Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Why James Gunn Changed Cosmo’s Gender

Marvel fans who read the Guardians of the Galaxy comics know that Cosmo the Space Dog is a male, and he’s even portrayed as male in the GOTG game. As it turns out, director James Gunn had a reason for genderbending Cosmo in Vol. 3.

When asked by a fan why Cosmo was turned into a girl, Gunn replied that it was his tribute to the space dog Laika, who Cosmo was based on. He replied:

Because Cosmo is based on Laika, the Russian dog, who was a female, so I gender-swapped her back.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 14, 2023

Though this is the only time we actually get to see Cosmo as part of the group, she was actually introduced way back in the first Guardians movie as one of the Collector’s items. Cosmo had also appeared in the Guardians ride at Avengers Campus, but this film (and the Holiday Special) is the first time the Guardians actually acknowledge her as a member.

We don’t know what the future holds for the Guardians franchise, but Vol. 3 definitely ended with the idea that we could get more of them in the future, but not the same iteration that was formed in the first movie. By the end of the film, the members of the Guardians were Kraglin, Cosmo, Groot, Adam Warlock, Phyla-Vell a.k.a. Quasar, and Rocket as the new captain.

Hopefully some of the ex-Guardians like Nebula and Drax can still make small cameos in the future.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now showing in theaters.