The Pentagon does not have to approve of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s scripts, says James Gunn.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director responded to a fan on Twitter who commented on a leaked Eternals spoiler involving the characters’ influence on world history in the film, saying that the plot point was particularly remarkable because “Marvel scripts are all approved in advance by the Pentagon.” Gunn refuted the claim by saying, “Marvel scripts are not all approved by the Pentagon. Where do people come up with this nonsense?”
No. When a film uses military assets for free those specific scripts have to get military approval to make sure the military isn’t disparaged. This is very few films – and, from what I know, the military is pretty loose about it. https://t.co/gpewYkd1eq
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 27, 2021
This is so stupid. The guy said all Marvel movies are pre approved by the military. This isn’t true. Saying some movies in Hollywood get approval in exchange for assets doesn’t make that any less true. I’ve never had a movie get approved by the military. Read. https://t.co/BaCFNFjX0E
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 27, 2021
In a follow-up statement, Gunn clarified that when a film uses military assets it has to get approval from the government to ensure that these assets are not being disparaged. “This is very few films – and, from what I know, the military is pretty loose about it,” Gunn said.
However, conflicts between Hollywood and the Pentagon do happen from time to time. For example, when the United States announced that it would be adding a new branch to the armed forces, it came into conflict with Netflix over naming rights. Since the series Space Force produced merchandise before the actual United States Space Force, Netflix was able to make a claim to the name.
This isn’t the first time that a link between the United States government and the MCU became a talking point for fans. Back in 2019, marketing for Captain Marvel highlighted her connection with the Air Force. Some people criticized Marvel Studios for the decision, considering the heavy involvement of the Air Force in the film to be propaganda while others felt that it was a crucial element of the character that needed to be handled authentically.
Gunn also noted that he has never had to have any of his movies looked over by the Pentagon. His most recent film, The Suicide Squad, featured a particularly dark depiction of the military, with the U.S. openly breaking international law and withholding aide from foreign nations in need, such as with the fictional island of Corto Maltese.
Currently, Gunn is busy working on the pre-production process for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The director recently showed off a stack of preliminary storyboards for the project, while mentioning the massive scope of the film. However, given his comments and the trajectory of the franchise thus far, it seems unlikely that the Guardians will be dealing with the United States military.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in theaters on May 5, 2023.
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