Music is a major part of what makes Guardians of the Galaxy so charming — especially the way the movies celebrate older tunes and technology. Star-Lord’s vintage Sony Walkman and classic ‘70s tunes are hallmarks of the franchise, so it’s fitting, in a way, that the sequel takes a moment to make a pretty great joke at the expense of one of the biggest flops in music: The Microsoft Zune.
Some spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 are below.
During the big climatic battle at the end of Vol. 2, Peter Quill’s beloved cassette player gets destroyed, along with the Awesome Mix tape inside. Then, at the end of the movie when all the Guardians are mourning, Kraglin, Yondu’s right-hand Ravager, comes to Peter with a gift.
Kraglin explains that Yondu always expected that Peter would come back at some point, and that he’d bought him something while at a space junk sale. The present? A Microsoft Zune, which Kraglin says is all the rage on Earth right now. He explains that it holds “300 songs,” which blows Peter’s mind.
Microsoft introduced the Zune back in 2006 in an attempt to unseat Apple ubiquitous iPod. It never caught on, and instead served to be the butt of jokes, like this one. In November 2015, which is about a year after Vol. 2 is set, Microsoft officially pulled the plug on the Zune, discontinuing all the online support for the failed product.
We can only hope that Tony Stark mocks Star-Lord’s outdated technology if the two meet in Avengers: Infinity War. Or, better yet, that even good ol’ Captain America will drag the dude for being so behind the times as to own a Zune — and he’s from the ‘40s.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is currently in theaters.
