Fortunately, Guardians of the Galaxy's Ending Was Trimmed. The Original Version Is Too Painful
Who knows, maybe the original ending will be released as the movie prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
Summary
- The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is known for its amazing endings.
- The first installment ends with a montage showing its characters wrapping up their arcs.
- James Gunn revealed that there were originally three more characters, but they were cut from the scene.
- It was a good decision because one of the moments would have hit the audience too hard.
We're still waiting for news on whether Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 will ever happen, but one thing is already clear. Even if Marvel decides to make the fourth full-length installment of the franchise, original creator James Gunn will not be part of it. That's what he said, and that's what we all figured when he became the big boss at DC Studios.
That's bad news for Marvel fans, because it was Gunn who brought a unique comedic take on the superhero genre with his 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. While it had its dramatic moments, the movie that kicked off the story of Star-Lord and his colorful team was filled with hilarious jokes, positive vibes, and hopeful messages.
It was this overall optimistic atmosphere that led Gunn to alter the film's original final scene. If left intact, it could ruin the entire positive flavor of the movie.
How Guardians of the Galaxy Ends
The finale that we all saw in theaters in 2014 is a montage that follows Peter Quill as he finally works up the courage to open his mother's last gift to him. It turns out to be the Awesome Mix Vol. 2, and to the tune of Ain't No Mountain High Enough, we see the film's characters wrapping up their arcs.
Original Ending
In an interview with /Film, James Gunn revealed that the final montage of Guardians of the Galaxy was originally longer and included three more characters. In addition to the Guardians, Yondu, Irani Rael, and Corpsman Dey, viewers were supposed to see the Collector, Nebula, and Jason Quill. But they were cut, each for their own reasons.
In the scene, Nebula stormed angrily through a field without her arm, and the Collector sat frustrated after his defeat. Gunn explained that these two were taken out of the montage because it didn't feel right to show the 'bad guys' for the uplifting moment. The Collector scene ended up in the post-credits.
As for Jason 'Grandpa' Quill, his scene was cut because it would be too painful for the audience. Gunn explained that they wanted him to appear all aged up and still pining for his grandson years after losing him. More than that, the scene implied that Jason knew Peter had been taken, but couldn't do anything about it except hope for his return.
'He has this photograph of Meredith and Peter as a little boy and he looks up at the stars and we go up to the stars and it was really sweet,’ Gunn said. ‘It means that he must have seen Quill getting abducted at the end of that day and is still waiting for him to return but it was freaking sad so we took it out.’
It was definitely a good choice. While those few seconds sound touching and emotional, they would ensure that viewers would leave the theaters in tears, which was probably not what the creators were going for. Besides, when Peter and Jason finally reunited in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it was so much more wholesome.
Source: /Film.