Finally, a story about how the Internet did some good for a change! Last month, the ever-transparent director James Gunn shared an amusing story on his Facebook page, revealing that Marvel's legal team wouldn't clear an obscure alien race from the comics known as Sneepers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The director revealed that the studio wouldn't grant him clearance because the word sneeper literally means "clitoris" in the Icelandic language. The filmmaker posted an update on his social media site today, revealing that, because of the influx of articles about the Sneepers' exclusion, they have reversed their stance, and now there will be "at least one Sneeper" in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
"Sneeper update. A couple weeks back I told you how the Marvel legal department advised against using Sneeper as an alien species in Guardians of the Galaxy because the word is "similar to the word meaning 'clitoris' in Icelandic." Let it be known that I wasn't protesting this decision, I just thought it was funny, so I shared it. But the Marvel legal folks are sweet people and, after all of the online articles about me not being able to use the term Sneeper, they came back and told me that maybe it's not that big a deal after all: Sneeper is cleared for use. So keep an eye out for at least one Sneeper somewhere in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."
The Sneepers were first introduced in Tales of Suspense #49, which debuted in January 1964. The creatures hailed from a planet dubbed Sneep, who developed technology for space flight far earlier than humans, and were initially considered far more advanced than earthlings. They used this technology to conquer a number of unnamed planets, but, as it turns out, their development was much slower than humanity, as the human race started to exceed their capabilities. While these aliens had planned on invading Earth, they decided to let the humans destroy themselves.
James Gunn's original message from September revealed he enjoys using comic book names in his stories, since it makes the experience more fun for longtime fans who will understand the reference. The filmmaker said that he was trying to clear names for alien species that fans would "see in the background" of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, so it doesn't seem likely that the Sneepers will have a major role to play. Still, there will be many more fans who will understand what a Sneeper is now, after this whole ordeal.
The director is currently in the midst of pre-production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which starts shooting in February. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista) and Groot (Vin Diesel) will be back for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, although no new characters or cast members have been announced yet. Are you glad that the Sneepers will be part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? Here's what they look like, so you can spot them when the movie arrives in 2017!
