Iconic director James Gunn has revealed his ambitious plans for Guardians of the Galaxy spin-off movies. Since Gunn gave the rag-tag team of space rogues their first silver screen outing in 2014, the team has grown to be a powerhouse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Aside from the original and 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Star-Lord and co. also popped up in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. There’s been no shortage of drama surrounding Gunn’s role as overseer of the Guardians, but now he’s firmly back behind the wheel, it sounds like he’s planning on exploring even more of that ginormous galaxy.
Dave Bautista is best known as the muscular might of Drax the Destroyer and is a cornerstone of the Guardians. When asked about his ongoing role as the bulky brute, Bautista told Collider, “What I would like to do is honestly, and this is not my idea, I’m stealing this idea, but James Gunn had the idea to do a Drax/Mantis movie. And that’s what I would be up for, because there’s just too much fun there.”
Gunn then shared the article and said his idea was “amazing”. The director added, “True. But this was never ruled out. I still think it could be amazing. @DaveBautista @PomKlementieff (sic)”. Pom Klementieff’s Mantis is a relatvie newcomer and joined the fold for Vol. 2 as the downtrodden servant of Kurt Russell’s villainous Ego.
There was a tender moment in Vol. 2 where Drax discussed his family with Mantis. Those up on their comic book history will know the character of Moondragon is the daughter of Drax. There has been plenty of talk about when/if Moondragon could join the Guardians. Moondragon is considered a major LGBTQ+ character in Marvel Comics and famously paired up with Phylla-Vell to become a power couple of the franchise.
It’s easy to imagine a Drax and Mantis spin-off following Bautista’s character as he hunts for his missing daughter. That being said, neither Drax or Mantis are ‘huge’ MCU characters compared to some of the others that fans would undoubtedly like to see get their own standalone. Let’s also important to remember it took Scarlett Johannson a full 10 years to get Black Widow onto screens.
When it comes to Guardians spin-offs, wouldn’t fans rather see the original team go on an adventure? The end of Vol. 2 teased a who’s who of Hollywood faces as Sylvester Stallone, Ving Rhames, Michelle Yeoh, and even Miley Cyrus suited up as the ‘original’ Guardians. It seems that something like this writes itself when compared to giving Drax and Mantis their own movie.
For the time being, Gunn has his plate full with the long-delayed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It’s unclear when we’ll get to see the team back together again, but with Gunn wrapping his work on Warner Bros.’ The Suicide Squad, we should be reaching for the stars once again with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Who knows, maybe Vol. 3 will set up a Drax and Mantis buddy comedy?
[Featured Image: Disney]