Ronan Will Not Return for 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2'

Lee Pace recently expressed interest in reprising his villainous role of Ronan the Accuser in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2,’ which might not be very easy, given the events of the first film. And while anything is possible in the realm of superhero films, director James Gunn says Ronan will not be coming back for round 2—though he doesn’t rule out the possibility of Ronan’s revival at some point.

At the end of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord and his Guardians pals vanquish Pace’s Ronan when they bond together to absorb the energy of the Infinity stone. But reviving dead characters is possible in the world of fantasy and superheroes, so when Pace recently said he’d love to return for the sequel, it wasn’t that absurd of a notion.

But in a recent Facebook Q&A (via SlashFilm), director James Gunn was asked by a fan about whether Ronan would be back for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2,’ to which he replied, “Who knows. But not in 2, no.” When asked if Ronan might ever return for a future film, the director offered, “Perhaps someday.” So while Lee Pace won’t be coming back for the sequel, Gunn seems open to the idea of bringing him back further down the line…if he’s still involved.

For now, Gunn is getting to work on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2,’ which hits theaters on May 5, 2017.