Kurt Russell's Marvel Casting Created A Problem - And Chris Pratt Almost Made It Worse

In James Gunn's 2017 sci-fi film "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," the would-be superhero Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), who insists that others call him Star-Lord, learned the shocking truth about his lineage. Peter previously assumed he was a mere human, abducted from Earth by aliens when he was 12. Peter only kept memories of Earth from what it looked like in the 1980s when he was taken. He listened to a vintage Earth Walkman, and was closely familiar with the pop culture of the time. The shock came when Peter finally met his actual biological father, a charming, powerful space deity called Ego (Kurt Russell). 

At first, Peter was thrilled to learn that he was half space deity, and came to love his new dad, especially when they played catch and talked about their respective lives. Peter became disturbed, however, when he learned Ego's true M.O. for appearing in his life. It seems Ego had a habit of sending humanoid avatars of himself out into the galaxy, aiming to impregnate thousands of women, and sire a powerful child. The child, in turn, would help Ego spread his consciousness throughout the galaxy. I suppose a character named Ego would be something of a narcissist. 

Peter Quill, because his mind is saturated with the pop culture of the 1980s, would most certainly be familiar with actor Kurt Russell. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is rife with '80s references, including mention of several notable actors of the era. Peter seemed like the kind of kid who would have seen "The Thing," or "Escape from New York," or "Overboard," so it seems odd that he would never mention that Ego looks exactly like the lead actor from those films. 

In a 2017 interview with Gizmodo, Pratt said that Ego's resemblance to Kurt Russell should have been addressed. Pratt felt that if Peter Quill didn't recognize Kurt Russell, then he must be in a parallel universe where Kurt Russell never became a star. James Gunn shot down that idea pretty quickly

Indeed, Pratt felt that 1980s pop culture wasn't just the whole of Peter Quill's memories. It was the whole of his personal philosophy. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" deals openly with themes of fatherhood, and where one tends to look for father figures when biological dads fail. Peter was raised in space by an abusive bounty hunter named Yondu (Michael Rooker), and never felt like he had a dad. He tended to look to 1980s movie characters for inspiration, leading him to become cocky and overconfident, the way many 1980s protagonists are. 

While on a metanarrative level, it makes sense that Kurt Russell is Peter Quill's dad, writer/director James Gunn didn't want Russell's casting to be taken so literally. Pratt, however, was very fond of his "parallel universe where Kurt Russell is not a star" idea, and kept bugging Gunn about it. Gunn ultimately shot him down. Pratt said: 

"Peter Quill would know who Kurt Russell is. [...] So we had to create the world where Kurt Russell is not one of his icons, the way he actually would have been. All these amazing stars of television and film of that era are the icons of Peter Quill's ideology he's created around what Earth was. [...] I kept pitching James the idea, 'Should I know that that's Kurt Russell?' He's like, 'Just trust me. Don't.'"

One might appreciate that Pratt thought through the casting of Kurt Russell from Peter Quill's perspective, but one will quickly agree that Gunn made the right decision. Besides, what would a universe without Kurt Russell even look like? Would Gunn have had to invent a universe wherein Russell wasn't a huge Disney star in the '70s? A universe where John Carpenter found someone else for "Escape from New York"? And if someone else was in those roles, would other Russell-connected films be altered? Would Goldie Hawn have married him in 1983? Would Wyatt Russell no longer exist? It's all too complicated for a lightweight sci-fi comedy like "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." 

Does Ego look like Kurt Russell? Yes, and it's just a coincidence.