You Sly Dog: Sylvester Stallone Will Play A Huge Part In The Future Of The MCU

As Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 rockets into cinemas and rides a supernova of positive reviews, many are asking, "Is it really better than the first one?" With more humor, more songs, and more Guardians, you would be hard pressed to disagree with the claim.

Away from the likes of #ChrisPratt, Dave Bautista, and Zoe Saldana, #SylvesterStallone's inclusion in the cast was a pleasant surprise to this year's sequel. As he laces up his gloves to fully punch his way into the #MCU, it looks like the action superstar's part won't just be limited to #GuardiansoftheGalaxy2.

You can't stall Stallone.

It was established way back when that Stallone would be playing one of the Ravagers, the ragtag crew of space pirates introduced in Gunn's original film from 2014. However, as details slowly emerged and the confirmation trickled through, fans were over the "Moondragon" to learn that Stallone would be playing Stakar Ogord, a.k.a. Starhawk.

Speaking to the Toronto Sun, Gunn confirmed that we should expect Stallone to be suiting again sometime in the near future:

"My plan is to see more of him. I’m not sure about him appearing in Vol. 3, we’ll have to see about that, but it’s our plan to see more of Stallone. Kevin [Feige] and I are working on what is going to become of the Marvel Cosmic Universe and where it’s going to go. We plan to see the rest of them in the future."

As one of the original Guardians, it is safe to say that Starhawk was never going to be reduced to just a cameo in Vol. 2. Gunn may have confirmed that the sequel (Vol. 3?) will be the last chapter of the Guardians as we know them, so who better to head up the new era than Stallone's astral antihero?

A Galaxy Of Stars

While Gunn doesn't completely rule Stallone out of Vol. 3, it would make sense that we save him for a much larger part in a fourth entry. Just as the MCU started with Iron Man, branched into The Avengers, then returned to solo films, could the Cosmic MCU do the same? I'm not saying that Starhawk deserves his own spin-off film, but the pages of the #comicbook are ripe for the adapting.

In Vol. 2, Stakar briefly features toward the film's climax as the man who banished Michael Rooker's Yondu for selling child slaves on the side. Although advanced in years, Starhawk still clearly carries some serious presence in the galaxy. It is also clear from Vol. 2 that we are queuing up the rest of "them," including: Michelle Yeoh, Ving Rhames, Miley Cyrus and Michael Rosenbaum. There may still be room for a couple more of the "original" lineup, but for the meantime, let's continue to focus on Star-Lord and his team.

It is refreshing to see that if Gunn is moving toward the original Guardians in future films, he has gone with a largely older cast that can marry together all the timelines. The MCU is stereotypically held up by young bucks like Scarlett Johansson and now Tom Holland, so why not explore the myriad of talent from the over 40s?

Rocky 'N' Roll

Given a resurgence from his days as playing the hardman boxer Rocky Balboa, Stallone has enjoyed success in the likes of Rambo, Cliffhanger and the Expendables films. Even at 70, he shows he has the Hollywood credentials to get everyone's tongues wagging and it seems that Gunn is just as keen as we are to see more of Stallone as Starhawk:

"It’s my plan to have Sly and I talked to him last night — to find a place for him in the future of the Marvel Universe."

With huge stars like #RobertDowneyJr., Samuel L. Jackson, and Anthony Hopkins all being part of the MCU, Sly's continued involvement lines up with Gunn's plans to see more A-listers join the MCU. As the highest-grossing movie franchise of all time, #Marvel certainly has the cash to splash when it comes to securing talent for its future.

As Phase 4 also ushers in a new era for the MCU, and with the plans for the future unsure, at least we can count on Sylvester Stallone's broad shoulders to piggy-back us into the ever expanding galaxy.

(Source: The Toronto Sun)