James Gunn‘s Guardians of the Galaxy movies are treasure troves full of nods towards some of the deepest cuts from Marvel lore, even if fans still can’t find the legendary final Easter Egg seven years later, which the writer and director continues to troll them over.
We can expect that to continue in Vol. 3, especially when its predecessor tacked on no less than seven credits scenes for both our and Gunn’s amusement, but one cult favorite character won’t be making the cut. In a social media exchange with a fan, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker architect explained why we won’t be seeing Rom the Space Knight in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Galadorian was co-created and patented by Scott Dankman, Richard C. Levy, and Bryan L. McCoy, who then sold it off to board game manufacturers Parker Brothers, which eventually became a subsidiary of Hasbro. Marvel Comics acquired the license to in 1979 and launched the Rom: Spaceknight run, which would last for six years.
However, Marvel are no longer able to reprint the Rom: Spaceknight comics or any issues from other titles where he appeared. Given his knowledge of the situation, it sounds as though Gunn may have inquired about the complex legal minefield at one stage of his employment with the studio.
