Marvel
James Gunn Says He Wrote the MCU’s Infinity Stone Lore in Just Three Minutes: “No One Had a Plan”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) might look like an intricately woven masterpiece of interconnecting plotlines, but according to Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, some of its most important lore was written in under five minutes. Yep, that entire origin story of the Infinity Stones? Gunn says he scribbled it together in three.
In a new video interview with GQ, James Gunn hilariously recalled how the crucial exposition scene featuring Benicio del Toro’s The Collector explaining the origin of the Infinity Stones in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy was completely off-the-cuff. “When I wrote the scene with The Collector explaining that there was this explosion, and the Infinity Stones were born… that was literally me just sitting down for 3 minutes and writing that,” said James Gunn. “That’s what became the rest of the Infinity Stones.”
Let that sink in: what would eventually become the foundation for Marvel’s Infinity Saga, culminating in global mega-hits like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, was created in an impromptu writing sprint.
The Birth of the Stones Was Never in the Plan
Before James Gunn became the co-CEO of DC Studios and rebooted Superman, he was a Hollywood risk-taker brought in by Marvel to helm Guardians of the Galaxy—a cosmic comedy featuring a talking raccoon and a tree. But it turns out even Guardians wasn’t operating off some sacred Marvel playbook. “There was never anybody that said anything other than, ‘I think the red thing and the blue thing are going to end up being Infinity Stones.’ That wasn’t in the plan to begin with,” James Gunn revealed.
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So while Marvel fans have spent years analyzing each colored stone’s role in the grand cosmic puzzle, the reality is the entire mythology was reverse-engineered from one spontaneous writing session.
Even the Stone Colors Were Changed Last-Minute
James Gunn shared another behind-the-scenes tidbit: the Power Stone was originally red in early versions of Guardians of the Galaxy. It was only during post-production that the team realized that Thor: The Dark World’s Aether, later revealed as the Reality Stone, was already red. So the Power Stone was recolored purple—another massive decision made on the fly that became canon for the MCU.
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No Guardians in Avengers: Doomsday—Yet
With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 bringing a satisfying close to the beloved franchise, the ending hinted that Star-Lord would return. However, none of the Guardians have been confirmed for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Meanwhile, the next entry in the MCU is Fantastic Four: First Steps, set to release on July 25, 2025.
And James Gunn? He’s now busy rebooting Superman on the DC side.
