Kevin Feige always has a plan for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it seems that plan doesn’t always stay the same. According to James Gunn, the Infinity Stones were one such plot device that apparently didn’t always have a place in the MCU’s grand plan and were added after Gunn completed his initial draft of the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Considering the Infinity Gauntlet received its first mention in Thor and Thanos made his debut as the villain behind the attack on New York in 2012’s Avengers, it has certainly raised questions of how the story would have played out without the integral gems making an appearance.

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While interacting with fans on Twitter, Gunn was asked whether he knew how his upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 was going to end and whether he was always aware of things like Gamora’s death all along. Surprisingly, Gunn revealed that he did know the arc of most of his characters, but Gamora’s story changed and there was initially no Infinity Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out the interaction below.

Gunn’ reveal is quite something considering Guardians of the Galaxy opens with Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord attempting to steal an artifact that turns out to be the Power Stone. In addition, the movie’s finale also taps into the Power Stone, using it to show that Peter Quill is not completely human and also places the stone in Xandar, ready for Thanos to take it ahead of his arrival in Avengers: Infinity War.

James Gunn Brings The Guardians of the Galaxy’s Journey to an End Next Year

     James Gunn/Twitter

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 will be released in May 2023, six years after the last Guardians movie. However, the series’ characters have also appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder, and they will also be seen in a holiday special on Disney+ before the final movie in the Guardians trilogy is released.

After completing filming on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, James Gunn posted a message on his Twitter account, which revealed how emotional finishing the final shots of the movie was to get through. He wrote:

James Gunn has been constantly updating fans on the movie’s progress and shared some interesting behind-the-scenes information on the MCU and how certain things come about during production. For fans of the MCU, James Gunn departing the franchise also means that they will have to look elsewhere for their inside information on the workings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still, there is no doubt the writer-director will continue to deliver the goods on his new projects over at Warner Bros. Discovery as they move forward.

“After over 100 days of shooting & over 3000 shots, this is the slate for the final shot of #GotGVol3, presented to me by the camera crew. It was an easy shot of Rocket seated, 1st with @seangunn, & then nothing there, & took everything in me not to break down sobbing on the spot. The majority of the last ten years of my life have been spent working on & thinking about the Guardians. I still have a long road ahead of me with VFX & editing, but it was still momentous to me.”