New concept art from the principal artist on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 spotlights the film's most heartbreaking scene. As one of the most successful releases of the summer movie season, writer-director James Gunn's smash sequel to Guardians of the Galaxy was lauded for many reasons, including the film's expanding narrative, its dazzling special effects, thrilling action, laugh-out-loud funny performances and perhaps more surprising than anything, its tear-jerker ending.

Sadly, the source of the emotion was a pivotal scene near the conclusion of the film, when the noble Ravager Yondu (Michael Rooker) sacrifices himself to save Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt), whom he raised from adolescence as a way to protect the then-boy from the nefarious plans of his father, Ego (Kurt Russell).

Related: Guardians 2's Mary Poppins Line Wasn't In The Script

Now that the scene has made its way onto digital and home video, Marvel Studios Visual Development Supervisor & Concept Artist Andy Park is sharing even more of the keyframe art he created during the film's pre-production phase. Park posted the image on Twitter Saturday, chronicling the film's "powerful moment," which you can see in his tweet below:

Keyframe illustration I did during preproduction for this powerful moment #GuardiansoftheGalaxyVol2 @RookerOnline @prattprattpratt #daddy ? pic.twitter.com/ddQ8rk0DTA— Andy Park (@andyparkart) September 9, 2017

Anyone who's seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 can tell that Gunn paid close attention to Park's artwork when creating the scene for the film. Looking at the portrait is enough to give goosebumps to anyone who was touched by the film's scene, especially when they recall Yondu's moving dialogue, where he says, "He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy."

It's a real treat for fans when Park releases his Marvel movie concept art, and this one is especially grand since it encapsulates what is arguably the best scene in the film. Ultimately, it serves as another great reminder just how sweeping a performance Rooker gave as Yondu throughout both volumes of Guardians of the Galaxy, considering how he went from an ambiguous villain to a beloved ally, loyal friend and most important of all, a father figure who would do anything for the person who effectively became his child, and made the ultimate sacrifice because of it.

With any luck, Marvel Studios and Disney was paying attention to Kevin Smith's tearful plea to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to nominate Rooker for an Oscar this awards season. That can only be done, of course, with a big commitment from the studios to make a huge marketing push on behalf of the actor, not only to recognize his wonderful turn as Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but his career full of memorable performances.

Next: Michael Rooker On The Impact Of Guardians of the Galaxy 2’s Ending

Source: Andy Park

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