James Gunn Explains Why Killing Off Characters Isn’t Necessary and Says Goodbye to GUARDIANS VOL. 3 Cast pictured from the set

James Gunn he’s no stranger to killing off characters in his films, and one of the things many fans have wondered is which characters would the director kill off in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the answer to this question.

Regardless of who dies and who lives, Gunn believes that killing off characters isn’t really necessary and explains that it’s the stakes that really matter. During an interview with Collider, Gunn said:

“I don’t think it’s necessary to kill off characters. One of the things I’ve found over the years when I’ve killed off characters in different movies, people know I’m willing to do it. So, you know, I killed – I killed. [Laughs] Yondu died in vol. 2. The original Groot died in vol. 1. In Suicide Squad, I pretty much killed everyone. I killed an important character in Peacemaker. So people know I’m a guy who’s willing to go there, and I think movies have to be like that. Whether that’s true or not, movies have to feel like their lives are really on the line, and in most movies I don’t feel that way.

The director went on to talk about why he kills off certain characters in the films he makes, saying he does it to serve the story he’s telling:

“In some cases, I don’t think we really think Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible is going to die, you know? But for the most part, you have to feel that sense of stakes, and I think that’s more important than actually killing someone. It’s all a function of the story, and if someone dies, it shouldn’t be – I try not to have people who die and are just there to serve another character. It has to work as part of the story and it’s just not – well, I mean, that’s not true in the case of the guys from the beginning of The Suicide Squad. It was just kind of killing them because it’s funny, but in true story, like I’d never kill Yondu just to kill Yondu. He had to be intimately involved in the story and I didn’t want to kill Yondu. Michael Rooker is one of my closest friends, and I had him survive in my first draft because I want to work with Rooker again and I wanted to put him in the next film, and it occurred to me that this is what Di is. You know, Peter Quill has to lose this character in his life and Yondu has to sacrifice his life. He has to pass. This is his redemption, and it can only be done by sacrificing his life, so I knew it was the right ending to the story and I’m always in service of that.”

So when he kills someone, he makes sure he’s doing it for the right reasons. The director also recently shared a photo from the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with him and the cast. That photo came with a note that read:

“Photos from moments after the last time, probably forever, that we took with the entire Guardians cast on set all at once. GotGVol3 will be open in a few days. See you at the cinema.

It’s actually quite sad. But they sure did bring the story to a glorious conclusion!

Photos from moments after the last time, probably forever, that we took with the entire Guardians cast on set all at once. 🥲💜 #GotGVol3 opens in a few days. See you at the cinema. pic.twitter.com/0FE9hkY4DD

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 1, 2023