The Collector Won’t Be in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’

Drew Dietsch
Movies Marvel
Movies Marvel

Looks like Benicio del Toro is trading one galaxy for another — reports now indicate that del Toro’s character Taneleer Tivan a.k.a. The Collector will not be featured in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. That’s something of a bummer until you realize that it probably has to do with del Toro’s involvement in Star Wars: Episode VIII, so maybe things won’t be so bad for the actor after all.

This does bring into question how much connectivity Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will have with the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. The original film was the most crucial component we’ve gotten so far in explaining the Infinity Stones, and The Collector’s desire to acquire them was a large element of the on-going story. His collection also gave us a glimpse into the numerous possibilities that might arise from the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

the collector thor

Director James Gunn has been very clear about his series of films not feeling beholden to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, preferring to carve out his own story and world instead of setting up others. That’s one of the reasons Guardians of the Galaxy has been the most successful of Marvel’s endeavors, and it doesn’t look like that attitude will change much with the upcoming sequel. Still, don’t count Taneleer Tivan out completely. Just because he won’t be showing up for this entry doesn’t mean he’s out of the picture entirely. Marvel is just getting ready to really delve into its cosmic catalog and The Collector may very well show up in other MCU films.

Plus, we definitely need him to make a cameo in the Howard the Duck movie.

Drew Dietsch
Drew Dietsch has been professionally writing about entertainment for over a decade. His bylines include FANDOM - where he was a founding contributor and Entertainment Editor - Bloody Disgusting, SYFY WIRE, and more. He created and hosts GenreVision, a weekly film discussion show at genrevision.com.