During an online watch party for the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, director James Gunn was having fun interacting with his fans on Twitter during which tried his best to answer the barrage of questions. During the session, one particular fan asked him whether the inclusion of the Celestials was purely his idea or the studio’s, to which he replied (via Screenrant): When the live screening finally came to the scene where Thanos makes his fully armoured debut, another question popped in for the director. The fan asked whether the introduction of the Mad Titan was thrilling for him, to which Gunn told of the complexities in the plot.
Well, I can comprehend where Gunn is coming from as executive notes may tend to mess with the story you are trying to curate. However, since it was part of a shared universe, the decision was necessary as the Mad Titan was being shaped up to be a colossal antagonist. In addition, characters like Nebula and Gamora had their tragic tales intertwined with the inevitable threat, and as such a tangible appearance would have helped. Nevertheless, I believe Gunn handled it well with not going overboard and overshadowing the real menace of the movie, which was Lee Pace’s Ronan. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. If anything, Thanos’ brief role in Guardians of the Galaxy drew some gasps from the audience, and even for those who were unaware of the character at that time, it displayed the presence of a looming overlord. Someone who heroes and villains alike should not be messing with. Therefore, having the words ‘Infinity Stone’ and ‘Thanos’ being uttered together within the same movie meant that s*** was getting real. Indeed, Gunn had the hardest choices to make, but he had the strongest wills. One redesign later, a grateful universe witnessed a proper dive into the Mad Titan’s mechanisms… and it put a smile on all of our faces.
