Guardians of the Galaxy Panel: Fan Expo Chicago 2025

Photo: Aaron Cynic

Fan Expo is known for its packed schedule full of A-list celebrity appearances but one of the major highlights this year was Saturday's Guardians of the Galaxy panel. Five members of the rag-tag group of space bandits shared behind the scenes stories and real life factoids about their lives on the Fan Expo main stage. 

The Guardians panel consisted of Michael Rooker (Yondu,) Karen Gillen (Nebula,) Pom Klementieff (Mantis,) and Sean Gunn (Kraglin.) There was an obvious comradery among the crew, especially after multiple movies and specials.

Photo: Aaron Cynic

Michael told stories of his past as a life guard at North Ave beach in Chicago, a fact about the actor that shocked his colleague Pom. The cast also had a lot to share about Michael’s on set antics including his habit of mooning people as they rehearsed. These were probably the peak of the pranks, but other pranks included posing Rocket around set. 

The cast also mentioned that Sean would often stand in for Rocket. In some scenes, his director brother, James Gunn, would stand in for Groot, which allowed them to share a few memorable scenes together, including the celebration scene at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Photo: Aaron Cynic

Also, through fan questions, the group revealed some of their biggest weaknesses, such as Pom’s love of snuggling horses and Karen’s addiction to reality television. The crowd questions were provided online and the cast welcomed them all.

We loved our time with the Guardians, and can't wait to see what other adventures the actors and potentially their characters go on.

For more from the Fan Expo Floor stay tuned!