Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: James Gunn Probably Just Teased Quasar

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James Gunn May Have Just Teased Quasar for GOTG3

By Albert Ching

Published Jun 12, 2017

James Gunn may have just teased the live-action debut of Marvel cosmic hero Quasar, under the veil of random VHS nostalgia.

Marvel cosmic hero Quasar may be planned for inclusion the third Guardians of the Galaxy film. Emphasis on "maybe."

On Monday afternoon, James Gunn posted a photo on Twitter of an late '70s/early '80s VCR, with the caption, "For some reason I'm just remembering now that as a kid my family's VCR had wood paneling." While that may at first seem like a random bit of nostalgia from the writer/director of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy franchise -- which, as the soundtracks attest, are heavy on nostalgia from that era -- it's notable that the image is of a Quasar brand VCR, seemingly a not-so-subtle reference to the powerful and popular Marvel character that would fit right into the live-action GOTG world.

For some reason I'm just remembering now that as a kid my family's VCR had wood paneling. pic.twitter.com/Qdb8oH9mfA— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 12, 2017

The Wendell Vaughn version of Quasar -- the most prominent of the character's multiple incarnations -- was created by Don Glut, Roy Thomas and John Buscema, and first appeared under that name in 1979's "The Incredible Hulk" #234. Unlike most of Marvel's cosmic heroes, Vaughn is a human, whose powers come from the Quantum Bands worn on his wrists, which give him the power of flight, along with energy and light manipulation. Quasar has been a major part of many of Marvel's cosmic stories, including Infinity Gauntlet, Operation: Galactic Storm and Annihilation, so he certainly wouldn't be a shock to show up in a Guardians of the Galaxy film, which would be the character's live-action debut.

Of course, there is the (remote?) possibility that Gunn really was simply thinking about his family's VCR -- Quasar was an actual brand of electronics that produced VCRs back in the day. It's also possible that he's having fun with fan expectations in 2017 and the nature of social media teases, and posted the picture as a red herring. Until there's further information revealed either way, it's open to interpretation -- even if it really, really does seem like a deliberate Quasar tease.

One major Marvel cosmic character that has been effectively confirmed to appear in the third Guardians film is Adam Warlock, whose appearance was teased at the end of this year's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Gunn has commented in interviews that Warlock was originally planned to appear in Vol. 2, but was removed after realizing the script had too many characters.

Currently, the role of Quasar in the Marvel Universe is filled by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Avril Kincaid, who received the Quantum Bands from Vaughn as part of 2016's "Avengers: Standoff!" story. Phyla-Vell, the former Captain Marvel, was also Quasar for a time in Marvel's comics storylines. Naturally, at this point if there is plans for Quasar in the next Guardians film, there's no telling which version it might be.

There's no release date currently set for a third Guardians of the Galaxy film, but Gunn let fans know he's be working on it via Facebook last month, shortly after the second was released in US theaters. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has earned $828.3 million worldwide since its overseas debut in late April.