James Gunn Asserts That 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Will Easily Pass the Bechdel Test
This past Tuesday was International Day of the Girl, and to celebrate, Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn took to Facebook to let fans everywhere know that he thinks women have gotten short shrift in society, which extends to the way female characters are written in movies. And when it comes to his own upcoming Marvel sequel, he’s doing something about it.
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As reported by Collider, Gunn begins by stating that “Women all over the world have been pushed to the sidelines in the interests of men, and their personhood is often forgotten or delegitimized. This is true in the realms of politics and education and religion. But it is also true in the realm of STORIES.” Since Gunn is by definition a storyteller, it’s that area which provides him with the greatest power to make a change. And he vows next summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will bring female characters that stand on equal ground with their male counterparts:
“I can’t wait for you all to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with Gamora, Nebula, and Mantis in action, where we not only pass the Bechdel test, but run over it and back up over it again and again in an 18-wheeler truck, and where their stories and the men’s stories don’t come at the expense of each other, but are interwoven in a way to strengthen and optimize all of them.”
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This should be no surprise to Marvel fans, given that 2015’s Guardians of the Galaxy featured a collection of strong, independent female characters. We’ll see how Gunn makes good on his promise when Vol. 2, debuts in U.S. theaters on May 5, 2017.
Watch James Gunn Defend Himself Against Accusations of Spoiling ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’:
