You Must Be Quazy: James Gunn Teases a Huge New Character for 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'

We may not know a lot when it comes to #JamesGunn's next #GuardiansoftheGalaxy film, but you can sure expect a supernova of stars to blast off into the cosmos for our third space rodeo. We already saw that "Sly" dog #SylvesterStallone round up the "old" Guardians in one of Vol. 2's many post-credits scenes, but don't expect those guys to be the focus of #JamesGunn's third entry in his trilogy.

With a promise to tie up the Star-Lord saga, and with the introduction of a certain Mr. Warlock, it will still be #ChrisPratt, #DaveBautista, and #ZoeSaldana that are the focus of "Awesome Mixtape Vol. 3." However, alongside the arrival of artificially created superhumans, we should surely expect a few more famous faces from the pages of #Marvel to pop by. Now, it looks like Gunn is teasing one such arrival.

Banding Together

Bear in mind that all of this is speculatory, but isn't that all part of the fun? Fans of the #MCU have spotted one hell of a coincidence on Gunn's twitter when the GotG director shared a tweet of an innocuous VCR from a bygone era. As well as sporting some hideous wood panelling you'd likely see in your grandma's house, there is also the name "Quasar" fastened to the side. Product placement, or a hint of someone special from the Guardians' rogues' gallery?

So, digging a little deeper, who or what is a Quasar (apart from an active galactic nucleus of very high luminosity)? Well, originally introduced as a member of the X-Men, the character Neutron took on the name Quasar in 1990. Over the years, the title has changed hands several times, but is always known as a hero with the power to manipulate vast amounts of energy — same stuff, different names really. Notably, Quasar was first recognized as Wendell Vaughn, an Earth graduate from S.H.I.E.L.D. who was powered by Quantum Bands. While many sites are already reporting that it will be Vaughn coming to Vol. 3, I'm not so sure. Another macho man from Earth to replace Star-Lord? Yawn. There is actually someone much better waiting in the wings!

Vell, Vell, Vell, What Have We Got Here?

Fans of the comic books, or even just those nosey internet surfers, will know that Quasar is one of the many mantles taken on by the character Phyla-Vell. So why Vell, and why now? Interestingly, her story ties in nicely with another key member of the Guardians team — Heather Douglas, a.k.a. Moondragon. We already have our own theories on how Douglas or a variation can come into the fray, and as the daughter of Drax the Destroyer, Vol. 3 could be a now or never for Moondragon. If we really did get Douglas, it would be hard to see a movie without Phyla-Vell also coming along for the ride; mainly due to the pair being two of the best star-crossed lovers in the galaxy.

Gunn has teased and taunted that the Guardians branch of the MCU is ready to embrace its LGBT roots, while Vol. 3 could be the perfect time. As one of Marvel's best-loved same-sex couples, our #comicbook Phyla and Heather embark on a very long and complicated romance through the ages filled with death, vengeance, and being eaten by dragons. While Vell is my personal romantic choice, there are also heroes Richard Rider and Avril Kincaid who have adopted the Quasar title, and Gunn could actually be talking about any of them entering his Guardiansverse — or alternatively, none of them.

We saw how well Pom Klementieff's Mantis integrated into the group, and with there now being another space on the team *sob*, expect Vol. 3 to expand the roster even further. If it really is all-change in a possible Vol. 4, we need to start introducing characters now to fill the big space boots of our current heroes.

No matter who is behind the spandex, Quasar has strong ties to both Nova and Captain Marvel (tick), as well as possibly fulfilling Gunn's promise of more Earth-based heroes (tick), or bringing some much-needed diversity to the MCU (tick). However, in the meantime, let's park this one in the "maybe" pile until we know more and stick in a cassette of "Awesome Mix Vol. 2" while we wait.