James Gunn Is Really Hard To Replace

Arguably more than any other franchise in the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy is the voice of its director. These movies are his brainchild and James Gunn's take on the team is so powerful that Marvel Comics has basically just copy and pasted his work into new Guardians books. Gunn's fingerprints are all over the movies, from the quirky humor right down to the Awesome Mix volumes that have become inseparable from the franchise. He puts a lot of himself into his work, and that makes it extremely hard to find a replacement. It's easy to see a new director trying to copy what Gunn did and falling short, resulting in a lackluster entry. On the other hand, they could get a director who does his own thing and branches too far from what the franchise is known for. It's easy to say that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi should take over, but just because someone is funny and weird enough doesn't mean they can direct a Guardians movie. Whoever Marvel does end up hiring better be prepared for endless questions about Awesome Mix Vol. 3, and the like.