As a legendary figure in the industry that’s been around the block and back several times over, fans have spent years fantasizing over the possibility of Arnold Schwarzenegger potentially boarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there might be an opening if he doesn’t need to step on son-in-law Chris Pratt’s toes.
While the long-serving Star-Lord hasn’t confirmed whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will mark the end of his association with the shared superhero saga, it wouldn’t be a shock were he to join James Gunn, Dave Bautista, and Zoe Saldana in permanently bidding farewell to Kevin Feige’s all-conquering comic book conglomerate.
The nepotism debate is one that’s increasingly been dominating the Hollywood discourse, which begs the question as to whether or not Pratt technically counts as a nepo baby. Sure, he’s a self-made superstar with a stellar track record of box office success, but since marrying Arnold’s daughter Katherine, he’s also intrinsically connected to the sprawling Schwarzenegger/Kennedy dynasty, too.
Either way, it’s telling that the Terminator legend made a point of praising one member of the cast in particular after catching a screening of Vol. 3.
It’s rare to hear Schwarzenegger pass judgement on any comic book adaptation, which is fair enough when he starred in Batman & Robin, but would he have done it at all were the man married to his daughter not the first name billed in the credits? That’s a debate for another day, but if the Guardians’ goodbye is good enough for the Austrian Oak, it’s good enough for us.
