Is Kevin Bacon Joining The MCU After His Stint In The Guardians Of The Galaxy?
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As James Gunn’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) appears to be coming to an end, it’s also beginning to look like the Guardians of the Galaxy won’t be sticking around either. But not before delivering Kevin Bacon.
Recently, the Footloose star appeared as himself in Gunn’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. And with only the third Guardians film left, it’s unclear if fans will see Bacon in the MCU again.
Kevin Bacon Was First Named Dropped In Guardians Of The Galaxy
The 2014 film marks the Guardian’s debut in the MCU, and it didn’t disappoint. In the movie, everyone gets a glimpse of Peter Quill’s story (Chris Pratt) from the time he lost his mom to the moment he started his intergalactic adventure.
And since this supposedly happened in the '80s, it made sense that the superhero would be incredibly fond of Bacon who had been one of the most successful stars at that time.
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That said, Bacon never thought he would be part of Peter’s storyline. And the actor only discovered this when he made his way to the theaters.
“I went to Guardians opening weekend in the afternoon alone and had no idea what was coming,” Bacon recalled.
“If you can imagine sitting there and hearing Peter start to talk about you when you're already deeply entrenched in this movie — and not only that, it's one thing if it was a regular romantic comedy and somebody had made a passing reference, but when it's an actual other universe, it's a pretty out of body experience.”
After he finished the movie, Bacon also urged his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, to check out the film.
“I said, ‘There’s a little surprise in it, but I'm not going to tell you what it is,’” he recalled telling her.
“It's just one of those times when you go, boy, my life is pretty strange sometimes.”
Years Later, He Said Yes To James Gunn Without Reading The Script
Sure, Pom Klementieff’s Mantis name-drops Bacon yet again in Avengers: Infinity War. But fans had to wait a few more years before Bacon himself made his way to the MCU. And as it turns out, he didn’t even need a script to say yes.
“I didn't really read the script,” Bacon confirmed.
“I just said, ‘Oh yeah, that sounds great.’ In fact, I don't even know initially if I knew if I was playing myself. I'm trying to remember, because it's been quite a few years since the idea first arrived. It took some time to get it off the ground because of COVID and other kinds of things. But yeah, I was thrilled when I read the script and then when he later on told me that I was also going to sing, I was like, ‘This is really fun.’”
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And just like in Footloose, the Guardians Holiday Special also offered Bacon a chance to do another onscreen music number as he performed with an alien band toward the end of the movie.
“When I got the script, [Gunn] had referenced all the tunes, so I immediately made myself a playlist just to feel the vibe of the whole thing and listen to it a lot,” the actor explained.
“And it's great, and I love the Old 97s song. It's really hard to write a new Christmas song, and I think it's got a really nice combination of sweetness and sentimentality without being a corny take on Christmas. And it rocks, and I loved it.”
Will Kevin Bacon Stay In The MCU After The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?
For now, there seem to be no plans of bringing Bacon back (not even for the upcoming Guardians movie). That said, Gunn has maintained that it’s always possible for the actor to return to Marvel at some point.
Moreover, it’s also possible for Bacon to play himself again or portray a Marvel character.
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“One of the things that Kevin Feige has really impressed upon me in running the MCU is that what matters most is the project right in front of him. You may have a plan about how you want to do something down the road, but if it screws up the thing right in front of you, then it doesn’t work,” Gunn explained.
“The best thing for the holiday special is Kevin Bacon, and if that means that Kevin Bacon is a different character later on in the MCU, it doesn’t really matter.”
As for Bacon himself, it does seem like he’d be interested to return to the MCU again in the future.
After all, he wasn’t able to stick around long enough to hang out with the Marvel stars.
“I never saw the cast outside of their makeup, so meeting them was just like [their characters],” the actor revealed. “I still, to this day, have never spent time with them in their own clothes.”
