Nathan Fillion’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Cameo Isn’t a Cop-Out
Nathan Fillion has made his live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Master Orgosentry Karja in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. His appearance in the film is quite fun, considering his history with James Gunn and the MCU. Fillion is one of Gunn’s most prominent longtime collaborators and has appeared in the majority of the filmmaker’s movies. Usually, it’s a cameo or small supporting role that Fillion will play, making him kind of like an Easter egg that fans are eager to spot in every new Gunn film. Given his connection to Gunn, it wasn’t surprising that he eventually worked his way into the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, Fillion appeared in a small voice cameo as an alien prisoner who confronts Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). The scene was so brief that some viewers unfamiliar with Fillion’s history in Gunn films may have missed it. However, when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 came around, Fillion was supposed to have a bigger cameo. Gunn revealed that Fillion was set to appear as the Marvel hero and Avengers member Wonder Man. Unfortunately, the cameo was cut from the final film, making it one of the few Gunn films Fillion doesn’t appear in.
Despite this, Gunn has stated that he still considers Fillion’s Wonder Man canon in the MCU, which is very interesting given that Marvel is developing a Wonder Man project. However, Gunn opted not to wait to see if Fillion’s Wonder Man role will pan out before he gave him a third MCU role. Fillion appears in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as Master Karja in a prominent cameo. Here’s what to know about his role as the wannabe cop of Orgoscope.
Who is Nathan Fillion’s Master Karja?
Fillion’s Master Karja shows up in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the Orgoscope—the High Evolutionary’s spaceship made of living matter. One purpose of the base is to store all of the files for the High Evolutionary’s experimental subjects. As a result, the Guardians enter the Orgoscope looking for files about Rocket (Bradley Cooper). However, infiltrating the Orgoscope is no easy task as numerous sentries guard the place and are employed by the High Evolutionary. One of these security guards is Master Karja. His appearance alone within his big fleshy bubble suit is a dead giveaway that his character isn’t very serious.
He’s a very cocky, mean-spirited, and ultimately incompetent guard for Orgoscope. Master Karja is more concerned with making himself look good and putting down his fellow guardsman than in actually doing his job correctly, which is why he fails to recognize the Guardians as a threat and even falls for their less-than-convincing disguises. He later resorts to anger and violence to try to resolve the issue he created, but he ultimately never proves or redeems himself as a guard.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, Fillion confirmed that his character “would love to be a cop for real,” but that his own flaws kept him from rising above security guard. Fillion stated, “He’s kind of his own worst problem. He’s probably in his own way, probably standing in the way of his own promotions just because he’s too dumb. He’s just dumb and mean. He’s got a bad attitude. Power corrupts and he’s got a little bit of power and he’s corrupted. That’s all there is to it.” Fillion reiterated this sentiment to Screen Rant, telling the outlet there wasn’t much more to Master Karja than that he’s “a bit of a jerk.”
Given that Gunn has expressed hope that Fillion will one day play a prominent role in the MCU, it makes sense that Karja is a non-serious character unlikely to return to the franchise or interfere with other potential roles. However, it was still fun to see Fillion simultaneously make his live-action MCU debut and continue his habit of appearing in Gunn’s films.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
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