A recent fan theory made a good argument that there might be a cool little familial secret at the heart of the MCU. An eagle-eyed fan noticed that Laura Haddock, who plays Peter Quill/Star-Lord’s mother Meredith Quill in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, also appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger. In that film, she has a small walk-on role as a woman who makes flirtatious eye contact with Rogers as he embarks on his USO tour to promote morale.
And is it really so difficult to believe that the two might have then gotten together that very night? If that happened, she might’ve even gotten pregnant with Rogers’ baby and if that were the case, then Steve Rogers could have unknowingly been Peter Quill’s grandfather all along. This wouldn’t necessarily mean anything to either character’s story, but it would certainly have been a neat little Easter Egg for fans to theorize over for years to come.
Sadly, however, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has stepped in to confirm that this speculation is off base, saying:
Sorry to bust this fun theory, but it doesn't work as Meredith Quill's father is a major character played by @GreggHenry88 in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 and appears briefly in Vol 2. https://t.co/5Jgshez3Np
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 8, 2019
Nuts. Well, at least it’s a good indication that James Gunn has a firm handle on the Guardians of the Galaxy. After the kerfuffle in 2018 that saw the director apparently fired and then re-instated to Vol. 3, he’s set to conclude their story as soon as he’s finished The Suicide Squad. Right now, we don’t have an exact release date, but given that the latter film is scheduled to drop in 2021, I’d expect the final installment of everyone’s favorite smart-mouthed, soft-rock loving space adventurers to hit theaters sometime in 2022 at the earliest.
All we know for certain about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 though is that, according to Nebula actress Karen Gillan, the script is amazing. Here’s what she shared in a recent interview:
“I can say that I’ve read it and it’s amazing. We’re all really excited that James is back to complete the trilogy because it wouldn’t have felt right without him. It’s a wonderful, wonderful script.”
Count me in!
