Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was an incredible movie and packed full of awesome moments and Easter Eggs for fans to enjoy. The sequel was recently released on Digital HD, DVD, and Blu-ray and we've now taken a deep dive into James Gunn's director's commentary to share with you some of the biggest and most shocking secrets which have been revealed about the beloved Marvel movie.
From changing plans with Adam Warlock and the original Guardians to that amazing opening sequence, improvised scenes, and Easter Eggs, we've got you covered here with all the best reveals.
Don't worry if you still want to check it out for yourselves, though, as we don't reveal everything; just some of the most interesting factoids dropped by the filmmaker. Needless to say, SPOILERS do follow.
8. Yondu's New And Improved Fin
A lot of changes were made to the source material when the Guardians of the Galaxy were brought to the big screen for the first time in 2014 but one thing a lot of fans surprisingly found fault with was...the size of Yondu's fin?! That's right, many of them were actually really upset about the lack of a giant red fin and while the character himself had been greatly changed, it was this that was a real sticking point.
Gunn reveals that he decided to have Yondu don his original fin solely to appease those who complained the first time around but rather than just alter it by the time the sequel began as he would a costume, the director revealed that he wanted to make it part of the hero's journey and turned its inclusion into one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's best - and bloodiest - sequences. It was definitely memorable!
7. Baby Groot Wasn't Always A Baby
Groot stole the show in Guardians of the Galaxy but not even Marvel realised just how much of a sensation Baby Groot would be after appearing in the movie's mid-credits scene. As a result, they were forced to rush out a wave of merchandise featuring the character. So, surely the beloved sentient tree remained a baby to shift more toys by the time Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released, right? Not according to James Gunn.
The director reveals that his plan was for Groot to be returned to his full-size by the time the events of the sequel kicked off but he felt that was too repetitive and would have been a retread of old ground in terms of how the character was portrayed here. That's why we got Baby Groot in Vol. 2 but it's still hard not to believe Marvel didn't see $$$ signs when it came to this pint-sized version of the hero.
6. Some Surprising Improvisation From Nebula
One of the highlights of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was watching the evolution of the relationship between Gamora and Nebula. The latter was fleshed out considerably more in the sequel and the reveal that she simply wanted to be loved by her sibling came as a real shocker. By the time they were ready to part ways, Gamora and Nebula finally shared a hug but what happened next wasn't in the script.
As you may recall, Nebula hugs her sister back slowly with one arm before storming off but it was actually Karen Gillan who decided to add that to the scene and it was something which actually made Gunn tear up (let's face it, he wasn't the only one). As a result, it was included in the final cut of the sequel and really helped to further establish their relationship as we head into Avengers: Infinity War.
5. There's More To That Tracking Shot Than You Thought
Guardians of the Galaxy kicked off with a fun dance sequence featuring Star-Lord but Vol. 2 topped that by having Baby Groot dance to ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky." It's a brilliant sequence and the tracking shot is masterfully shot as Baby Groot has a little boogie while his teammates battle the Abilisk in the background and attempt to protect the oblivious sentient tree from harm.
The whole thing is incredible and Gunn reveals in his director's commentary that it actually went through 4000 different versions. In fact, it was so complex that it needed to be produced during the entire shoot of the sequel and wasn't actually ready for moviegoers to see until a few short weeks before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 reached theaters. That's cutting it close but it's fair to say that it was definitely worth it.
4. Some Hidden Easter Eggs
Guardians of the Galaxy's big Easter Egg still hasn't been discovered and it sounds like there's another hidden somewhere in Vol. 2. Gunn doesn't talk too much about that in his director's commentary but does at least point to where fans should be looking for a few others. After Ego the Living Planet reveals his true nature, Nebula and Gamora discover a huge pile of bones belonging to the children he murdered.
Gunn says that we should take a closer look at those because there are some very cool Easter Eggs hidden in there; none have been discovered as of yet but at least we now know where to look! The filmmaker also confirms that the inclusion of the Zune and Dairy Queen weren't for promotional purposes; it was because the former would be funny and the latter was actually the one Gunn grew up near in Missouri.
3. About That New Marvel Studios Logo
A lot of Marvel Studios movies now have an opening scene before the logo and fanfare comes on screen but that wasn't the case for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The first movie showed Peter Quill being abducted by the Ravagers before it appeared so why did Gunn decide to change that for the sequel? Well, it's not a massively exciting explanation as it actually boils down to timing more than anything.
With the logo now the longest it's ever been, the decision was made to move it to the start because it would have created too long a gap between the opening sequence with Ego and Meredith Quill and the Guardians' battle with the Abilisk. It makes sense but Spider-Man: Homecoming successfully managed to put the new logo between two scenes so it sounds like this was just a decision Gunn made for his movie.
2. Star-Lord's T-Shirt
Ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, there was a lot of speculation about Peter Quill's t-shirt and the strange looking language adorning it. The sequel never provided an answer but it turns out that it has some significance for Star-Lord. It translates to "Gear Shift" and that's actually the brand of the hero's favourite candy, something which can actually be seen throughout the Milano.
Another interesting reveal came in regards to the portrayal of Ego, Peter Quill's father. If you were wondering how exactly Gunn managed to make Kurt Russell look young, the filmmaker shot the scenes with the actor and then brought in a younger body double to act it out the exact same way and the visual effects team then merged them to create the young Ego. It's a clever trick and one that ended up working perfectly in the movie.
1. Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock's cocoon was introduced in one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's many mid-credits scenes but Gunn has revealed that the fan-favourite character once had a far more significant role in the sequel. However, when he realised that there were too many heroes and villains in the movie, the filmmaker was forced to decide between Warlock and Mantis and ultimately settled on the latter.
That wasn't the only change, though, as Gunn reveals that the original Guardians meeting up again wasn't actually in the script. He had this idea fairly late in the game and decided it would be a nice surprise for fans to see them reunited and open the door to this team of Ravagers having more adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and possibly appearing in the planned third instalment.
Which of these new details from the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director's commentary is your favourite? Have we missed any you picked up on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.