Kevin Feige and co. have had a tough time of late, mainly because we have too much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it's all getting kind of old. Sure, Phase 4 isn't as bad as people say, but there's no doubt the MCU is seemingly on a downward trajectory — especially after "Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and its box office woes. Now, Feige is hoping James Gunn and his "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" can turn things around for the struggling franchise.

The final entry in Gunn's trilogy looks set to be somewhat of an event, with the promise that several members of the titular team will die in the film. This is, per the "Guardians Vol. 3" trailer, the last outing before the team "fly away together, one last time," and the director moves on to focus on his duties as co-head of DC Studios full-time. Which means we're expecting him to have pulled out all the stops for his final "Guardians" effort.

Thus far, as usual, we have a bunch of fan theories and scuttlebutt ahead of the official launch. Also, we now know the film will break a longstanding MCU rule — as in, a character will, believe it or not, let a major curse word slip. Shock! And while you might think the f-bomb in question comes as a result of the tumultuous storyline that will see a Guardian or two killed off, it's actually not all that serious. News of the offending curse, which will mark the very first f-bomb in MCU history, comes via a recently released clip from the PG-13 rated threequel. The clip shows Chris Pratt's Star-Lord explaining how to open a car door to Nebula (Karen Gillan), who struggles with the primitive tech, prompting Star-Lord to say, "Open the f****** door."

The F-Bomb Was Unplanned

Fans will no doubt be shocked to see an MCU character use this specific expletive after the franchise has lasted 15 years without it. Of course, we've had numerous examples of curse words being used in the MCU, but the f-bomb has always been cut off or obscured in some way. Star-Lord himself almost got a "What the f***" out in 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy" but it was cut short by an exploding light bulb.

Now, James Gunn has confirmed via Twitter, that the full, uncensored word will be used in "Vol. 3." Replying to a fan who asked, "The f-bomb is gonna be uncensored in 'Vol. 3,' right?" the director said "ofc" before explaining:

"You can only have one in a PG 13 movie. That said it wasn't planned — I told Chris [Pratt] to add it on set and it just made the moment funnier so we kept."

Of course, filmmakers have tried and failed to push the limits of Disney and Marvel's rules in the past, leading to multiple R-rated MCU scenes that have ended up on the cutting room floor. But every film in the franchise has thus far been rated PG-13, which has meant they've remained relatively family friendly up until this point. That's set to change with the upcoming "Deadpool 3," which will fit into the MCU while retaining the R-rating that has been so pivotal to the series' success. Whether Star-Lord's f-bomb is a sign that the more adult approach is spreading into other MCU movies or not remains unclear at this point, but it seems to have just been a funny moment — probably Kevin Feige giving Gunn a pass due to this being his final "Guardians" movie.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" hits theaters on May 5, 2023.

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