Marvel's firing of James Gunn really shook up the MCU, and Thor: Love & Thunder proves that Gunn's brief absence is still causing Marvel to suffer. Marvel is constantly setting up future movies, meaning that any significant shake-up could create ripples throughout the entire cinematic universe. James Gunn's involvement with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and its subsequent delay is the greatest example of this, as Gunn's firing hurting not only the MCU's timeline but Thor: Love & Thunder as a whole.

Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are the culmination of the MCU Phases 1-3, bringing many of the franchise's characters together for the first time. Throughout the two films, Thor becomes good friends with the Guardians of the Galaxy, even going on a side quest to forge Stormbreaker with Rocket and Groot. Because of this new friendship, Thor decides to join the Guardians at the end of Endgame, which created a lot of excitement and speculation at the time. With May 2020 originally planned as a release date for Guardians 3, the assumption was that Thor would be heavily featured in the film. While Marvel was definitely planning for the crew to embark on an exciting adventure soon after Endgame, that all changed when James Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy  Vol. 3. 

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Gunn's firing was very controversial, and because of that Guardians 3 was swiftly delayed. As a result of the delay, Thor: Love & Thunder ended up on the schedule ahead of Guardians 3, creating some major problems. Since Thor embarked with the Guardians in Endgame, it was clear that Marvel would have to hastily wrap up this plotline so that the events of Love & Thunder could happen, the result of which can now be seen in the film's poor handling of the Guardians. Love & Thunder's Guardians are a victim of James Gunn's firing, with the updated timeline requiring Thor to leave the Guardians, killing an exciting idea in the process.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Add Nothing To Thor 4

Guardians Of The Galaxy bidding Thor goodbye in Love and Thunder

Much like Zeus' Thunderbolt weapon, the Guardians of the Galaxy serve almost no purpose in Thor: Love & Thunder. While they do get a few laughs, the Guardians are removed from the film so quickly that it is clear Marvel Studios had no idea what to do with them. The only significance the Guardians have on the plot is helping Thor realize that he needs to return home. However, any other character or plot device could've sufficed for this; there was no reason that the Guardians had to do it. It is clear that Thor being with the Guardians was nothing more than a hangover from Endgame, with James Gunn's firing requiring this plot to be hastily wrapped up at the beginning of Love & Thunder.

While the prospect of Thor adventuring with the Guardians was an exciting one, the delay of Guardians 3 caused this potential story to be trashed. The world has been deprived of the undoubtedly exciting story Endgame was setting up, now only having the thrown-together wrap-up that exists in Love & Thunder. Perhaps Thor: Love & Thunder director Taika Waititi was not given a great deal of creative freedom to maneuver the Guardians, as they're not technically "his" characters and any significant developments made would have to be addressed in James Gunn's next MCU film. The firing of James Gunn has had many negative effects on the MCU, and Thor: Love & Thunder's Guardians of the Galaxy are just another example of this.

Next: Thor: Love & Thunder Can’t Solve The Guardians’ Biggest Endgame Mystery

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