Credit: Inside the MagicGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) director James Gunn recently took to social media to stand by his decision to gender-swap a key character in the film amid ongoing controversy.
Marvel Studios’ latest entry into the MCU has become nothing short of a phenomenon, with Gunn’s third and final Guardians movie on track to become one of the highest-earning blockbusters of 2023. So far, the film has broken records for the superhero studio, grossing just under $530 million at the global box office.
Starring Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Racoon, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, and Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Vol. 3 sees the titular team of heroes reuniting for one last ride—this time, to take down the evil genetic scientist, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).
Watch the official trailer for Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 below:
The film, which has earned rave reviews from fans and critics alike, also features some lesser-known characters from past MCU installments, including Cosmo the Spacedog. Voiced by Maria Bakalova in Vol. 3 and before that, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), Cosmo is a telepathic pup who was launched into Earth’s orbit in the 1960s by the Soviet space program.
After being lost in space, Cosmo eventually arrived in Knowhere, where she was found by the Collector (Benicio del Toro). As seen in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), the Collector kept her on display in his museum and gave her a collar that allowed her to speak with others.
After the museum was destroyed by the Power Stone, Cosmo roamed freely on the planet before she was reunited with the Guardians, who purchased Knowehre and made it their base of operations.
Strangely enough, Cosmo, despite being easily the most adorable “good dog” in the franchise, became the center of controversy when it came to her portrayal in Gunn’s iteration of the Guardians.
You see, on the pages of the Marvel Comics, Cosmo has always been portrayed as a male dog; however, this was swapped for the big-screen blockbuster, where Cosmo is a girl.
Nitpicking fans took issue with Gunn’s departure from the source material, with one even calling out the director on Twitter. The user wrote of Vol. 3, “Why did you make Cosmo a female when he had always been known as a good boy,” to which Gunn responded, “Because Cosmo is based on Laika, the Russian dog, who was a female, so I gender-swapped her back.”
Check out the full Twitter interaction below:
Because Cosmo is based on Laika, the Russian dog, who was a female, so I gender-swapped her back.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 14, 2023
The director defended the decision under the guise of historical accuracy, but Gunn shouldn’t have to double down on his creative choices at all—especially regarding the gender of a character with a generally small role in the franchise, and a dog, at that.
In a different reply, Gunn, who’s been especially active on Twitter following the release of Vol. 3, name-dropped other Guardians characters such as Drax and Mantis, who he also modified from their comic versions:
I’d rather honor the real dog who died in outer space. Cosmo would not exist without Laika. By the way, I changed Mantis, Drax, High Evo, and others from humans to aliens, which seems a bigger change. Why does it upset you so much?
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 14, 2023
Still, some frustrated fans were having none of it, putting the director on blast for “changing established characters” from their comic book counterparts. The same Twitter user doubled down on their complaint, writing, “Because the whole point of an adaptation is to adapt. You adapt the source material as I stated. And I hate comics changing established characters as well (unless they state its a multiverse thing. )”
Gunn fired back with, “It’s always a multiverse thing. That’s what the MCU is – a different version of Earth 616. And, again, you should look up the meaning of ‘adapt.’“
It’s always a multiverse thing. That’s what the MCU is – a different version of Earth 616. And, again, you should look up the meaning of “adapt.”
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 14, 2023
Ultimately, Gunn’s decision to gender-swap a dog is a silly thing to get frustrated about—especially when a character like Cosmo is based on a real-life person, or in this case, a space-traveling pup.
Besides, lashing out at the director on social media is probably not the best move, as the creator of a film is unlikely to go back on their creative decisions. Plus, based on Vol. 3‘s box office numbers alone, audiences don’t appear to be too hung up about the whole ordeal.
Gunn’s latest Twitter feud with fans is another example of how even the best MCU movies can’t please everyone. Thankfully, viewers are more likely to remember Vol. 3‘s heartfelt story, in-depth characterizations, and bloody, over-the-top action sequences than something as trivial as Cosmo’s gender.
What do you think of James Gunn standing by his decision to gender-switch Cosmo the Spacedog? Let us know in the comments below.