James Gunn Says Yondu Won’t Be Resurrected For Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Yondu is a fan favorite among fan favorites in the MCU, but he’s not getting brought back from the dead for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. James Gunn did an Instagram Q&A on Monday and was asked if he would ever bring the Michael Rooker-played character, who sacrificed himself in Guardians Vol. 2 back. Gunn’s answer, while carefully worded, made it clear that he wants the death to stick and that other deaths in his films would follow suit.

Gunn said (per ComicBook.com, ““Not to life no. If a character dies in my films they will likely stay dead. I think stakes are important.”

It’s of course notable that Gun specifically said he would not bring Yondu back “to life.” Gunn and Rooker have a close working relationship and it’s entirely possible, based on his response, that we could see Yondu make an appearance in some sort of flashback, dream sequence or the like. That said, it doesn’t seem likely that Yondu will find a place among the living in the MCU, at least under Gunn’s run with Guardians.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 does not yet have a release date, though it is set to start filming this year.