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. The ensuing funeral scene is also very touching, with Peter’s “Hasselhoff” speech just injecting the right amount of light humour into the moment before it undercuts the emotion.
With such an increased role for the character in Vol. 2 then, some fans were upset that he was killed off so soon, as it felt like we were just getting to know him. And so, in the time since release, many have been calling for Yondu to be resurrected. In fact, last year there were even rumors that Rooker would be involved in Avengers: Infinity War. Though we now know that won’t be the case, it hasn’t stopped the actor from imagining how his character might fare against Thanos.
Speaking at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C. this weekend, Rooker was asked how Yondu would stop the Mad Titan, if he were in Infinity War. Unsurprisingly, his answer was that the fan favorite character would use his trusty arrow.
“I’d shoot him with my arrow or something,” Rooker said. “When he’s not looking! Preferably by surprise ’cause I wouldn’t want to go head-to-head with him. He has the thing with the things on it! Yondu’s arrow is pretty formidable, but you know, with those stones that’s power. That’s raw, awesome power he’s got and he’s gonna wield it very soon. I hope you all go to the movies and see.”
Though Yondu’s arrow is definitely something that can do a lot of damage, sadly, it’d be no match for Thanos. Like Rooker says, with that fully equipped Infinity Gauntlet, the Mad Titan is going to be a force to be reckoned with and even the combined might of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes may not be enough to stop him.
One way or another though, we’ll find out soon enough if Thanos can be handled, as Cap, Iron Man, Thor and the rest of the gang plan to assemble once more on April 27th, by which point we also ought to have a better reading on Avengers: Infinity War and its box office projections.
Early estimates indicate that a $200m-plus opening weekend is well within reach, leaving many to wonder how high Joe and Anthony Russo’s crossover will climb. $2 billion, perhaps? Time will tell.
