10 screenwriting lessons from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Steve Lam

Poster Courtesy of Marvel Studios for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 garnering rave reviews, we sit down with screenwriting instructor Dan Calvisi and discuss 10 screenwriting lessons the film can teach budding writers.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is shaping up to be another blockbuster for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is that really a surprise? Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot return to the silver screen and are again tasked with saving … well … the galaxy.

However, what makes this outing unique is director James Gunn’s choice of telling a smaller story—getting more intimate with the characters. That’s not to say that the film doesn’t have amazing spectacle—it’s definitely still an action-packed movie filled with the latest in visual effects wizardry.

Lesson 1: Hide Exposition

Don’t explain every single thing. The old adage of “show don’t tell” is more important than ever if you need to build your world. For Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Calvisi thought that Ego’s rundown of his own history via the “Barbie and Ken doll” scene was well done … a bit awkward, but well done. It kept things interesting and easy to follow.

If you do need to give the audience exposition via dialogue, make sure it’s not too direct and on-the-nose. Again, first-time screenwriters should focus on visual storytelling. Films are a visual medium, so it’s only logical that the audience wants to see the story and not be told about it.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 2: Selfishness is Everything

Always create self-serving, selfish characters. Altruistic characters are not interesting. When two or more characters want the same thing, it creates conflict. Conflict is what makes stories interesting. The Guardians of the Galaxy are probably the most selfish protagonists (aside from Tony Stark / Iron Man) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because of this, their dynamic is also a lot more interesting.

Even the most altruistic of characters are selfish. Take Steve Rogers / Captain America for instance. He may be a boy scout, but he has definitely done some selfish things. For example, in Captain America: Civil War, his protection of Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier, caused a rift between the Avengers.

Calvisi states the basic concept of dramatic writing is to “know what your character wants.” If the audience knows that the characters have selfish needs, they’ll accept them more. It makes the characters more three-dimensional and realistic.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 3: Earn Your Violence

An aspect that Calvisi thought didn’t work was Yondu’s escape scene on the Ravager ship. Visually, it was a great scene, but the multiple killings of the crew didn’t seem justified or deserved. It was much too violent and dark.

Calvisi understands that James Gunn may have intended that scene as retribution for the disloyal crew’s mutiny and their abusive treatment towards Baby Groot. However, the scene may have occurred a bit too late. The scene could have worked better had they edited down other more superfluous scenes, and brought the killing scene closer to when Baby Groot was actually being mistreated.

Overall, screenwriters need to be cognizant of tone. Violent and dark scenes are very difficult to mix with humorous situations. This also proves Gunn’s screenwriting adeptness, where he’s able to get the audience’s buy-in on such far-fetched scenes. Calvisi does admit that he’s being overly critical, but Hollywood readers will be performing the same litmus test on spec scripts. So before you make it big, it’s good to follow traditional guidelines.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 4: Contrasting Emotions

Scenes of ridiculous humor are juxtaposed against very sad, poignant moments. Because these two types of emotions clash, their contrast only serves to heighten their individual effects even more.

I call this the “sugar and lemon” effect. It’s akin to someone feeding you a spoonful of sugar and then suddenly having you suck on a lemon wedge. Alone, these two flavors may not be as strong, but when tasted side by side, the dramatic differences can be instantly felt.

For screenwriters having problems trying to convey emotions, they may be able to try this technique. Set a baseline of happiness and levity. Any downward deviation from that will be felt—and a sad moment can be made even heavier due to the overall context of the scene.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 5: Sympathy for Villains

Calvisi emphasizes the need in creating sympathy for your villains. A good suggestion would be to have their sympathetic traits relate to the theme. You should, of course, first understand your theme. Knowing your theme will help you generate scenes, control your dialogue, and deal with character arcs.

Using Gamora and Ego as examples, both had familial issues: Gamora had to deal with Nebula (her sister), and Ego was an absent father to Peter. The similarities of these characters’ predicaments were not coincidences, as Gunn focused on a family theme for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Therefore, he wrote to that theme.

Have your villains relate to the theme and be a little sympathetic—give us a reason to like them. Creating a purely evil villain will only make the character look one-dimensional. Even a bit of charisma will help. All in all, try to get the audience to understand your villains and their motivations.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 6: Mini-Goals

In the first Guardians of the Galaxy, the film had one large overarching goal—prevent Ronan from getting the Infinity Stone and destroying Xandar. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had a unique structure in that it didn’t have a large primary goal. Although, one could argue that escaping the Sovereigns after Rocket’s battery theft is the goal.

However, the team soon runs into Ego, Peter’s father. That soon leads to a separate goal of trying to learn more about Ego and his reasons for abandoning Peter. When the team becomes separated, two other goals are spawned—Nebula trying exact her revenge on Gamora, and Yondu, Rocket, and Groot dealing with the mutinied crew.

The lesson here isn’t that a writer doesn’t need goals. In fact, the writer needs to do quite the opposite. Because there are so many goals occurring simultaneously, a writer needs to find a unifying theme for each one and have the character and their goals converge in the third act. This technique works, but also requires a lot of skill. We would still suggest that first-time screenwriters stick with one goal in mind.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 7: Let the MacGuffin Go!

The “battery” scene seemed to drag on quite a bit. Calvisi understands that it wasn’t really about the actual object, but what Rocket’s theft symbolized to the Sovereigns—a blatant disrespect for their culture. Though it was done as sort of a gimmick, and a way to show the Sovereign’s personalities, it was still a bit far-fetched.

Calvisi does admit that when the Sovereigns go on an attack, they embellish the movie with some fun scenes. However, James Gunn had a large budget and Disney’s marketing power behind him to create those stunning scenes. In spec scripts without that sort of financial backing, writers need to find a way to make the reader believe in the MacGuffin. A writer’s job is to create a catalyst that can still stand on its own throughout the story.

If a writer’s MacGuffin is indeed a gag, perhaps it should be called out and made explicit. The “battery” MacGuffin in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 could’ve been made more humorous (and less forced) if Rocket just said, “These people really hold a grudge!”

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 8: Emotional Throughline in Scenes

All the action scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have emotion behind them. One prime example would be the “Nebula vs. Gamora” sequence. It was definitely action-packed, entertaining, but the real goal wasn’t about Nebula trying to kill Gamora. It was Nebula trying to eradicate her feelings of loneliness and abandonment.

Scenes don’t always have physical goals. Writers need to make sure their scenes have an emotional payoff. Make sure there’s a setup, so when the payoff arrives, the audience is given a reveal—new information that fleshes out the characters even more.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Lesson 9: Big Set Pieces, Small Character Scenes

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 had some amazing visuals and battle scenes. However, those large set pieces were balanced out by small character scenes—and there were a lot of those. Though Calvisi enjoyed the one-on-one dialogue between characters, those scenes may have been a bit excessive.

Calvisi calls those “the talking head” scenes. Some of those could’ve been trimmed a bit. But, in general, they did reward the audience, allowing us to learn a bit about these characters. The “Drax and Mantis” scene was particularly well done. It added some humor and helped with character development.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2..L to R: Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Drax (Dave Bautista)..Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2017

Lesson 10: Find Your Characters’ Voices

Identify what makes your characters unique and embellish it through their dialogue. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has probably the most colorful characters in the overall MCU. Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot all show their personalities through their speech.

Star-Lord’s references to 80s culture tells the audience of his stunted growth—indicating a form of childhood trauma. Gamora’s hard exterior and confrontational nature show that she’s put up a wall around herself for most of her life. Drax’s blunt, socially awkward comments add to his nature as someone unaware of others’ feelings. And Rocket’s offensive and abrasive nature comes through in his insult-laden dialogue.

Calvisi gives credit to Gunn really understanding his characters, defining them through their voices. Effective dialogue can only be created when you know your character. Writers need to understand their protagonists’ internal goals, external goals, skills, misbehaviors, and major flaws. Calvisi developed the Basic Story Map in order to identify these effective hero qualities.

Screen Capture from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

We can’t guarantee that you’ll instantly write a $1 billion blockbuster. But if these lessons are taken to heart and followed, your screenplay will start to take the form of a cohesive story. Remember, characters drive the story, and the theme is what the story is really about. You find your characters, you’ll find your theme.

In order to have effective characters, you must first understand them—and that entails sitting down and listing out every single trait. Treat your characters as if they’re real people spilling their deepest darkest secrets to you. You don’t have to embarrass your characters like how Drax embarrassed Peter, but they should, at least, affect you on an emotional level.

Writing good characters and finding a theme are daunting tasks. It takes time to hone those skills. It’s important to always take a step back and know where your story is going. We hope that these 10 lessons will help you develop a better story.

Dan Calvisi is professional movie studio story analyst, teacher, writer, and private screenplay consultant with over 15 years of experience working professionally on the craft and business of screenplays.

He’s currently the owner of Act Four Screenplays and is the developer of the “Story Maps” method. He is also the author of Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay and Story Maps: TV Drama.

Next: Writing superhero movies

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Production Details

Official Synopsis

"Set to the backdrop of “Awesome Mixtape #2,” Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand."

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was released on May 5, 2017

It is directed by James Gunn, written by James Gunn, and stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Sean Gunn as Kraglin Obfonteri, Glenn Close as Irani Rael, Nathan Fillion as Simon Williams, Tommy Flanagan as Tulk, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Kurt Russell as Ego, and Sylvester Stallone as Stakar, with Chris Sullvian as Taserface, and Steve Agee as Gef.

Steve Lam

Aside from the usual "Da-Da" and "Ma-Ma," Steve's other first words were "Superman," "Batman," and "Spider-Man" (or "Spy-Man" because he couldn't quite pronounce the "der"). With a lifelong comic book and cinema obsession, Steve is also a screenwriter looking to sell one of his stories to Hollywood.