James Gunn is an exceptional director. Not only did he make the jump from early films with B-movie charm to major blockbuster productions. He is also one of the few directors allowed to take responsibility for an independent trilogy in the MCU. No wonder: Gunn put his own handwriting on the first part of “Guardians of the Galaxy”. The work is one of the most memorable chapters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which now has more than 30 entries.
The first two parts of the trilogy are dedicated to Peter Quill aka Star-Lord. Played by Chris Pratt, he leads the misfit gang of space mercenaries after a traumatic childhood experience. His character is not just the emotional anchor of the story. He is also our human identifier in the gang, which otherwise mainly consists of alien figures. But for James Gunn, another character is the real protagonist…
Rocket is the heart of the Guardians!
For Gunn, Rocket Raccoon is the hero of the series, he said in an interview with explained: “For me, Rocket was always the secret protagonist of the ‘Guardians’ movies. From the beginning the movies were rooted in who he is as a character. I think he embodies a lot of qualities of all Guardians. They all had their traumas that brought them together. Only he has it more extreme.” In Rocket, Gunn sees everything that characterizes the Guardians in its purest form.
That was one of the reasons why Gunn felt it was so important to also tell the third chapter in the series. He wanted to take the story of the fierce raccoon further: “I felt I had to tell Rocket’s story. I would have been very sad if I hadn’t finished the trilogy for many reasons, but I just feel very connected to Rocket. I feel like no one else could tell his full story.”
That not only sounds very intimate, but also feels that way in the space adventures. Fortunately, Gunn has always had great artistic freedom. After all, it is thanks to him that the previously relatively unknown characters became icons of the MCU. After co-writing the first installment, Gunn single-handedly wrote the script for the sequels.