David Bowie Could Have Appeared In A Marvel Movie

The world has lost a truly innovative artist. On Monday, Jan. 11, David Bowie passed away after fighting an 18 month battle with cancer, just days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album Blackstar. Bowie's representatives confirmed the news of his death on his verified Facebook page, stating that Bowie "died peacefully, surrounded by family." Upon hearing the news the world mourned Bowie's death and celebrated his life, creating Bowie tributes all over the globe, from London's Ritzy cinema in Bowie's home neighborhood of Brixton to Los Angeles' Hollywood Walk of Fame. The collective grief proves that Bowie was a true original and that his artistry will live on long after his death. Now, a new interview has revealed that Bowie could have had a role in a major Marvel movie, proving that everyone wanted a piece of the icon to hold on to.

According to a Facebook post from Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, Gunn and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige considered the iconic singer for a cameo in the sequel to the superhero film, set to hit theaters in 2017. Gunn wrote:

Just a very short while ago Kevin Feige and I were talking about a cameo role in Guardians Vol. 2, and he brought up Bowie's name. I told him nothing in the world would make me happier, but I heard from common friends he wasn't doing well. We heard back that he was okay and it could potentially happen. Who knows what that was about? But, for whatever reason, it made my Twitter revelation more of a surprise.

Gunn also stated that he had a personal reason for wanting to include Bowie in the film:

My pop cultural connection to Bowie goes deeper as it was the music that was playing the night I hit bottom on alcohol and drugs as a very young person. I got sober that night, and those songs - "TVC15", "Star", "Suffragette City" - are now deeply embedded in my psyche. They all have a frightening, almost-religious context in my personal history.

Gunn is just one member of Hollywood to speak out about how Bowie's work helped shape his worldview. Bowie's music played such an important part in Gunn's life that he plans to include a Bowie song from his iconic fifth album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album in the Guardians Of The Galaxy sequel, stating:

I've been trying to work another song from Ziggy into the sequel, which would make Bowie the only artist to have a song on both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. I thought this was fair and appropriate. Although I cut the scene it was used in from the script, we have the rights. Who knows. Maybe I can figure a way out.

Though we'll never have a chance to see what Bowie could bring to the movie as an actor, hopefully his music will have a place in the 2017 Marvel film. It seems more important now than ever.