James Gunn discusses decisions on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 as he shares his reasons for not including Thor and the challenges he faced with Adam Warlock’s introduction, during ongoing interviews ahead of his Superman reboot coming to theaters this July. Gunn, reflecting on his final project for Marvel Studios, offered rare insight on the creative conflicts and compromises encountered while wrapping up the popular cosmic franchise.
Gunn’s Reluctance to Include Thor in Guardians
During recent press conversations with Entertainment Weekly, James Gunn explained his decision to avoid featuring Thor in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, despite the character’s official addition to the Guardians team at the end of Avengers: Endgame, a storyline curated by Joe and Anthony Russo. Gunn was clear about his discomfort with writing for Thor, emphasizing his opposition in script notes to Marvel Studios. Gunn’s remarks make it clear he did not want to integrate Thor, preferring to maintain his own narrative vision for the final installment.
“I said in the script notes: ‘I’m not gonna put him in. I don’t want to have Thor in the Guardians. I don’t want to do a movie with Thor,’”
—James Gunn, Writer/Director
He elaborated on his difficulties understanding the God of Thunder’s personality, noting admiration for actor Chris Hemsworth but acknowledging his lack of connection with the character’s voice or development, which influenced the firm stance he took with Marvel executives.
“I don’t understand the character that much. I love watching his movies, and I love Chris Hemsworth as a guy. I don’t understand how to write that character.”
—James Gunn, Writer/Director
Eventually, Taika Waititi handled the crossover obligations in Thor: Love & Thunder, using its opening sequences to disentangle Thor from the Guardians crew—resolving a situation that had been left unresolved since Avengers: Endgame. This let Gunn retain creative control, focusing solely on his established Guardians and their unresolved arcs.
Challenges Introducing Adam Warlock Into the Story
Alongside the Thor dilemma, Gunn spoke candidly about the headache created by the introduction of Adam Warlock, a cosmic figure foreshadowed in a post-credits scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Gunn admitted he may have erred by teasing Warlock’s arrival before having a concrete plan, which resulted in a complicated creative process when developing the third film. Will Poulter ultimately portrayed Adam Warlock, requiring Gunn to work the character organically into the story despite the uneasy fit.
“I have a philosophy about post-credit scenes,”
—James Gunn, Writer/Director
He drew a direct line between his past misjudgments with Marvel and his planned approach to future DCU films, reflecting on the risks of setting up storylines prematurely. This perspective was shaped by the struggle to fulfill the expectations born from those mid- and post-credits teases.
“It’s somewhat related to my own mistakes in my time with Marvel.”
—James Gunn, Writer/Director
“I did not like what I did in ‘Guardians 2,’ where we set up Adam Warlock and we set up the Guardians of the Galaxy and we set up all this s*** that I didn’t necessarily plan on,”
—James Gunn, Writer/Director
He further explained the pitfalls:
“Well, I guess I kind of planned on fulfilling that [Adam Warlock] promise, but you want to be careful about that. The way a post-credits scene works is a punch to the face, like, ‘Oh my God! Look at this.’ At times when you’re using it just solely to set something up, sometimes you’re screwing yourself over. It was not easy to work Adam Warlock into ‘Guardians 3.’ I loved working with Will, and I liked dealing with the character, but at the end of the day, was he kind of fitting a weird square peg into a round hole? A little bit, yeah.”
—James Gunn, Writer/Director
Gunn acknowledged that by creating an expectation with the Adam Warlock tease, he essentially forced himself to complicate the narrative structure of Guardians 3. This proved to be a challenging process, even as he enjoyed aspects of collaborating with actor Will Poulter and tackling the new, cosmic character alongside Rocket Raccoon and the rest of the heroes.
Gunn’s New Projects and Future in Superheroes
As James Gunn prepares for the release of Superman, his debut DCU feature and one of several anticipated entries for the new cinematic universe, he remains focused on DC Studios. Gunn has recently confirmed that a new Wonder Woman script is underway, indicating his attention has shifted fully to DC properties. His commitments as co-CEO at DC Studios, working closely with producers and writers to launch the reboot, mean his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is unlikely in the near future.
Meanwhile, the possibility of more Guardians adventures remains uncertain, as the third film’s closing scenes positioned Rocket Raccoon as the leader of the heroes, leaving room for future stories but no confirmed plans from Marvel Studios or Gunn himself.
Through these reflections, Gunn illustrates the complexities behind major franchise films, where every creative decision—whether retaining or omitting characters, or teasing future storylines—can create prolonged challenges. His candidness about the difficulties with both Thor and Adam Warlock, paired with his determination to maintain creative direction, underscores the tension and responsibility faced by filmmakers at the center of interconnected universes.
