Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 actor Maria Bakalova got the chance to hang out with her co-star Slate, the real Golden Retriever who served as a reference for her character Cosmo the Spacedog.
In new behind-the-scenes photos from the set of Vol.3, shared on Twitter by director James Gunn, Cosmo's voice and motion capture actor Bakalova looked thrilled to be cuddling with Slate. Gunn credits Slate as the movie's "very friendly onset mascot," as well as the reference for Cosmo. Slate and Bakalova both played the role for the first time in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which revealed that Cosmo had become a member of the Guardians, and they reprised the role for Vol.3.
Bakalova has spoken previously about her excitement for the role, sharing that the first Guardians of the Galaxy was her entryway into loving the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "I love seeing all the people excited for Vol. 3, the fans have been so welcoming and warm," she added. "It’s truly precious and reminds you why you’re actually doing this kind of work, to make people feel something. I think that’s the biggest gift."
Cosmo Is the MCU's Goodest Girl
Following the announcement of Bakalova's casting, Gunn was asked why his version of Cosmo would be female, when the character was originally portrayed as a male dog in the comics. "Cosmo is based on Laika, a female Soviet space dog who died in orbit in 1957," he explained. "I'm just going back to the original source material." Created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Cosmo first appeared in Nova vol. 4 #8 (Jan. 2008) and was established to have been part of Soviet experiments launching dogs into space in the 1960s.
Cosmo first appeared in the MCU as a cameo in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, an exhibit in the Collector's museum on Knowhere. She reappeared in the same movie's post-credits scene licking the Collector's face, establishing them both as having survived the museum's explosion. Cosmo also made brief appearances in the credits of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and in the What If...? episode "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?"
Whether Cosmo, or any of the Guardians, will appear in future MCU projects is currently unknown. Vol. 3 is set to be the final part of the trilogy, and according to Gunn it will provide a satisfying ending for all of its characters. Addressing the movie's long runtime, Gunn told fans that the 2 hours and 29 minutes were needed for this reason. "I promise, not a second is wasted," he said. "It was necessary to experience the full arc for every major Guardians character, not only for this film, but for the trilogy."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 lands in theaters on May 5, 2023.
Source: Twitter