James Gunn has never shied away from killing off characters in his films and it didn’t start with The Suicide Squad. One of the most emotional scenes that Gunn’s ever directed came in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when he killed off Yondu. Played by Michael Rooker, the character was a fan favorite but suffered a tragic death by sacrificing himself to save Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill.
It was one of the most emotional scenes in the MCU and Gunn isn’t ready to undermine it. There have been plenty of resurrections and false deaths in superhero films past, but that won’t be the case with Yondu. Gunn made it clear on Twitter that the character is dead “forever” and will not be coming back.
Gunn noted that bringing Yondu back would belittle “his sacrifice” in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. That may come as a disappointment to some fans who would like to see Yondu return, especially since Gunn has worked with Rooker on every single one of his feature films as a director. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 may represent the first time that Gunn will be without Rooker on set. He could try to sneak the actor into some sort of cameo appearance, but it won’t be as Yondu unless the scene is a flashback.
Anyone looking to get their Michael Rooker fix can catch him in season one, episode two of Disney Plus’ What If…? as the voice of Yondu as well as in Gunn’s new Suicide Squad, Vivo on Netflix, and Love and Monsters on Hulu.