you’re able to defineJames Gunn’s cinema however you want, but perhaps the most accurate description would be that his movies are usually very weird and have a lot of heart.Supermanand theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy are all about that, for example, but one of his favorite stories dials all that up to an 11.
In an impromptu Q&A session onFacebookback in 2015, Gunn was asked if he could direct any comic book adaptation, what would it be, andhis answer was just as unusual as his style:We3. At the time, right after the success of the firstGuardiansmovie, it felt like a perfect pick, but little did we know that he would find a way to weave a lot ofWe3into one of his best films later on.
What Is ‘We3’ About?
We3is one of Vertigo’s seminal comic book series from the 2000s, by the legendsGrant MorrisonandFrank Quitely. It’s also just the kind of story that speaks to Gunn’s sensibilities, combining weirdness, heart, and cute animals. It’s centered ona group of three rogue pets who have been experimented upon and go on a journey to freedom: the dog Bandit, the cat Tinker, and the rabbit Pirate. They are part of a secret military project called We3, aiming to turn animals into super weapons by giving them exoskeletons and brain implants to communicate.
One day, however, the government decides to move on from the We3 initiative and orders the animals to be terminated. The scientists who created them, however, don’t have the heart to do it, and instead set them free, sparking a hunt throughout the country. As all three of them had originally been kidnapped by the military to be part of We3,the only place they do know where they can finally be safe and live in peace is “HOME,“so they spend most of the story running from the military and trying to find this place, but with no idea of where to look.
Back in 2004, Morrisonrevealedthat most of his inspiration for writingWe3came from pondering how humanity treats animals and concluding that “we hurt, abuse and torture some animals because we can get away with it, in typical bully style,” and that humans are the Earth’s dominant species only due to “our command of lethal technology and our childlike enthusiasm for wanton destruction, not a God-given mandate.” This idea is often present in Gunn’s work, but other elements fromWe3were also incorporated into one of his best films,Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3’ Has Many Elements of ‘We3’
It’s impossible to watchGuardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3,without crying. One of the many reasons is Rocket’s (Bradley Cooper) tragic story. In the first two movies, Gunn hinted at a tragic backstory for our favorite talking raccoon, but no one expected it to bethatsad:he was once part of Batch 89, a group of animals who were experimented upon by theHigh Evolutionary(Chukwudi Iwuji) as part of his Humanimals initiative, an attempt to create a perfect society on Counter-Earth.
Besides Rocket, other members of Batch 89 included the otter Lylla (Linda Cardellini), the walrus Teefs (Asim Chaudhry), and the rabbit Floor (Mikaela Hoover), all of whom Rocket failed to save during their breakout attempt from the High Evolutionary’s laboratories. Although the character itself originated in the comics, Rocket has many traits that come fromWe3, especiallythe guilt he feels about not being able to save his friends, and how he initially didn’t believe the experiments done on him and Batch 89 were evil, and only fully assimilated them years later.
The influenceWe3has onVol. 3goes beyond just Rocket. For example, not only is Cosmo’s (Maria Bakalova) ability to speak also from the comics, buther constant need for approval and reassurance that she is a good dog feels like a nod to Bandit, who also feels this need. Even when he has to fight the military inWe3, he feels guilty because he never wanted to hurt anyone. He constantly calls himself a “bad dog,” even though he really is the best.
‘We3’ Could Still Be a Great Animal-Centric Story in the DCU
Unfortunately,We3never made it onto the big screen, even after the rights to the comic were acquired by New Lineback in 2005, with Morrison himself set to write the script. Perhaps it was for the best at that time, butit really is a story that should eventually make its way into theaters, and there is no one better than James Gunn to do it. He has always been an activist and fierce advocate for animal rights andadoption campaigns, was named PETA’s 2023Person of the Year, and recentlyrevealedhis strict work ethic involving animals on set.
As the new head of DCU, Gunn has found ways to include animals in all his works, from Ratcatcher II’s (Daniela Melchior) rats inThe Suicide SquadtoSuperman’sKrypto, who ismodeledafter his own rescue dog, Ozu. EvenPeacemakerfeatures the awesome Eagly, who is entirely digital for obvious reasons. Butthe DCU still doesn’t have a fullyanimal-centric story, andWe3would make for a perfect entry, especially because it’s already part of the DC universe in the comics, since it was published by Vertigo. We know that Gunn has his hands full with multiple upcoming projects, but it would be great to see Bandit, Tinker, and Pirate on the big screen someday — they deserve it.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3is available to stream on Disney+.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
