Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 might have been baggier and less-focused in some ways than its acclaimed predecessor, but it arguably zeroed in on its characters even more. In particular, it did an amazing job of thoroughly humanizing Michael Rooker’s Yondu. Peter’s childhood kidnapper being reinterpreted as his adoptive daddy could have felt cheap, but the actors and James Gunn’s writing really sell the dysfunctional father-son dynamic.
It catches you by surprise, then, when you find yourself welling up when Yondu sacrifices his own life to save his “son,” when he gives Star-Lord his air supply – in a neat mirror of Peter’s own heroic act towards Gamora in the first movie. But as touching as the moment is, it also means that’s the end of the character, which is a shame given how much of a highlight he was in Vol. 2.
And while he won’t be making anymore “proper” MCU appearances in the future, fans can now have one final moment with Yondu thanks to this very meta deleted cameo found on the Thor: Ragnarok Blu-ray – which we first heard about earlier this week. Seen below, it has Yondu moseying his way through a crowd of extras. Their facial expressions really tell the story, too, as Taika Waititi’s haggard Asgardians look to Rooker with a mixture of shock and confusion.
And so, after bringing a halt to Skurge’s (Karl Urban) execution, Yondu asks to be pointed in the direction of Kevin and Lou’s office – for the record, he’s likely referring to Marvel producers Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito – shattering the fourth wall and no doubt cueing much laughter from audiences.
Speaking about the fun little cameo earlier this week, Gunn explained why Rooker was on set in the first place.
For those of you asking me how a Yondu deleted scene is on the Thor Ragnarok extras – I believe Rooker was at the lot shooting his bit for the Guardians Mission Breakout ride/Halloweeen version, and he stopped by the Thor set to goof around. Rooker, correct me if I’m wrong.
Currently available via Digital HD, Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok is expected to light up Blu-ray and DVD on March 6th (pre-order here). And the God of Thunder is bringing a whole raft of bonus content to home video – Odin’s original death notwithstanding – the details of which can be found below.
