GOTG Vol. 3: Maria Bakalova Confirmed to Play Classic Character

Maria Bakalova was one of the standout stars of the last Borat movie, so it was great news when it was announced that she would be joining James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Though her character was kept under wraps, Gunn has revealed that Bakalova will be playing a classic Guardians character who we actually met in the first movie.

As Gunn revealed on Twitter, Bakalova will be providing the voice of space dog Cosmo:

And yes @MariaBakalova96 is playing Cosmo. pic.twitter.com/SfIhPYVJHC

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 24, 2022

In the comics, Cosmo the telepathic kind of acts like the ‘guy in the chair’ for the Guardians and watches over their headquarters, Knowhere. We first see Cosmo as one of the Collector’s prized items in Guardians Vol. 1, and we see him growl at Rocket—which tracks in the comics, since the two are always at odds with one another.

We don’t know if Cosmo’s gender will be retconned since Bakalova was cast, but I can imagine they can approach Cosmo’s voice like they do cartoon characters. I mean, even characters like Bart Simpson or Timmy Turner are voiced by women. Heck, Vin Diesel voiced Baby Groot and they just digitally enchanced his performance.

Cosmo is one of my favorite characters from the comics, and with Baby Groot having grown up, Guardians Vol. 3 is going to need another ‘mascot’ to sell the merch. Though this iteration of the Guardians could be ending, I think there’s a lot of room for Cosmo to stay and mentor the next batch of Guardians—whoever they end up to be.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 comes to theaters on May 5, 2023.