‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’: How MCU Fans Really Feel About Kraglin Returning Marvel Sunday
One of the reasons the Marvel Cinematic Universe has succeeded so well is that it has a rich history of supporting characters. Die-hard fans know the biographies and trivial details of them all. More casual fans may not know their names, although they may recognize their faces.
So when Marvel mentions Kraglin, devoted fans may roar with approval while casual fans might say “Who?” Either way, the character played by James Gunn’s brother stands to play an important role in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, coming one of these years to a theater near you.
Who is Kraglin?
Refresher course: According to Fandom’s Wiki, Kraglin was basically the second in command to Yondu, the alien character played by Michael Rooker, who had been responsible for taking Peter Quill and setting him on the path to being Star-Lord. However, Yondu and Kraglin found themselves at odds over Star-Lord.
Kraglin misguidedly sparked a mutiny and came to regret his actions. He helps Rocket Raccoon and Yondu escape before helping in the battle against Ego and continues to assist the Guardians after Yondu dies in battle. Kraglin took possession of Yondu’s fin and was learning to master his whistle control arrow, according to Comicbook.com.
Gunn interacted directly with fans about the third Guardians movie and he recently held a “Self-Quarantine Q&A.” A fan asked about Kraglin, and Gunn responded: “What kind of Guardians movie would it be without Kraglin?”
It certainly helps that he’s played by Gunn’s brother Sean, who also serves as the on-set stand-in for Rocket, before the CGI artists render him and Bradley Cooper’s voice track is applied.
What are big fans saying about Kraglin?
On Reddit, fans like Kraglin so much that they missed him in Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame. IMDB only lists Sean Gunn as being the on-set Rocket for Infinity War, while the site credits him with the role of Kraglin for Endgame. However, it was pointed out he didn’t make the cut in that giant Marvel movie.
One fan said: “It’s a shame he was cut out of Endgame. Even if they had to cut him out of the Assemble scene to time everything perfect, I wish they’d have still had him appear in the fight for a moment. I mean Carol wasn’t in the Assemble scene, and I think (though may be wrong on this one) Clint, Gamora and Nebula weren’t in it either, so they could’ve maybe done a quick reshoot to give him a quick new entrance fight, like maybe Clint pulls his bowstring back about to shoot an Outrider, but suddenly Kraglin’s arrow zooms past and hits it first confusing Clint for a moment before Kraglin leaps past charging into battle. Just something small like that to show he was there.”
What’s the status of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?’
Asking when any Marvel movie is going to come out now is a tricky proposition with the ongoing pandemic. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn’t have a projected release date because Gunn is still working on the script. When it didn’t show up in Marvel’s Phase 4 announcement of movies through 2021, Gunn reassured fans the movie was still coming.
First, however, he has to finish working on The Suicide Squad, which only recently finished principal photography. That movie is set to come out in August of 2021, which is presumably far enough in advance that the pandemic wouldn’t affect it.
However, Disney has indefinitely delayed Black Widow, and production has shut down on all their Disney+ shows, including Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision. Given how connected Marvel movies usually are, it’s possible a delay in one could shift the entire slate. For now, fans are hoping to see Guardians 3 in 2022, although adding “thereabouts” might be wide.
