Michael Rooker played Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy, and he will not be returning in volume 3 of the film as his character died in Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2.
Yondu is a blue-skinned alien who serves as a surrogate father figure to Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord, played by Chris Pratt. Despite being an up-to-no-good individual for much of the film, Yondu ultimately gave up his life to protect his surrogate son Star-Lord and also ensure that those that want to destroy the galaxy do not succeed.
Rooker’s portrayal of Yondu has been well-received by fans and critics alike, with his performance being one of the standout elements in both “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) and its sequel, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017). His death scene was a poignant and emotional one, and both he and the makers of the film have maintained that they won’t bring the Yondu character back so as not to devalue that final scene.
Who is Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy?
Yondu Udonta is a character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and its origin is traced to the comics. He is portrayed as a blue-skinned tall individual with red eyes. He also spots a metal mohawk as well as an intimidating demeanor. Yondu is one of the major characters in the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
He is the leader of the Ravagers, which is billed as a biker gang that is up to no good. He is available for hire for various unsavory tasks, such as stealing the powerful and mysterious orb or kidnapping a child.
A villain named Ego once tasked Yondu with kidnapping his human son named Star-Lord/Peter Quill. Yondu, however, feared that Ego might kill Peter. He refused to turn over the boy and instead raised him as his son. Peter Quill will eventually assemble the group of misfits termed Guardians of the Galaxy, who put up a fight against those that want to destroy or dominate the galaxy.
It is easy to dismiss Yondu Udonta as an evil individual, but things are not so clear-cut. At the time that it matters most, his conscience peeks out and guides his activities.
Who Plays Yondu Udonta?
Alabama-born actor Michael Rooker plays Yondu Udonta in Guardians of the Galaxy. Rooker grew up with nine siblings and his mother in Illinois, Chicago. He developed a love for acting at an early age and went on to study drama during his college days at DePaul University, a private Catholic institution located in Illinois.
Rooker started his career in theatrical productions, and it was in doing this that he got the opportunity to audition for the 1986 horror film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. He didn’t expect much from the film, but it turned out to be a critical success thanks to his leading performance. His first film thus turned out to be his breakout role, and he went on to receive more roles.
Today, Michael Rooker has been featured in several movies and TV series. He is, however, most popular for his role as Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy and Merle Dixon in The Walking Dead.
Did Yondu Die and How?
Yondu died in the final scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2; giving up his life to save his surrogate son named Peter Quill. Back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, Peter Quill and his pals focused on protecting the universe from Ronan, an evil villain who wants to use the powerful orb to destroy the universe. They succeed in their mission.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the storyline shifts to focus on the biological father of Peter Quill named Ego. Ego is a powerful celestial being who planted seedlings, aka children, all over Earth in hopes of finding an offspring that can activate his full celestial power. He dispatches Yondu to kidnap these kids and bring them to him and kills them off when they can’t activate his power.
When Yondu realized what was going on, he decided to keep and raise Quill. When Quill later reunites with his biological father as an adult, he is initially happy. His father’s long-standing nefarious ambitions, however, manifest, and he works to stop him.
Yondu is very helpful to Quill in this regard. He refuses to hand him over to a group that is hunting him. When Quill finally meets up with his biological father, Yondu helps him realize that what Ego is up to is evil.
Quill and his father enter into the ultimate fight-to-the-death battle, and the young man defeats his dad and detonates a bomb that destroys him and the planet he inhabits. In doing so, Quill is unable to escape back to safety and risks losing his life, but Yondu steps in and saves him.
He gives him the only breathing device available and also helps fly him quickly out of the exploding planet. In this way, Yondu gives up his life to save Quill performing the ultimate heroic act despite his bad actions in life.
Yondu’s death devastates the guardians as well as his Ravagers’ group. They hold a very emotional funeral for him, and his body is later cremated.
Will Yondu Return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3?
Yondu will not return in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Both the actor that plays the character as well as the movie’s director, James Gunn, have made it clear that the character who died in the second film will stay dead.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will see the guardians getting together to help one of their own, Rocket, deal with issues in the past. Some of the characters, such as Gamora, who have died in other MCU films that came after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (i.e., Avengers: Infinity War – 2018) are resurrected and will feature in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but not Yondu and this has been made clear.
Back in 2017, during a Q&A session on Facebook, a fan asked James Gunn if Yondu would return, and he reemphasized that the character was dead. He made it clear that he does not belong to the category of those who kill characters and bring them back to life, describing such as sad. Gunn accepted that Yondu could come back via a flashback or a prequel film, but he won’t come back to life from the dead.
Also, on March 2018, James Gunn tweeted that Yondu would stay dead. According to him, Yondu’s death means something to people, and he won’t take any action that would diminish that. Gunn isn’t lying in this regard
One clip of Yondu’s death scene on YouTube has many emotional comments, with thousands of likes, with many pointing out how Yondu ultimately showed fatherly love and how the whole scene was gut-wrenching.
Michael Rooker himself has stated that he would not agree to play the role again. He agrees with Gunn that characters that have died should stay dead.
The Alabama-born actor is, however, open to working together with James Gunn and playing a new character in a new film. Meanwhile, James Gunn has confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last Guardians of the Galaxy film.
