James Gunn Didn’t Think Disney Would Let Him Do One Controversial Thing In Guardians Of The Galaxy 3
James Gunn didn't think Disney would allow an F-bomb in Guardians of the Galaxy 3.
There’s a lot to love about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the final film in James Gunn‘s music-infused galaxy-trekking trilogy. However, there’s one part that the director, who is now the head of the DC Universe, didn’t think would be allowed in the film: a single, well-placed F-bomb. In an interview with Joe.ie, he said he was prepared to be disappointed by Disney’s decision on the matter.
In the interview, Gunn stated that the original F-bomb wasn’t in the script for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. Rather, he told Chris Pratt to say the line during filming. The result was so funny that they decided they had to keep it in the film.
But Gunn wasn’t sure that Disney would let him use the line. Even though Disney had apparently never stopped him from doing anything before, he was worried that an F-bomb in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3 would be a step too far for the House of Mouse. Gunn asked Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige directly whether the line would be allowed, and he got a surprising answer.
According to Gunn, Feige revealed that the Russo Brothers originally had an F-bomb in Avengers: Endgame, which got a big round of applause when they originally screened the film. However, the Russo Brothers decided that they didn’t want the F-bomb to be their legacy. Feige told Gunn that if he’s okay with that line being his legacy, then they can keep it in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will be the last movie James Gunn will make for Marvel Studios, the statement that the film — and the memorable F-bomb — would be Gunn’s legacy is not much of an exaggeration. But for Gunn, who started out his career leaning heavily into shock humor, the idea of an F-bomb being his legacy appealed to him. He told Feige as much, and they kept it in.
Regardless of whether the F-bomb will truly become James Gunn’s legacy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the result was an unqualified success for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Less than a week after its initial release, the movie has made $344 million worldwide, setting it on track to easily surpass the disappointing earnings of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The film has been well-received by critics and fans alike, earning an 82 percent Tomatometer score and an ‘A’ Cinemascore.
The success of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 means that previous worries about so-called “superhero fatigue” might be overblown. After all, the previous two poorly-received superhero films, Ant-Man 3 and Shazam: Fury of the Gods focused on characters that never had a particularly sizeable fandom. Guardians of the Galaxy has been an extremely popular Marvel series since the first film was released, meaning fans are likely far more excited to see the latest Guardians of the Galaxy film than the latest Ant-Man film.
However, whether Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s success will lead to further success for Marvel in the future remains to be seen.
