Actor Michael Rooker comments on whether or not he'll appear as Yondu in live-action again, either for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Rooker first appeared as Yondu in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 in 2014, then reprised the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017, where the character died saving the life of Chris Pratt's Star-Lord. Since that time, Rooker returned to the role (in voice form) for the Disney+ show What If...? which imagined Yondu abducting T'Challa/Black Panther instead of Peter Quill/Star-Lord.

Gunn is currently filming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as well as the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, reuniting the surviving cast of characters, including Pratt's Star-Lord, Zoe Saldaña's Gamora, Dave Bautista's Drax, Pom Klementieff's Mantis, as well as Vin Diesel's Groot and Bradley Cooper's Rocket, amongst others. However, as Yondu died in the previous film, it's unlikely he'd appear in either film, but the question remains nonetheless, given the popularity of the character since he first debuted.

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Speaking to the Geek House Show, Rooker was asked if there was a possibility of seeing Yondu back in live-action form in the MCU, to which the actor gave a mostly straightforward response, saying that he didn't know if he would, but that there was currently nothing planned. Rooker does mention that they sometimes go back to "revisit stuff" which would be a nod to his work on What If...?, but the actor was cagey about giving a definitive yes or no to Yondu's future. Here's his full quote on the subject:

I have no idea. I don’t know. I do the jobs and I move on and I do other jobs. Sometimes we go back and revisit stuff but as of now, there’s nothing planned.

Yondu holding Quill's face in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol.2

Rooker has been a staple character actor for decades in Hollywood, appearing in all manner of notable films, including Days of Thunder, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Cliffhanger, and Mallrats. The actor has appeared in many of Gunn's films, starting with the horror flick Slither, the indie-superhero romp Super, the GOTG franchise, and most recently in The Suicide Squad as Savant. Rooker has also worked his way into the Fast & Furious franchise, appearing as Buddy in F9, and he is expected to appear in F10 as well.

Although the MCU is now introducing the multiverse in an effort to converge characters from different corners of the Marvel Universe, it's highly unlikely that Yondu would be resurrected under those conditions. It's entirely possible that he could appear in a live-action flashback, but resurrection seems like it would be a disservice to the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Gunn has said repeatedly that Yondu would not be back, reiterating that "Yondu is dead and will stay dead" for as long as he's involved with the franchise, but has said that a prequel or flashback is not out of the question. Whether that's the case for either Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 or the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special remains to be seen (or debunked by Gunn on Twitter, as is commonly the case).

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Source: Geek House Show

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