Dave Bautista Plays Coy About the Guardians in Thor: Love and Thunder

When asked about the Guardians' role in Thor: Love and Thunder, Drax actor Dave Bautista played it very coy. Much has been made about the cosmic team-up between the God of Thunder and the Guardians of the Galaxy after their fan-favorite dynamic in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. At the end of that saga, Thor was last seen leaving earth with the Guardians to places unknown and most of the team is expected to show up in his fourth solo outing. How big their role will be has remained an open question as production winds down on the film.

Practically all of the Guardians, sans Zoe Saldana's Gamora, were seen quarantining in Australia where Thor: Love and Thunder is filming. In addition to their involvement, though, the film has a lot on its plate. Natalie Portman will be returning as Jane Foster and the film will track her transformation into Mighty Thor. Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher will also serve as antagonist of the film. Several other characters will also be returning, including Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, Jamie Alexander's Lady Sif, and Matt Damon as Fake Loki.

Still, much of the attention has been paid to where the Guardians will fit in and those hoping for a clear answer shouldn't look to Bautista. The actor appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show and gave a vague answer as to their involvement in the film that basically amounted to nothing being revealed. Bautista says that he was on a jet with his cast members before quarantining and leaving Australia together. Gunn retweeted his answer, laughing at the vagueness of it all.

At this point, it seems safe to assume that the Guardians won't be factoring into Thor: Love and Thunder in a big way time-wise. Considering that they were last seen leaving earth with Thor, it's possible they could appear in the beginning of the film and help set up the God of Thunder's journey before going their separate ways. This would be in line with the various stories that were at play in Thor: Ragnarok, including the extended intro that saw the titular character face off against the fire demon Surtur before returning to Asgard.

Luckily, no matter how small of a presence they have, the Guardians are sure to leave an impression. Even in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame's stacked cast, they managed to standout as one of the highlights of that film alongside Thor. There's also the possibility that Thor goes on to show up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which takes place after Thor: Love and Thunder. Either way, the chance to see them all together onscreen again is one that will not go unappreciated.

Thor is the only original MCU character to get a fourth solo film in Phase 4, but Thor: Love & Thunder has been set up much more akin to Ragnarok 2 than a proper Thor 4. Taika Waititi brought a whole new style and tone to the franchise when he came on for Thor: Ragnarok, and by all accounts – including Taika himself – that approach will carry into Love & Thunder. That’s great news for fans given Ragnarok’s critical acclaim and widespread popularity.