Avengers: Infinity War is, by name and nature, the third Avengers movie, and though Joe and Anthony Russo’s Civil War divided Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in a way Ultron never could, Tony Stark and the rest of the gang are very much the anchor point of Marvel’s 2018 event film.
That logic still applies even when you begin to factor in the expanded cast of Avengers: Infinity War – namely the Guardians of the Galaxy – and Star-Lord himself Chris Pratt has clarified that James Gunn’s motley crew is poised to take a back seat next May.
Nerdist caught up with the actor in anticipation of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (our review), where Pratt essentially took the opportunity to differentiate the Guardians from their MCU brethren.
“We definitely will have a strong presence, but we are playing supporting cast – you know what I mean? We’re there to help them tell an awesome Infinity War story. But Guardians is cosmic. It is its own special off-shoot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
It’s an assessment that certainly aligns with previous comments from Zoe Saldana, after Pratt’s Guardians co-star noted that those spacefaring A-holes will bring a sense of levity to the otherwise “dramatic” Infinity War. It’ll be quite the transition for Star-Lord and the crew, but we’re fascinated to see how Marvel’s dysfunctional family evolve during the four-year interval between Guardians 2 and Joe and Anthony Russo’s grand Infinity War.
On the heels of its UK debut last week, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is on course to hit U.S. theaters on May 5th. Meanwhile, Avengers: Infinity War will place Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on a collision course with Thanos on May 4th of 2018, and though Zoe Saldana seemingly let the title slip, it turns out Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet is not so much the title of Avengers 4 as it is a misnomer. At least, that’s according to James Gunn.