Sometimes we want to take the high road, be the bigger person, rise above it all, and sometimes we just want to rub it in people’s faces. Chris Pratt chose the latter when it came to giving a speech at the end of production for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as he took to task all those that said the franchise would never succeed back in 2014.
Vol. 3 marks the end of the group as we know it, with director James Gunn having helmed the MCU franchise since the beginning. Many were unsure how these less-than-popular heroes would do, especially with the surprise casting of Chris Pratt in the role of Star-Lord, at a time when the actor was predominantly known for playing the dopey Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation.
At this point in time, the MCU had focused on the bigger, more recognizable names from the Marvel comics, with the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and The Hulk at the forefront of the franchise. Bringing in the lesser-known Guardians was a bold move for Marvel Studios, but one that paid off in spades. Now, with Vol. 3 closing out this chapter of the galactic heroes, Pratt took the time to look back at the naysayers and doomsday prophets and remind them just how wrong they were.
Speaking to Fandango, the actor recalled a speech he gave on the last day of filming to commemorate just how far they had all come, saying,
“I’m not a vindictive person…but I happened to have in my notes file several press clippings saved from the first movie when everyone predicted that Guardians of the Galaxy was going to be Marvel’s first flop, that was the consensus critically. Everyone was saying all of these negative things. At the time, we were insecure and nervous about the prospects….they’re saying ‘it’s a title no one has never heard of,’ we don’t have any A-list stars… ‘are you ready to be a part of Marvel’s first big failure?’ ‘Why would anyone watch this movie, they don’t know these characters’ etc.
I remember all of that. Of course, none of that came true. Thank god. We had this great run so at the end, I wanted to read some of those clippings to the cast and crew and to James and to…I guess kind of rub it in a little bit. Just to say ‘hey, we overcame a lot to get to where we are and we weren’t supposed to be where we are but we did something special.’ Just to bask in the moment of what these last 10 years have been.”
Despite what critics had thought prior to its release, Guardians of the Galaxy saw phenomenal success, receiving some of the best reviews for an MCU project at the time, and going on to earn $772 million worldwide. The sequel went on to do even better and cement the characters as a firm fixture within the MCU. They have since appeared in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame as well as their own Holiday Special and a spin-off in the form of the animated I am Groot shorts.
The end is nigh though, with the trilogy closing out with the release of Vol. 3 on May 5. We are sure to see some of the characters further down the line within the MCU, but we fear that this will be the last outing for some.