Warning: Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 are in play. If you haven't seen the film yet, bookmark this page and change the tape to something you've read before on our site. Feel free to come back once you're current!
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, one of the biggest mysteries of writer/director James Gunn's cosmic flavored Marvel movie was solved as we were introduced to Star-Lord's dad, Ego the Living Planet. Even better, we were given the backstory to the being that helped create Peter (Chris Pratt), and in that origin, the crisis of the film's main storyline was born.
A sentient Celestial being, Ego started as a brain that eventually grew smarter, crafted a planet and a body, and searched for life, as well as a purpose. While Ego had indeed found life among the stars, he ultimately found it to be lacking. It really didn't impress him, which ultimately helped him find his purpose: to wipe the slate clean and make the universe a big steaming pool of himself.
But to do so, Ego had to craft a multi-tiered plan that took endless stretches of time to perfect and deploy. And that plan was packed into two compressed runs of monologuing that Kurt Russell delivered with panache and conviction. It's just that even with the delivery being pitch perfect, it could be a bit confusing for some viewers of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to follow within the context of the film. It is a bit of an info-dump heavy on plot points, but never fear, as we're here to break down Ego's universe altering plan in several easy steps!
Phase 1 - Seed The Universe With His Essence
Ego roamed about the universe, "grafting his DNA" with as many willing mothers as he could, with the look and swagger of a young Kurt Russell helping him achieve his ultimate goal. That goal being to create a child with enough Celestial DNA to develop a connection with "The Light" at the center of Ego's planet, in order to further his ultimate plan of re-writing the universe. He'd move on to the next planet / mother, repeat, leave another kid wanting to see their real dad & carrying enough daddy issues through their life to allow him to win them over. Eventually, when they were old enough, Yondu would collect them & bring them to him for the next phase in the process.
Phase 2 - Reconciliation And Drafting To The Cause
Once the children of Ego were reunited with dear old dad, they would be sweet talked into developing their powers. It may not always have been through a game of catch with a light ball, but the pitch still carried the same endgame: with unlimited imagination, and Celestial power, they could do anything! Unfortunately, most of them were not celestially enhanced, so they ended up burning up as used batteries. Now this is key to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's story, because without another Celestial powering the world engine with Ego, the process cannot be completed.
Phase 3 - An Ego The Size Of A Universe
As we stated before, Ego's plan to remake the universe in his own image was only a threat if one of his children carried the Celestial gene, enabling them to connect with "The Light." Well, with Peter being the Celestial child that Ego always wanted, their twin power sources were able to activate Ego's spores planted all across the galaxy. Ego's "purpose" would be fulfilled, as these spores would grow into the gigantic blue blob, consuming those worlds and making them another piece of Ego. Ultimately, Ego would be the universe, the universe would be Ego, and we'd all be gone without a trace. That is, if the living planet's plan didn't go horrifically wrong... and for some pretty basic reasons, too.
Conclusion - Where Ego's Plan Went Wrong
Peter Quill might be half Celestial, but he's half human, too. And if you piss a human off the right way, they can do anything. We saw throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 that some people were better at pressing Quill's buttons than others, but his own father took the cake in one singular moment.
When Ego admitted he killed Peter's mom with a purposely placed brain tumor, the bond father and son were working on crumbled into dust. Peter holds that grudge and kicks his "father's" ass to some Fleetwood Mac. And thus, the galaxy was saved, allowing Star-Lord and his Guardian family to continue to fight for justice in the galaxy, and at a newly doubled rate!
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