Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn has finally revealed what galaxy Star-Lord and friends have been guarding for the past few movies.

 

James Gunn, who wrote and directed the Guardians of the Galaxy series, has officially specified the galaxy that the Guardians' title refers to. In the films, goofy Earthling Peter Quill, better known as Star-Lord, leads a ragtag team of misfits including the no-nonsense Gamora, warrior Drax, ornery Rocket Raccoon, mellow tree-man Groot, and a few others who hitched a ride along the way. The Guardians form a found family and grow closer with each step in their planet-hopping journey. Marvel's other ensemble superhero team quickly earned themselves a large fanbase with their silver screen debut in 2014 and solidified it with a 2017 sequel and appearances in the cultural phenomenon Avengers films.

 

Gunn, as the creative engine behind the scenes, is largely to thank for the particular popularity of the films within the MCU. After briefly being fired from the films due to off-color jokes that he made in his past, Gunn was hired by DC to write a soft reboot, The Suicide Squad, of their own ensemble superhero flick. He was subsequently rehired by Disney to pen the third Guardians film, leaving him with a packed schedule of hopeful blockbusters, though nothing overwhelming for the prolific Gunn. During the interim between the two, he wrote the entirety of a Peacemaker spinoff series because he was bored during quarantine. Gunn has happily shared such stories online and frequently interacts with fans and fields questions on social media.

 

In a recent Twitter thread, Gunn finally revealed that the Guardians defend the Andromeda Galaxy. Gunn answered a number of questions about the various films and television programs that he's currently working on. He spoke to the lack of stakes in repeated deaths and resurrections, his emotional reactions to cathartic moments in his stories, and the logistics of picking his crews, among a few other topics. Asked whether Quill and the gang are simply guardians of whatever galaxy they happen to be in or any one in particular, Gunn replied, "Normally, Andromeda." 

 

The Andromeda Galaxy is the major galaxy nearest our own Milky Way, about 2.5 million lightyears from our planet. It's nice to know that the Guardians aren't too far away if we ever need them. Gunn and other brilliant minds behind the scenes have put a lot of work into creating believable and relatable characters from an emotional standpoint – apparently, Gunn was tearing up while writing Vol. 3. It's no surprise that the same amount of thought went into building the world.

 

Thankfully, despite the series's setting, the cast and crew will not have to travel to the next galaxy to film more adventures. With the third Guardians of the Galaxy film set to begin filming later this year in the UK, we're one step closer to another adventure with a likely teenaged Groot and Thor as an official Guardian vying with Quill for the role of leader. With Gunn behind the scenes, carefully building out the world and relationships, it's safe to say that Vol. 3 will deliver more laughs and heartfelt sobs.