Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3has enjoyed praise from critics and audiences alike. Amid the widespread positivity, a few fans have taken to social media to give their opinion on Cosmo the Spacedog’s gender; unsurprisingly, director James Gunn has fired back.
WhileGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3mainly focuses on Star-Lord, Rocket, Gamora, Groot, Nebula, Drax, and Mantis, it sports an impressive group of supporting characters who shine as brightly as the movie’s main stars.Among these characters is Cosmo the Spacedog, a character who has been part of the MCU sinceGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. Inspired by the Soviet dog Laika that was sent to space in 1957, Cosmo was a test subject sent into space in the 1960s that eventually arrived in Knowhere and is known for having telekinetic and telepathic abilities. In the comics, Cosmo was portrayed as a male dog. InThe Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday SpecialandGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Cosmo is depicted as a female dog and voiced by Maria Bakalova.
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This change has stirred up controversy among some Marvel fans. Responding to a behind-the-scenes photo Gunn shared of the actors who voiced Lyla, Floor, Teefs, and Rocket on Twitter, @Logan78106803 asked, “Why did you make Cosmo a female when he had always been known as a good boy.” Gunn responded, “Because Cosmo is based on Laika, the Russian dog, who was female, so I gender-swapped her back.” This answer was not good enough for some fans; @Notgoinginsane asked, “But like…why? Why not just make it comic accurate? Why even do it?” @Notgoinginsane went on to say, “But it makes no sense why to change it. Keeping it wasn’t inaccurate as the comic is a male dog It serves no purpose to change it. The original comic was a male dog you are not “changing it back” because it was never a female in the first place. Only inspired by.” In response, Gunn reminded the user that Cosmo wasn’t the only character whose onscreen portrayal differs from their comic portrayal, saying, “I’d rather honor the real dog who died in outer space. Cosmo would not exist without Laika. By the way, I changed Mantis, Drax, High Evo, and others from humans to aliens, which seems a bigger change. Why does it upset you so much?”
Not all the commenters were upset about Gunn’s change and reasoning. @kavickers23 responded to @Notgoinginsane’s first tweet by saying, “Because the comic is based off of a female dog from real life… he just explained it.” Another message of support was posted by @mattmurdocko, who commented, “AlsoMaria Bakalova is a national treasureand she’s perfect as Cosmo!” In terms of non-verbal support, Gunn’s tweets got far more likes than the posts by either commenter who challenged him - unsurprising due to his larger Twitter following, but still representative of how most fans feel. While there may be a few upset fans who think Cosmo’s gender swap was unnecessary, it seems like they don’t represent the fanbase’s majority.
While she may be a different gender, the MCU version of Cosmo has the same powers as her comic book counterpart. By the end ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Cosmo has already proven herself to be very capable in combat and able to use her telekinesis to face off againstpowerful beings like Adam Warlock. The movie’s mid-credits scene confirms that Cosmo is a part of Rocket’s new group of Guardians. So, whether some fans like it or not, it seems like Bakalova’s Cosmo is here to stay.
