you walked in to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. I wouldn’t tell you Groot was now Baby Groot, I wouldn’t tell you Mantis was in the movie, I wouldn’t say that Ayesha and Taserface are our antagonists, that Yondu and Nebula have incredibly important roles in the film, nor would I tell you that Quill’s father is Ego the Living Planet.
However, the world is imperfect.
Firstly, we have to advertise our film. And it will be impossible to show you very much of Vol. 2 since Ego is very much a part of all of it. We just don’t have a way around it.
Secondly, there are journalists online who love giving you scoops about characters and plot twists in upcoming films. Ego is such a big part of the movie, this was going to come out soon, as much as we’ve tried to hide it (when our online press day happened on set, Kurt Russell sat in a chair that read “J’son,” and all of our script pages and artwork featuring him used the same name). Frankly, I would rather be in control of the announcement myself than have it come out on SpoilersRUs.com in a few weeks.
That said, knowing who Quill’s father is will not diminish your enjoyment of the film in any way. The story is not built to be a shocking twist in the same way Luke’s father was Darth, Soylent Green was people, Rosebud was a sled, or that that pretty woman from Crying Game had a penis (I guess I should have said spoilers before all that). Ego the emotional center of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 from the beginning to the end, and is not a twist.
And believe me – there are many, many more surprises we still have in store for you from Vol. 2 – hopefully the biggest of which is how much you’ll love the movie itself. Because, to me, that’s the only twist that matters.
james
