Marvel Can't Just Cut Guardians of the Galaxy From Avengers 4

Marvel is currently carrying out reshoots on Avengers 4, and many viewers believe the studio is making some pretty dramatic changes to their plans. Based on recent developments, there's a general belief that the script has changed, and that the Guardians of the Galaxy are being written out of the future of the MCU.

This is a result of Disney's decision to fire director James Gunn, who became unexpectedly controversial after some of his pre-Marvel social media posts resurfaced. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was expected to begin filming in early 2019, but now production has been put on hold indefinitely. The stars have all sided with Gunn, signing an open letter in which they expressed support, but none have been more vocal than Dave Bautista, who's referred to still working for Disney as "nauseating." Bautista is becoming something of a PR nightmare for the House of Mouse, given that he's refusing to let this go, and is continuing to air his views in public.

There's a general sense that something has got to give. By now, it's pretty much certain that it won't be Disney; it's a lot harder for Disney to rehire Gunnthan many fans think. Viewers are beginning to speculate that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will never happen, and there's a common view that the Avengers 4 reshoots will see the Guardians written out of the MCU altogether - perhaps even killed off. Bautista himself has added fuel to this particular fire, but given the level of secrecy surrounding the films, it's possible he wouldn't even know if Marvel did do a rewrite. So, let's take a deep look at what we can expect from Avengers 4 - and whether or not Marvel could (or would) kill off the Guardians.

MARVEL "GETS IT IN THE EDIT" - BUT NOT THIS MUCH

It's important not to overstate the scale of the Avengers 4 reshoots, as the film is mostly done. It's true that additional photography is slated to run over fall and winter, which is quite a long time for reshoots; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that los of changes are being made. Rather, it more likely reflects the large number of A-list actors who are involved in the movie, all of whom will have conflicting schedules. Given the sheer size of the cast, it's no surprise Marvel had to book an extended period of time for additional photography.

Kevin Feige has hinted that the plot of Avengers 4 could change a little during post-production. As he noted in an interview with Birth.Movies.Death:

"We try – what’s the analogy, that a goldfish will grow to the size of the bowl? Ant-Man and the Wasp had very little post and yet we made a lot of strides in post, and we did a lot of very good maneuvering on it with the limited time we had. Avengers 4 has much more time; Ragnarok had much more time and we did a lot. You always fill the time you have. Either you have a lot of time and it really motivates you to think things through, or you have no time, and it really motivates you to think things through!"

But there's a difference between making subtle changes to a film - perhaps reshooting some scenes in order to improve them or tweak dialogue - and changing the entire plot to write key heroes out. That's particularly the case with Avengers 4, which reportedly includes one scene featuring every major Marvel character to date. Juggling so many schedules was so complex that it took Marvel three months to organize the shooting of that single scene. Crucially, it was filmed well before James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so that means it includes the Guardians. There's no way Marvel will try to reshoot that scene in order to cut the Guardians out, because doing so would be a logistical nightmare.

THE SNAP WILL BE UNDONE (SOMEHOW) AND NOT SELECTIVELY

A lot of viewers seem to be focused upon the cliffhanger ending of Avengers: Infinity War - the moment when Thanos extinguished half the life in the universe with a snap of his fingers. One theory runs that the snap will be undone selectively, and that not everybody will return from the dead. If that's the case, so the argument goes, Marvel could simply choose not to resurrect the Guardians at all. Perhaps the "every character" scene is one involving time-travel, with a past version of the Guardians allying with the Avengers against Thanos?

It's certainly true that some of the characters have already been confirmed to return from the dead. We already know Spider-Man: Far From Home, for example, happens "minutes after" Avengers 4. According to Kevin Feige, the resurrected Peter Parker will "hold our hands" and guide us into the post-Phase 3 MCU. There's already been a lot of conversation about sequels for Black Panther and Doctor Strange, too. The Russo brothers may have chosen their victims for story purposes, but in doing so they confirmed that the effects of the snap will be temporary by killing off heroes we know are destined to return.

But here's the catch: as an event, the snap was cosmic in scale, affecting the entire universe. There are only really two scenarios in which the Avengers can put matters right. The first is by using time-travel to prevent the snap ever happening in the first place - in which case, when Avengers 4 is finished, all of the heroes will have been resurrected. The second is by using the Infinity Gauntlet to correct reality, restoring those who died back to life. If the latter method is used, there's simply no reason for the snap's undoing to be selective. That's particularly the case when you remember that, until recently, Marvel was working on a post-Avengers 4 Guardians movie. They had no reason to make the heroes' victory selective, and doing so at this stage would mean a major rewrite to the script.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ISN'T DEAD YET

All this assumes that Marvel would even want to kill off the Guardians. The first two Guardians of the Galaxy films were tremendously popular, and the characters are absolutely loved by audiences across the world. All the actors are contractually signed up for at least one more Marvel movie, and some - most notably Chris Pratt - have previously suggested they'd be willing to extend their contracts. It's unclear if that's still the case, of course, given they could be just as frustrated with Gunn's firing as Bautista, just a bit more diplomatic about it; but we shouldn't write them out of the MCU's future just yet.

It is sadly possible that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will never happen. The franchise is too strongly associated with James Gunn; he was the one who redesigned the comic book characters for the big screen, and he was so protective of them that he even wrote the dialogue for the Guardiansin Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4. Marvel could possibly recruit another director, with Taika Waititi being a popular choice among fans. But whoever they chose would effectively be making somebody else's film, with a cast still reeling from the shock of Gunn's departure, and a very divided fanbase. So, it wouldn't be surprising if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was ultimately written off. However, another (more likely) possibility is that Marvel has simply put the movie on hold in the hopes that tempers will cool.

According to Gunn, this film was intended to "help to set up the next 10, 20 years of Marvel movies." Marvel's plans for these movies are well-advanced, to the point that Kevin Feige has already had meeting about Marvel's slate in 2025. Even if Marvel do sacrifice Gunn's film, they need something to lay the same kind of cosmic foundations; otherwise all those plans go to waste. The fact they still have the Guardians actors on contract for at least one more movie - possibly more in the case of Pom Klementieff's Mantis - means they have familiar and popular characters they could use in that capacity. That may even be why Marvel met with Taika Waititi recently; he's indicated that he'd be willing to make a Thor: Ragnarok sequel, and that could easily serve this purpose, perhaps even incorporating Guardians characters.

In this scenario, it's possible Marvel would still need to do reshoots to Avengers 4; not to show the Guardians' deaths, but instead to find a way to explain why the members head their separate ways. That could even allow Marvel to solve the PR problem that is Dave Bautista; they could let him go, not choosing to use Drax in future movies.

It's too soon to say for certain what Marvel will do. However, there's one thing we can be confident of: like all the rest of the lost heroes, the Guardians of the Galaxy will be resurrected somehow in Avengers 4, and they'll be part of that "every character scene." Looking beyond that, it would be very surprising indeed if Marvel chose to simply kill off some of their most beloved heroes. After all, there's still a galaxy that needs guarding.

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