Despite frequently talking about the development process of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, returning writer and director James Gunn has kept secret the details about the sequel’s plot and characters. Revealing only that there are fewer characters this time around in an effort for the next cosmic adventure to be more personal, we still don’t know who the main villain(s) are, let alone the identity of protagonist Peter Quill’s (Chris Pratt) father.

We do know that Kurt Russell is of interest to play Star-Lord’s alien dad, a role that will be significantly different than that of the comics, and that Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey turned down the main villain role. Now there’s a rumor of another antagonist joining Guardians of the Galaxy 2, a character well-known to longtime cosmic Marvel Comics reader and one who’s… quite massive.

And no, we’re sadly not referring to Fantastic Four villain Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, who - despite rumors to the contrary - is still owned by rival studio Fox, although we know from visiting the set of the first Guardians of the Galaxy that Gunn and Marvel very much wanted to have him available for their cosmic films. No, we’re talking about another planet destroyer…

Geek is reporting from multiple sources, including some they claim are currently working on pre-production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 that its anticipated followup will feature an appearance of Ego the Living Planet. Ego is exactly what his title implies and in Marvel Comics shares quite a connection to Galactus in that it’s Galactus tech that allows Ego to travel around the galaxy. He’s a giant, intelligent, dangerous, adapting world who’s battled Marvel heroes for decades.

Ego appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy animated TV series and has crossed path with the cosmic heroes in the comics, but he’s more well-known to battle against and with Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth in the films). Knowing Thor: Ragnarok will be a cosmic adventure movie also featuring Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, it’s possible Ego could be a little connective thread between the Guardians and the Avengers.

The planetoid creature, who’s most commonly depicted as having a beard and mustache, also had a key story arc in the Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning Nova comics - which saw Ego recruited into the Nova Corps before brainwashing its members.

If this rumor proves true, it could just be another nod to the ‘weird’ side of Marvel Comics, perhaps serving as a background character or used for an introductory mission for the Guardians. And it would certainly be another example of Marvel not being afraid to adapt anything from the source material. It really is a shame they cannot use the gigantic Galactus though, especially after introducing the space mine known as Knowhere in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie (where Benicio Del Toro’s Collector resides) which in actuality, is the ancient severed head of a being known as a Celestial.

We’re rather certain though that Ego is not the father of Peter Quill. That’d be weird even for James Gunn.

Next: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 & Other Phase 4 Movies

James Gunn is writing and directing the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel which stars Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Benicio del Toro, Pom Klementieff, and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.

Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.

Source: Geek

Ego space art by alecyl.