Warner Bros. and DC may be occupying the vast, vast majority of headlines and mindshare in the fallout of last night’s DC Films Special that aired on The CW, though we have still have the daily flurry of rumors pertaining to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to contend with.
The latest is perhaps one of the strangest yet, and it’s in relation to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; specifically, the major villain that is allegedly set to appear in James Gunn’s space-faring sequel. Be warned, though, the unconfirmed report in question ventures into spoiler territory – and then some.
[zerg]Still with us? Good. Today’s nugget of speculation comes by way of Geek.com, citing sources close to production that the major villain set to appear in Guardians 2 will be none other than Ego, The Living Planet.
That’s quite the departure from Josh Brolin’s Thanos, who we know won’t make an appearance in the 2017 sequel. In the comics, Ego is a sentient being that has become one with the planet it inhabits, replete with a colossal brain and organ-like masses lurking beneath the rocky surface. Ardent fans will know that it appeared in story strands that also involved the likes of Thor, the Silver Surfer and even Fantastic Four, but could James Gunn be reworking the ancient Ego to appear in Guardians 2? Let’s not forget that Knowhere, the head of a dead celestial, featured in the original film.
One thing’s for certain: don’t expect James Gunn to weigh in on this one, regardless of whether it’s accurate or not. Quite recently, the filmmaker took to his Facebook page to simultaneously write off rumors swirling around the identity of Peter Quill/Star Lord’s father and announce that he will no longer comment on the veracity of online speculation. That’s probably for the best, too, given that we’re still more than a year away from the sequel’s release – heck, it hasn’t even started shooting yet.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will reunite Marvel’s ragtag crew of space heroes in time for May 5, 2017.