James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the summer spectacle that everyone had been waiting for with palpable impatience. Given that it’s Gunn’s last MCU project, the thrill and anticipation on the fans’ part were only natural. On top of that, critics wouldn’t stop beaming and gushing about the threequel after its screening at Disneyland Paris.
While Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell was jubilant about the “satisfying end to the Guardians,” Alexander Kardelo from Movie Zine praised the film to the skies, claiming how Rocket Raccoon’s origin story was “beautiful and heart-wrenching.” Incidentally enough, one of the most significant characters concerning the shrewd mercenary’s genesis almost ended up being a Fantastic Four villain, Annihilus.
!! Spoiler Alert! This article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. !!
Annihilus – the Fantastic Four Villian That Nearly Starred in GoTG Vol. 3
In a recent round of Twitter Q&A, when a fan asked if Annihilus “was also going to be a candidate for Rockets creator,” James Gunn revealed that the supervillain had indeed been a potential choice.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Annihilus is a paranoid interdimensional tyrant who first featured in 1968’s Fantastic Four Annual #6. However, though he serves as the primary adversary of the Fantastic Four, the Arthrosian antagonist is also seen going up against the Guardians of the Galaxy in Marvel comics. Holding the formidable power of the Cosmic Control Rod, Anihilus rules over the inhabitants of the Negative Zone, with the sole purpose of protecting and defending his life and vanquishing anybody who seems to pose a threat to him.
The insectoid and nihilist has, however, not been a part of any live-action MCU adaptations yet, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 would’ve marked his first on-screen appearance, had Gunn gone through with the decision.
Rocket Raccoon’s Tragic History With the High Evolutionary
Bradley Cooper‘s Rocket Raccoon is, more or less, the epicenter of the third and final installment in the space saga, considering how the intense urge to narrate the character’s story was what drove Gunn to helm the project, to begin with. Not to mention, the genetically modified raccoon has always been a personal favorite of his. “To me, Rocket has always been the secret protagonist of the Guardians movies,” Gunn told EW last year.
So, while GoTG Vol.3 focuses on painstakingly wrapping up the iconic galactic trilogy, it also revolves around Rocket’s tragic past and everything that shaped him into the cute yet lethal animal that he is.
The threequel introduces fans to Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary, an evil and deranged yet brilliant scientist responsible for Rocket’s brutal transformation from a mere baby raccoon into a cyber-genetically enhanced genius. The High Evolutionary’s obsession with the creation of a utopia is what drove him to conduct monstrous experiments on various species, his vehement desire resulting in the fabrication of entirely new races and worlds.
As it turns out, however, Gunn, 57, almost replaced the Peacemaker star’s villain in GoTG Vol. 3 with Fantastic Four‘s Annihilus. It was probably for the best anyways because the film wouldn’t have been the same otherwise.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is currently playing in theatres.
Source: James Gunn | Twitter
