Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now in its 15th year of existence with 30 films and eight series in the books. And though it would have seemed crazy to think this way a decade-plus ago, things seem to only be ramping up. While new pieces are coming into the mix, some other characters and stories are wrapping up their arcs in the coming years. One of them will be The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 which will be one last romp with our favorite universe-galavanting swashbucklers. 

Though a rather unlikely group to gain real prominence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Mantis, and Nebula have had some of the most comedic and emotional arcs in the entire MCU. It’s a testament to James Gunn’s vision and the nearly perfect casting of this group that has made them such fan favorites.

Let’s take a look at everything we know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and what to expect from this final chapter in the story.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 WILL BE THE FINAL MOVIE IN THE FRANCHISE

This hasn’t been a secret but it’s a bummer nonetheless. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will be the final turn for these characters (as a group) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, bringing into real question how exactly most of them make their final exits. 

Because this is the MCU after all and the Multiverse cures (almost) all death scenarios, there’s always a chance we see some of them again. But for the time being, it would appear this is the last rodeo for James Gunn and the original cast as a whole collective.

For starters, James Gunn is officially done with Marvel after The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. He’s now heading up the vision and the productions over in the DC Cinematic Universe for Warner Bros. With about 10 years of projects in various stages of the pipeline at DC, his days with Marvel are over.

And though all of the original folks are returning here with additions made along the way, some have made it clear they are done with the franchise going forward.

CHRIS PRATT, ZOE SALDANA, DAVE BAUTISTA, KAREN GILLAN, BRADLEY COOPER, VIN DIESEL, AND POM KLEMENTIEFF WILL ALL RETURN

The Guardians of the Galaxy have gone through a few different iterations but that was really only how they added folks to the group. The original fivesome came together as Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, Dave Bautista’s Drax the Destroyer, and the pairing of Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon and Vin Diesel’s three-words in Groot.

From there, the group added Pom Klementieff as Mantis in Vol. 2. Plus, Karen Gillan effectively joined them as Nebula only to become bad, and then become good again through the mechanics of the final Avengers movies. 

And in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, they added Maria Bakalova as the voice of Cosmo the Spacedog as well.

This is all to say that the entire group is back again for The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and is clearly on the same page for this final movie.

But there is a feeling that this could be the definitive end for some or maybe all of these characters before it’s all said and done. It doesn’t seem likely that James Gunn would kill everyone off, or that Marvel would even allow it, but it has to be at least partly on the table.

For starters, Dave Bautista has already said he’s basically done with Marvel and the character of Drax. He didn’t re-up a contract and has said this will be his final film in the MCU. Ending Drax’s story here once and for all would make sense.

Plus, there is a definite feel from the trailers that the characters might have a ride-off-into-the-great-unknown style goodbye. The Guardians are on a quest to help Rocket Raccoon deal with the pains of his past and part of that could be a full-circle moment that sees them perish in the adventure.

Again, it’s unlikely everyone goes here. Hell, Gamora already died one tragic death, so doing it again might not make sense. But there’s surely a feeling that not everyone is safe here.

WILL POULTER WILL PLAY ADAM WARLOCK AND CHUKWUDI IWUJI IS THE HIGH EVOLUTIONARY

The entire group will be in the mix for The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, but there are a couple of new characters entering the fray as well. The first will be Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, a new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the big screen, though he’s had a major part in the comic book pages. 

This will be Adam Warlock’s first go-around, though it’s worth noting that the character actually had a large part in the original Infinity Gauntlet timeline from the comic book pages. Because the movies pushed out the story further than what we saw in print, there really was no need at the time to bring Adam Warlock into the fold. But he’ll start mixing things up now.

He’s an artificially created entity, extremely powerful and incredibly logical. He’ll start things off as an enemy here in The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, but is unlikely to stay that way through his MCU run.

Meanwhile, acting as another antagonist is Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary. This is the dude responsible for the laboratory that created Rocket and it looks like the two are on a collision course.

The High Evolutionary wants to create species that are genetically perfect. Rocket was part of those early experiments.

THE FIRST GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3 TRAILER

Not long ago, we got our first look at the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer, and as far as first looks go, this one more than delivered. There are your typical pieces of obtuse back-and-forth with Drax, Quill, and the others. But there’s also a mounting emotion maybe not seen in the previous movies. Check it out.

Again, there’s a sense (with Spacehog’s “In the Meantime” in the background) that this is not only the end but for some that might be permanent.

These characters have carried emotional baggage throughout the franchise that’s often masked with humor, but we could see things shift here by the time the credits roll.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3 WILL RELEASE IN THEATERS ON MAY 5, 2023

It won’t be long to wait now. The final movie in the franchise is coming in the spring of 2023 and could carry a massive box office draw with it. The first movie did around $773 million in theaters and the sequel pushed that number to north of $863 million. 

This third flick could and should eclipse both. Fans will get to see it on May 5, 2023.