'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2' Footage Secrets & Details Revealed By James Gunn [Comic-Con 2016]

There's no doubt you've already heard about the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 footage that was shown at Comic-Con (and won't be released online anytime soon). We did our best to recap everything that was shown, including the confirmation of Kurt Russell playing Star-Lord's father and a cameo from Sylvester Stallone in some kind of key role. But if that wasn't enough, director James Gunn also took the time to elaborate on some of the secrets and details that were revealed in the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Comic-Con panel and footage.

Find out what James Gunn had to say about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 after the jump.

If you're curious about what happened in Hall H, here's the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 panel:

As you can see, the Ravagers popped up to chastise everyone in Hall H, as well as director James Gunn, and the panel was full of energy, especially once Yondu showed up sporting the new high mohawk fin that was an important part of an extended scene that played during the panel.

Shortly after this panel concluded, James Gunn took to Facebook to write an extended post that broke down what was revealed during the panel, complete with some extra information about the role the Ravagers play in the sequel (including who plays all of the new ones), who Elizabeth Debicki is playing, and just how important the character of Star-Lord's father Ego is to the core of the movie.

First up, Gunn also posted this image to Instagram, showing each of the Ravagers:

Ravagers R Us, starting at the top left, around in a circle: Brahl, Oblo, Scrote, Narblik, Gef the Ravager, Kraglin, Wretch, Half-Nut, Taserface. Photos by @steveagee

A photo posted by James Gunn (@jamesgunn) on Jul 25, 2016 at 9:39am PDT

Starting in the top left corner and going around the square and into the middle we have Stephen Blackehart as Brahl, Joe Fria as Oblo, an unknown actor as Scrote, Terence Rosemore as Narblik, Steve Agee as Gef the Ravager, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Evan Jones as Wretch, Jimmy Urine as Half-Nut and Chris Sullivan as Taserface.

Gunn says they're a big part of the sequel with Taserface as the new leader, because Yondu (Michael Rooker) was named as the newest member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Apparently the Ravagers didn't like the fact that Yondu let Peter Quill go, especially after he found out that he kept the orb from them.

Karen Gillan is back as Gamora's sister Nebula, and this time it appears she might not be a villain, at least for part of the movie. She was glimpsed in the concept art as being teamed up with the Guardians, but there's a good chance her turning to the other side won't last the entire movie.

In addition, Pom Klementieff is a new part of the crew as Mantis. The alien woman was glimpsed only briefly in the film and Gunn says, "She's been one of my favorite parts of making this film."

As for a new bit of information, Gunn has announced that Elizabeth Debicki, who was added to the cast when the first teaser image was unveiled, will be playing a character named Ayesha. She's the "golden High Priestess of a genetically-perfect people called the Sovereign." Gunn describes her as a "not a woman to be screwed with – she, and her entire world, are extraordinarily deadly."

Perhaps the biggest reveal out of the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 footage at Comic-Con was the confirmation that Kurt Russell would be playing Star-Lord's father. Even more surprising was the fact that he was playing Ego, known in the comics as Ego the Living Planet. Gunn references as much when he confirms, "Yeah, his dad is a planet. Sort of. It will all be explained in the film."

Gunn went on to explain why the character of Ego is "the absolute center of Vol. 2, and one of the reasons I've been so excited about it." Gunn explains that Rocket Raccoon was a driving force for Gunn to make Guardians of the Galaxy:

Rocket was an animal experimented upon, torn apart and put back together, without compassion. He was the only being of his type, had never known any hint of kindness, and was utterly and completely alone until he met his fellow Guardians. And, one of them in particular – Groot – thought it was worth sacrificing his life for his sake. This melancholy and beautiful undercurrent helped to ground the character for me. He had far more in common with Frankenstein's monster than he did Bugs Bunny. And I related to him, greatly, and I hoped other folks who felt like outsiders would as well.

Gunn felt like Ego had another kind of sadness in him that was begging to be explored. The director explains:

Ego seemed, in many ways, like an even more ridiculous character. But I asked myself, if a planet was alive, how could that be? And how could it father a child?

The answers to those questions took me to a far deeper place that I expected. I don't want to give away too many answers at this time. But what Nova Prime said about Peter's father at the end of Vol. 1 is certainly true – he is something ancient and unknown. And, as we will discover, being a cosmic being, alone for eons, is perhaps even more lonely than being the universe's sole talking raccoon.

I can't wait for you guys to see Kurt Russell bring this character to life onscreen. It has been a rapturous experience creating Ego with him. We have both pushed ourselves as far as we can go in making him real, and grounded, and emotionally centered.

All right, I was already pretty excited about Guardians of the Galaxy 2 before now, but after hearing these things that Gunn has to say about the core of the story and all the ways the sequel is shaking up returning characters and introducing new ones, I'm even more excited. This looks like it has the potential to be a sequel that satisfies just as much as the first one and branches out even more into the strangeness of the cosmic side of the Marvel cinematic universe.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 arrives on May 5, 2017.