Over the course of theGuardians of the Galaxyfilms,James Gunnhas seen his team of galactic heroes change as the story of the MCU unfolded around them. Although he entered with a specific plot line he wanted to follow with the characters of Peter Quill, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, and Groot, among others, things inevitably shifted as more films were released, and more ideas were introduced. The results have been stellar, andthis rag-tag found familyhas grown exponentially as characters since starting their journey together in 2014. One character throughout the series, however, was never expected to be among the ranks of the Guardians when Gunn was initially putting everything together—Kraglin.
Ahead ofGuardians of the GalaxyVol. 3’s release, Gunn sat down with Collider’s ownPerri Nemiroffto discuss which character’s arc changed the most from what he had initially planned, and Kraglin was the first character he mentioned. Portrayed bySean Gunn, the former Ravager first mate was introduced in the originalGuardiansand initially didn’t have a major impact on the larger plot. Although he shared a connection with Quill (Chris Pratt) after Yondu (Michael Rooker) took him in, he was mainly there to be Yondu’s right-hand man, helping in his hunt for Quill. Over time though, he demonstrated a surprising amount of heroism, learning from his mistakes inVol. 2and later joining the fight against Thanos (Josh Brolin) on Earth. Most recently he was with the Guardians inThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, evenmeeting the Earth “hero"Kevin Baconin the process. The steady development of Kraglin shocked the director, who said:
“The most different was Kraglin because he was just the first mate who I gave a name to and I didn’t know that he was going to become such a main part of the Guardians of the Galaxy. I never would have thought he was gonna be on the poster with a head-fin. That just kind of developed. And also because it was cheaper because we already had hired Sean for Rocket, and so we saved money by also giving him another character.”
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Vol. 3Will Be Kraglin’s First Full Tour With theGuardians of the Galaxy
In contrast to Kraglin, Gunn did have a few characters who stuck close to how he originally envisioned their three-film arc panning out. “But, I will say Rocket and Quill and Nebula were very close to what I originally envisioned from the beginning,” he added.Vol. 3will be a big film for both Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Quill as itexplores the raccoon’s dark pastwhile also focusing on Quill as he comes to grips with himself after losing the love of his life Gamora (ZoeSaldaña). AsGunn previously detailed, it’ll move back and forth through Rocket’s past and present as the Guardians do their best to try and save him.
In a sense, though, this will be a major film for Kraglin too as fans will get their mainline entry with him in action as a member of the Guardians. Theannoying yet charming herowas with the team for last year’sThor: Love and Thunder, but it should be an entirely different dynamic watching him travel through space opposite Quill and company in a film under Gunn’s leadership. Sean Gunn’s Kraglin will star alongside Pratt, Cooper, Saldaña,Dave Bautista,Karen Gillan, andPom Klementieffwith MCU newcomersWill PoulterandChukwudi Iwuji,Daniela Melchior, andNico Santos.Maria Bakalovawill also voiceCosmo the Spacedogonce again after appearing in the holiday special.
Guardians of the GalaxyVol. 3reaches theaters on May 5. Check out the trailer below:
