Writer/director James Gunn reveals which Marvel characters he can't include in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The superhero auteur is best known for his entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, though he recently crossed over to DC's Extended Universe for The Suicide Squad, an R-rated redux of David Ayer's Suicide Squad from 2016. A spinoff of that film, Peacemaker, is coming to HBO Max on January 13, but in the meantime, Gunn is hard at work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as well as a Guardians-themed holiday special which will lead into the final film in the trilogy.

Following their appearance in Thor: Love & Thunder, the Guardians will return for their third eponymous movie, currently due on May 5, 2023. Much of the regular cast has returned for what will likely be their last adventure together, including Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis. Will Poulter has been cast as Adam Warlock, though it's unclear if he will act as an ally or an adversary to the Guardians.

Related: Thanos' Snap Could Be Responsible For Adam Warlock's MCU Story

Like the two previous movies, Guardians 3 will feature an exciting cast of characters, though James Gunn recently revealed a few Marvel characters that he wasn't able to include. In response to a fan on Twitter, Gunn admitted that Marvel Studios no longer holds the rights to ROM: Spaceknight, saying that if they did, "ol’ toaster head would probably be in the Guardians by now." Another user asked about the character of Bug, and Gunn confirmed there are rights issues there as well. See the tweets below:

Gunn is well-known for plucking characters from comics obscurity and elevating them into popular entities on the big screen, such as he did with Star-Lord, Rocket, Drax, and Groot, and will likely do with Adam Warlock as well. While it's a shame that rights issues will stand in the way of more potential fan-favorites like ROM: Spaceknight and Bug making their way into the MCU, Guardians 3 will still feature a few new characters to keep fans engrossed.

Gunn has teased that the Guardians Holiday Special will be introducing "one of the greatest MCU characters of all time," who will likely play a significant role in the threequel as well. Now that Disney has rights to all the properties previously owned by 20th Century Fox, Gunn has access to a treasure trove of characters he can introduce in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While the inclusion of ROM: Spaceknight and Bug would have been appreciated by some, they likely won't be missed.

Next: Who Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3's Huge Secret Character Could Be

Source: James Gunn