The Rolling Stones famously sang “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” but that’s a lesson that some Marvel fans have a hard time swallowing, No matter how much death seems to consume a character, some fan somewhere will beg, “Can you bring him back? Please??”

And this isn’t just happening for major characters like Iron Man and Black Widow. It’s also happening to minor characters. So if you know who Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy is without looking him up, that means you know your stuff. That doesn’t mean that director James Gunn will agree with your plea to resurrect him.

In the comics, Yondu was a founding member of the Guardians of the Galaxy, who looked rather like Will Smith’s Genie from Aladdin with a red mohawk. In print, he was a key member of the team, but on screen, he was more of a secondary character — a space pirate played by Michael Rooker, who had worked with Gunn before on his cult film Slither, also starring Elizabeth Banks. 

In the first Guardians movie, Yondu was one of the characters who kidnapped Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord. In that movie, it seems like Yondu might be a bad guy at first who turns out to be more of a good guy, he reveals that we was supposed to deliver the child Quill to Quill’s father, but he wouldn’t do it because the father was, as Yondu says, “a jackass.” We learn more about why in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

In that sequel, Yondu’s true motives become known to the Guardians, who want him to be a member of the team, and it seems like the movie is going to mirror the comics, but Yondu truly proves his nature when he sacrifices himself to save Peter once again. 

Secondary though he may have been in the movies, fans wanted Yondu back. After all, if half of the Avengers can return from getting dusted by Thanos, why can’t Yondu come back too? 

Gunn has been known as one of Marvel’s biggest cheerleaders, even after Disney temporarily fired him from the third Guardians for old tweets that were in extremely poor taste.

He is also known as the Marvel director most apt to communicate directly with fans, but when asked if he could bring Yondu back, Gunn replied, “Unless we’re talking about some sort of prequel or flashback, I believe this would nullify Yondu’s sacrifice.” 

Another fan responded, “These are comic book movies, right? Characters in comics die all the time, but they always find a way to bring them back. Unless we’re talking about Bruce Wayne’s parents or Uncle Ben.” 

Gunn came back with, “Or Yondu.” 

Rather than joining in the chorus of disappointment over Yondu staying dead, fans on Reddit stuck up for Gunn, saying there’s something to the criticism often made against the MCU movies that there are no real stakes in them anymore if you can just reverse your big decisions just like that.

One fan said, “The allergy some people have to meaningful stakes in these movies will never cease to boggle my mind. He had a fantastic sacrifice. Let it mean something.” 

Another concurred, stating, “Exactly. Tony should be kept dead. Yondushould be kept dead. Black widow should be kept dead.”

Granted, Black Widow is finally getting her movie in May, but that’s a prequel that takes place in between Civil War and Infinity War. That falls under Gunn’s parameters — her movie will essentially be a very long flashback.

Besides, fans had been asking for a movie for too long, and with Black Widow, it makes a lot of sense to look back. Other heroes, however, should be allowed to rest in peace, just like Ben Parker and Martha and Thomas Wayne.