James Gunn once promised that Guardians of the Galaxy would have “the most Marvel comics characters ever in one movie,” and if a new list of “confirmed” cameos making the rounds is to be believed, he may just be right.
We already know that the film is jam-packed with heroes and villains, from the titular Guardians themselves to their array of multi-colored, deadly pursuers and allied authority figures. But now, courtesy of Stitch Kingdom, we have information about some of the cameos, including details about who Nathan Fillion and Stan Lee are playing.
We’ve been hearing for a while now that Fillion would be making an appearance in the film, with many initially speculating that he’d be playing someone like Richard Rider (the superhero Nova) or Cosmo (a telepathic Russian space dog). Cosmo will be in the film, but won’t be voiced by Fillion. Instead, Cosmo will be played by a dog named Fred, while Fillion will appear as a “Monstrous Inmate.”
Stan Lee almost didn’t make the cut, considering he didn’t create the Guardians of the Galaxy, but he is credited with creating Groot, so he’ll have his usual blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment in the limelight. This time around, he’s playing a “Xandarian Ladies’ Man,” which reminds me a lot of his Iron Man cameo, where he appeared as Hugh Hefner.
As far as other cameos go, musician-turned-director Rob Zombie is credited as the “Ravager Navigator Voice,” and the biggest surprise will come in the form of Howard the Duck. Yep, that Howard the Duck.
The anthropomorphic duck was first introduced in the comics in 1973, and then starred in his own feature film in 1986. It was the first movie based on a Marvel character since 1944’s Captain America, and was immediately met with terrible reviews from critics and audiences. How exactly he factors into the film is unknown, but it’s funny to see that he still officially exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Those likely aren’t the only cameos and easter eggs in the film either, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled when Guardians of the Galaxy arrives in theaters on August 1st, 2014.
