Guardians Of The Gay-laxy: James Gunn Hints At Gay Character In 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2'

It is no longer just the stars and stripes of Captain America or Robert Downey Jr.'s macho Stark that make up the ranks of the #MCU. Marvel is known for being at the forefront of diverse #comicbook stories, however, we are yet to see much of this spill over into the MCU (yet). As we expand our horizons into the ranks of a Black Captain America, an outed Ice-Man, and a female Thor, will the feature films follow suit, and dare we say it, adopt same sex relationships too?

One world where you can literally be whoever (or whatever) you want is the #GuardiansoftheGalaxy. With their experimental line-up and light-hearted take on the world, it is easy to imagine that #JamesGunn's film series of the same name would be the easiest place to introduce an LGBTQ character without being accused of doing it for a ratings ploy.

The most diverse team in the galaxy.

Exploring far-off lands and alien species, why not explore same-sex relationships as well? Disney has been circling the idea with Star vs the Forces of Evil and Beauty and the Beast's "gay moment," however, #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol2 could already have its own LGBTQ protagonist.

Speaking to PA, Gunn teased that it is an idea that had definitely crossed his mind, and then dropped a spoilerific bomb:

"Absolutely. I would love to be able to. We might have already done that. I say watch the movie. Check it out. See what you think."

It is safe to say that the internet went into overdrive, however, Gunn seemed to backpedal when readdressing the comments in a follow-up interview by Digital Spy on the red carpet:

"What I meant to say is this: There are a lot of gay people in the world. There are a lot of bisexual people in the world. There are a lot of characters in the MCU. We've barely gotten to know the sexuality of any of those characters…"

"We know Gamora and Quill are interested in each other. That's about the only sexual relationship that exists within the Guardians. We know Drax has a past with a wife so he's got some sort of interest in women. But we don't really know who's gay and who's not. It could be any of them."

All The Colors Of The Rainbow

We already know about Drax's wife, that Groot reproduces through spores, Star-Lord and Gamora are likely to hook up, and Rocket's rap sheet included a mention of the anthropomorphic otter called Lylla. However, with such diverse reimaginings of classic comic book origins, literally anyone could take a fancy to another member of the team. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to have Gamora turn down Star-Lord because she has lesbian tendencies, which would also heighten the film's ironic tone.

Elsewhere, if Sylvester Stallone is playing who everyone thinks he is, that certain character has a "curious" background. Other expected additions to the eventual roster include lesbian couple Moondragon and Phyla-Vell, who are two of Marvel's most important LGBTQ characters. Even if Gunn is just misdirecting us, with Vol. 3 reportedly being the final iteration of the team as we know it, expect a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 and beyond to amp up the same sex exploration.

Broadening the franchise's demographic is certainly one way to continue Disney's "include all" mentality, and giving us a homosexual #superhero is any easy way to teach younger audiences about acceptance. While we aren't expecting Michael Rooker's Yondu to suddenly to make a pass at Drax the Destroyer, at least Gunn seems keen to start laying the groundwork for relationships that aren't just man meets woman, man kisses woman, woman swoons. I would say that at the moment it seems that Gunn's comments are a thought process rather than a full confirmation, but at least he is willing to let the rainbow flag fly.

(Source: PA/Digital Spy)