WARNING: This article contains potential SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
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Marvel fans can never know enough about a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is why we not only wait for the exact second a new trailer drops, but leap into action to break down every shot, line, and character. We did it for the very first teaser, we did it for the extended Super Bowl spot, and now that the official Trailer #2 has arrived, a new batch of details, clarified plot twists, and possible reveals are ready to be examined by each and every fan.
We've done our best to single out the major points of the new trailer (beginning with Peter's new piece of 1970s tech), and place these new scenes into the larger context of what we know, and what we suspect, about the story of Vol. 2. Marvel is still keeping some secrets close to their chest, but judging by what's been shown already, everything aside from the major plot twists and building blocks for the future of Marvel's universe is fair game.
Needless to say, there will be SPOILERS in our look at Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Trailer #2: Everything We Learned.
12. Mattel Football (Upgraded)
The nostalgia that came from Star-Lord's signature Sony Walkman was impossible to measure - and led to a hunt for the outdated devices in online marketplaces - and it looks like another relic of the era will be getting a similar treatment. We speak of the device Peter uses to track the Abilisk - the massive, mouthed, tenacle-d beast they've been hired to kill - which will be unmistakable to older video game fans as the handheld version of Mattel Football. With some noticeable upgrades, of course.
For starters, the top screen seems to have been... updated, no longer three rows of lights signifying the 'players,' but an actual, functioning radar detecting his friendlies (the green triangles) and the approaching foe. We have to admit that this is a more intelligent bit of nostalgic functionality than Peter Quill would normally be credited with. Radar comes in handy, sure. But to keep it compacted inside a 1977 handheld video game... pure genius. Although the actual machinery under his thumb did have to replace the Status and Score buttons.
11. Oh, Gamora Uses Guns Now
It does seem a little strange to see Gamora (Zoe Saldana) wielding a rifle as thick as her own body, so we'll let Peter off the hook for making a similarly stunned expression. He has the history of Marvel Comics behind him, too. While Gamora is just as skilled in using guns as she is at blades, knives, and swords, she traditionally prefers the latter. But considering that the first Guardians never made an effort to explore Gamora's weaponry, or even introduce her signature sword, Godslayer - a gift from her father, Thanos - it's not a real surprise.
Still, the previous film highlighted bladed weapons as the perfect tool for Gamora, since few could wield them with the speed, agility, and precision as she could. Perhaps it's all the time spent onboard the Milano that has dulled her desire for the finer kills. Either that, or seeing Rocket's arsenal up close for so close has convinced her that the simplest weapon for the job may be the best one. Her swords make an appearance later - it looks like in this same fight - so rest assured: there's no method of combat she can't school her teammates in.
10. DJ Baby Groot
Yes, the trailer features Baby Groot, and plenty of him. It's no surprise, since the diminutive Guardians has become the de facto mascot since audiences swooned in the final scenes of the first Guardians. He's proving to be a more effective member of the team than ever - when he's not busy demanding attention mid-fight - by handling the audio equipment on hand for the film's opening sequence (the same Abilisk battle). And having been told by Marvel boos Kevin Feige how important music is in Guardians 2, we know exactly what Baby Groot is up to.
The ending of the first film confirmed that Peter Quill would be subjecting his new friends to a new batch of songs, courtesy of his late mother, and as illustrated here, the music will be put to use as a literal backing track for their mission. As in, Groot is setting up speakers next to their planned battlefield so they don't have to deal with the boring sounds of raging alien beasts, gunfire, or Drax's war screams. Fleetwood Mac instead, if the music used in the trailer itself proves accurate.
9. The Payment For a Job Well Done
When the very first Guardians trailer revealed a brief shot of Nebula kneeling, restrained, and hooded, we figured she would be offered up as a prisoner for someone. The Guardians seemed the most likely, since the environments (among the opulence of the Sovereign) matched, and nobody would be more eager to see Ronan's lieutenant pay for her crimes than her own sister, Gamora. Trailer #2 confirms it with Kevin Feige having already explained that this, too, takes place in the film's opening act.
Apparently, the job that the Guardians have been hired to pull off isn't going to win them any cash, or valuables. Only Nebula will be offered as payment, so that she can be transported back to Xandar, the homeworld of the Nova Corps to face justice for her crimes against their planet and its many fallen officers. On the way there, "things go awry," as Feige puts it. The result is a larger role for Nebula, amplified sister drama for everyone within earshot, and another chance for Karen Gillan to do some half-robotic badassery.
8. Rocket, Meet Ravagers
Our first unexpected shot of the trailer sees Rocket appearing to be looking through his gear in a forest setting, before a group of Ravagers manage to encircle and trap him, leaving no choice but to surrender. Fans keeping a close eye on marketing have already grasped just how much punishment Rocket will be serving up to Star-Lord's former friends, with a blue explosion seen sending Ravagers skyward as Rocket gives a hearty belly laugh perched on a nearby tree. This trailer offers a look at more booby traps, but it's clear Rocket winds up on the losing end of this standoff.
It helps give context to other scenes and subplots the filmmakers have discussed and explored at Comic-Con, and several interviews. The shots of Rocket and Yondu (Michael Rooker) calmly exiting a Ravager base as the latter's psychic dart kills dozens around them show loyalties will change. The most obvious reading is that the above scene is the event which drops Rocket and Groot into Ravager custody. And it's not hard to think of what stories Rocket could weave to turn the Ravagers against their current, blue-skinned leader.
7. The Sovereign Armada
Every good space epic needs a villain up to the task, and every modern space adventure typically requires an endless fleet of enemy ships to take the action to true blockbuster levels. The second trailer offers a closer look at these ships, having been shown en masse in prior footage. From the close-ups, the gold pilots appear to represent the military strength of the Sovereign - the impossibly proud, noble, and wealthy race being added to the MCU. We can't explicitly say that even their spaceships are built out of gold, but... we wouldn't put it past them.
These few ships soon grow into dozens upon dozens, and the fact that they appear to be warping out of faster than light travel means they're arriving to a fight. If the action containing glimpses of these same shapes is to be taken as the final act insanity, then it seems likely the Sovereign will supply the enemy hero fodder. But where that fight will be set is a mystery. The fight footage spreads from this cosmic backdrop to the structures of an alien world or construct, but that final destination is hard to pin down for an obvious reason (Marvel needs to keep some secrets).
6. Rocket Blows The Deal
So, if the movie begins with the Guardians performing a task for the Sovereign, receiving a highly coveted war criminal in return, what sends them into open war by the final act? The answer is actually shown in the trailer (at least in part), but to keep the entire plot from being spoiled, it appears that some placeholder jokes have been inserted to deliver a laugh, not a plot twist. A plot twist that Kevin Feige has already explained, with Rocket's nefarious nature and loose lips making an enemy of an empire.
The reason the Guardians are hired by the Sovereign is to prevent the Abilisk from consuming their power cells (the glowing yellow devices surrounding them on the well-lit platform). Rocket doesn't actually care that the power batteries are valuable to the Sovereign, or powering their entire planet. He only knows they're expensive, and the Sovereign are not his kind of people. Stealing some of said batteries and smuggling them aboard their ship is a shady move. Actually letting them hear that he's stolen their property is stupid. Cue Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki's stunned look of offense).
5. Ravager Booby Traps
As we mentioned before, it seems that more than a few laughs will come at the expense of the Ravagers. And as big, burly, weird-looking marauders who view someone as crooked as Yondu as a leader, it's not hard to imagine why. When these murdering space pirates get blown sky high to a chorus of Rocket's laughter, who's actually going to feel bad? Although we have to wonder just what Rocket has planned with this storm of chemical darts being fired at an unsuspecting group in that same forest location. Our guess: it's not a tranquilizer.
The fun for fans is to speculate on where this is all taking place, and why Star-Lord, Drax, and Gamora are separated from their two tiny team members. That may be one rock even those impervious to spoilers want to avoid looking under, since the rest of the trailer shows each set of heroes following their own path. Why they're divided, where their journeys take them, and how they're reunited seems like a one-way trip into spoiling what little of the plot remains a mystery.
4. A Happy Ending For Our Heroes?
It's not a dream sequence in which Peter Quill imagines he and Gamora transported to the magical land of Oz, but a very real location that the Guardians can be seen walking through. Taking in their colorful surroundings and floating orbs of liquid, this planetary landscape seems like something out of a dream... which offers the simplest explanation. Knowing that Peter's father is Ego The Living Planet, and only his human form is that of actor Kurt Russell, this breathtaking world may be beyond belief for a reason. We're not saying that this is Ego itself, but... well, it would certainly live up to the hype.
The scene also offers the first sign that a romance between Peter and Gamora could actually be building. For those who recall, the first trailers for the original Guardians of the Galaxy seemed to suggest the same, with shots of both heroes getting eyeful of the other halfway through getting dressed. The film removed all sign of romance, establishing that Peter was far below the standards set by Gamora. Is this dance move a sign of Peter's tastes becoming more refined, or Gamora seeing through the grime and grit to the gentleman underneath? Considering other trailers have shown Drax laughing at Peter's failure to woo Gamora, we're betting on neither.
3. Gamora vs. Nebula
It's been no secret at all that Gamora and Nebula would be dealing with their sisterly tension in some overtly violent ways. Basically, it's up to Nebula to decide if she really wants to continue trying to kill Gamora out of... well, we don't know (jealousy?), or let the past be the past. The footage shown in trailers either plainly shows which decision she makes, or the height of their feud prior to it being resolved. We're talking about the many shots of Gamora fleeing a ship Nebula is piloting, firing at her sister, and eventually smashing through the ground in an attempt to crush her.
The gigantic gun Gamora wields over her shoulder suggested that she would eventually come out on the winning end, spaceship or not. The second trailer explicitly confirms it, showing the reverse angle as Gamora unleashes a barrage of bullets into the downed spacecraft, making sure to avoid the cockpit in which sits Nebula. We only hope that's not the Milano we see destroyed, and instead the spacecraft Nebula used to flee the Xandar battle. Either way... we can't see it taking to the skies any time soon.
2. A New Kind of Spacesuit
Now for a reminder that this is a movie steeped in the kind of science fiction that allows a hero to be tethered out into space cocooned in some sort of blue energy shield to use a handheld firearm to wreak havoc on a spaceship. At least, that's what appears to be happening, although the technology for such a device hasn't been explored yet in the Marvel Universe. It definitely shares a visual style with the self-assembling breather Star-Lord wears when operating in outer space, so the first teaser trailer may have given us the answer.
A shot in that first teaser for a teaser focused on a rack of "spacesuits," labeled nearby for use only in emergencies - "or for fun." It's hard to say which this would be, but our money is on a bit of both. How Drax winds up connected to that ship behind him, who's piloting it, and who he's firing at may still be unknowns. But with all the claims being made about Drax stealing the show in this sequel, we're beginning to think that scenes like these will be just as influential as his one-liners and failed metaphors.
1. Peter, I Am Your Father
At long last, the wait is over: fans everywhere can look upon the face of the being responsible for creating Peter Quill. It's a fitting button to the trailer, revealing nothing beyond what's already known. In fact, the trailer steers completely clear of offering any insight into the exact relationship between Ego The Living Planet's natural, planetary form, and the physical one seen here. The good news is that it appears the movie itself will offer some breathing room to explore that idea. Judging by the architecture behind Ego, his domain is one of the few in the Marvel Universe that isn't in the midst of a violent war.
The sweeping white structures and yellow lights are seen earlier in the trailer, with Peter letting his thoughts wander... probably to the question of how a living planet can physically couple with a human woman - a question we can confirm is answered in the film itself. There may not be much more to discuss or confirm with regards to Russell's character, since it was one aspect of the story kept tightly under wraps during our set visit, and remains the obvious missing piece of the puzzle for the film as a whole. That's by design, so let's all just enjoy putting a face to the name.
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That's every meaningful plot beat, possible reveal or missing link we managed to spot in Trailer #2, but the die hard fans are guaranteed to have more questions, theories, and perhaps even answers to offer. We invite you to do so in the comments, and stay tuned as we cover any and all details surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2.
NEXT: Every Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Update You Need To Know
