Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 begins principal photography in 14 weeks according to writer and director James Gunn, who's already set up shop at Pinewood Atlanta Studios to begin preparations. The shooting scripts just went out to the main cast and we suspect that in the next few weeks we'll learn of the final few casting additions, including official word on the newest member of the team, Mantis, who will be played by Pom Klementieff.

The sequel aims to be a more personal story than Guardians 1 and according to Gunn, is a "story about fathers." At the center of that is protagonist Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) whose relationship with his yet-to-be-revealed dad is at the center of the sequel's plot. We might finally know precisely who that character is, depending on who you believe.

*Warning: If this article's title didn't give it away, major potential plot spoilers ahead.*

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You've been warned.

Guardians of the Galaxy Photo - Star-Lord in Ravager Uniform

At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy it is revealed by the Nova Corps that Quill's father is from an ancient mysterious race that's not been around for ages. Quill is therefore only half-human and its his half-alien side that allowed him to survive interacting with one of the Infinity Stones (The Power Gem) when defeating Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace).

From the hints throughout the movie, Quill's father was described by his mother to be "angelic" but also a "jackass" according to Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his ragtag group of Ravagers. When combined with Gunn's explanation that Quill's father in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be different than that of the comics, we had a substantial amount of hints to help narrow it down - assuming of course, this character is someone else from the books and not someone entirely original.

HH has a scoop on the identity of Star-Lord's father from various sources - which potentially lends credence to something that we've heard rumblings about behind the scenes as well. They claim it's Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) Art by isodore

We know James Gunn has already stated multiple times that Carol Danvers - the current Captain Marvel in the comics (previously known as Ms. Marvel) - will not be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 but the rumor is specifically referring to the original Captain Marvel from the comics, the Kree military officer known as Mar-Vell.

The biggest hint of this might be in the intro of Guardians of the Galaxy where Quill's mom died of cancer, the same way Mar-Vell did in the comics (see: The Death of Captain Marvel). If this rumor proves true, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 would be helping establish the Captain Marvel power set and mantle before Danvers has her origin tale told in 2018 in her own movie. This plot line could also help bridge the gap of the cosmic adventures of the Guardians with the happenings on Earth.

The role of Captain Marvel might be the very same antagonistic part that Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey turned down in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He certainly has the look. There have been no reports yet on who else could be the running - or already cast - in the role of Star-Lord's dad.

And this isn't the only family-oriented story element of the film though. We know the sibling rivalry between Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) will be explored more in the sequel and it's possible we learn more of Drax's family history too. In the comics, Drax is the father of another hero who serves in the comics alongside the Avengers and Guardians, and it's always possible that we meet another adopted daughter of Thanos, as hinted at in the first movie.

At this point, all remains uncertain - Especially given James Gunn's pointed response to this rumor...

Next Page: James Gunn's Response to This Rumor

Director James Gunn at Guardians of the Galaxy World Premiere
Director James Gunn at Guardians of the Galaxy World Premiere

Posted on Facebook a few hours after the scoop dropped, Gunn denied that Captain Marvel is Star-Lord's dad without naming him, and explained that this is the last time he'll directly address similar rumors as to not giveaway anymore hints about the film's plot.

All right. From this moment on I’m going to stop commenting on any rumors surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, because, eventually, someone is going to come up with a spoiler that has some truth to it. That said, the rumors surrounding Quill’s parentage at the present moment are completely false, and aren’t even close to the truth. I don’t know how people come up with this stuff, but it certainly isn’t through legitimate sources.

Also, I get the desire to get “scoops” on character inclusion and casting choices, etc. But since when is a plot spoiler a “scoop”? Is this really what fandom wants to know? Plot details in movies ahead of time? I got in this business because I love movies, and I think most film journalists are the same way. And spoiling plot details doesn’t add to the enjoyment of the film-going experience. So bravo to those folks out there who don’t partake in this sort of thing.

But, as I said, eventually someone will actually spoil some detail of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. So this will be my last comment squelching a rumor until May 2017. But if you do pick up on some plot detail between now and then, be aware, A) They are likely full of shit, as has been everyone so far who has claimed to have had inside info, and B) We’re creating a film that doesn’t rely on plot twists to be an enjoyable experience. They’re only a very small part of what we’re cooking up for you.

James

From the beginning, Gunn explained that the reveal of Star-Lord's dad isn't meant to be some sort of shocking reveal or twist, but instead serves the larger story.  Gunn makes a good point about avoiding revealing major plot spoilers so we can only hope what he says about Star-Lord's dad's identity not being a twist holds true. If Star-Lord's dad is not Mar-Vell, who do you think would be a good pick from the comics? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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.

Sources: HH, James Gunn

Captain Marvel art by isidore.