James Gunn is hard at work on social media, answering all of fans’ burning questions about his latest — and last — contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrived in theaters just a few days ago, and fans spent the weekend flooding to theaters to witness the trilogy finale. In the wake of their official viewings, people have questions, and Gunn is putting in the work to make sure they’re answered. In between clarifying why Star-Lord was missing his iconic helmet and digging into his returning cast, Gunn addressed commenters with questions about Guardians Vol. 3‘s adorable new additions.
The film introduced viewers to three of Rocket’s pals from his time as a mad geneticist’s science experiment. Like Rocket, his new friends — Lylla, Teefs, and Floor — are animals “upgraded” by the High Evolutionary. An otter, a walrus, and a rabbit, respectively, they are part of the same experimental batch as Rocket and enter the story as a vital piece of Rocket’s background. They were his family before he found the Guardians, and they were there during some of Rocket’s hardest days.
These adorable, but gut-wrenching, characters became instant favorites for many viewers, but their inevitable deaths mid-way through the film cut enjoyment of their painful, but charming, personalities short. One fan, who named Floor as a personal favorite, showered Gunn with questions about the tragic little rabbit, and the director stepped up to answer.
He had a quick and easy reply to Twitter user @Winterteacup23’s first question about Floor, which related to how the little bunny eats. Thanks to a painful-looking apparatus attached to her face, Floor’s mouth and nose are completely covered, and @Winterteacup23 wanted to know “Is the mask thingy attached to her face? How does she eat? Does it open for her to eat? Do they take it off? Does she eat some other way?”
Gunn was quick to answer, informing the curious viewer that the mask does in fact “open for her to eat.” He also clued fans into how the little rabbit speaks, noting that the mask is “attached to her face and has a speaker in it which is how she speaks.”
It was his next answer that really divided audiences, however, after Gunn informed fans of Batch 89 that they’ve witnessed all they’ll ever see of Lylla, Teefs, and Floor. When another Twitter user, @Slither2006, asked if “any deleted scenes with Llyla, Rocket, Floor and Teef” are out there for fans to enjoy, Gunn shut them down with a simple and succinct “No.”
It’s disappointing, for fans of Rocket’s tragic animal friends, but it’s also probably for the best. Batch 89 lived difficult lives, back in Rocket’s early days, and any additional footage might give us far too deep a glimpse at just what they went through. Guardians Vol. 3 is already facing accusations of leaning too far into animal cruelty, and zeroing in any more on the animals involved might push it over that line.
If you’re a fan of Rocket’s upgraded friends, you’ll have to enjoy them within the bounds of Guardians Vol. 3‘s two-hour-and-thirty-minute runtime.