Credit: Marvel StudiosJames Gunn has made it clear that the Guardians of the Galaxy will continue without him after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
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It’s been a while since fans last saw the Guardians of the Galaxy as they were last seen in Avengers: Endgame (2019). Now the Guardians crew will be in the MCU a lot more as they will first appear in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and then in the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Groot will also get some spotlight in his own animated show, I Am Groot.
Gunn has made it clear that Guardians 3 will be different from the previous two. The movie will be darker and have more emotional moments. After Gunn’s work with DC on The Suicide Squad (2021) and Peacemaker, it will be interesting to see how different the movie will be from the previous installments.
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Guardians 3 will be the last MCU film with the entire Guardians crew and Gunn. Some fans asked the director on Twitter how the cast and crew are feeling. Gunn is great at responding back to fans and gave an update on how things are going on set:
Honesty they’re great, I love this cast and crew, but there is also a lot of sadness and near-daily tears knowing this is the last Guardians movie for most of us. #gotgvol3
Honesty they’re great, I love this cast and crew, but there is also a lot of sadness and near-daily tears knowing this is the last Guardians movie for most of us. #gotgvol3 https://t.co/FfsqQLu3rP
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 30, 2022
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Now it seems that Gunn is teasing that some of the crew will return to the MCU after the third movie ends. Fans know that Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper have stated that Guardians 3 will be their last Marvel film. This leaves Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) to potentially return for more movies.
It makes sense for Star-Lord and Gamora to appear in more Marvel projects as Endgame sets up Gamora’s eventual reunion to the MCU. Since she is a younger version of herself, it will be interesting to see how she will act in the third film. There’s a chance for the two to end up creating a new Guardians team after this film as the movie will introduce some new characters such as Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock.
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Groot could stick around, but since he spent most of his time with Rocket, it will be interesting to see what happens to the character. In the first movie, Groot almost dies and ends up becoming a baby sapling. There’s always the chance that Groot will sacrifice himself for good this time and end up saving his crew again in the upcoming film.
Mantis is a minor crewmember of the Guardians who wouldn’t make sense to have a major role in the future. Since she is a side character throughout the second movie, it would be weird for the character to suddenly play a major role. Fans won’t know for sure what will happen, but hopefully, Thor 4 will give fans a better idea of what to expect when it releases this summer. It’s very exciting knowing that some of the crew will return after Guardians 3.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases in theaters on May 23, 2023.
Now, the MCU is just beginning to add more superhero teams into the Marvel Universe because the Avengers need all the help they can get. It is only a matter of time before we see the Young Avengers, Illuminati, Defenders, Midnight Sons, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Thunderbolts enter the MCU.
Which members of the Guardians crew do you think will return? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
On Disney+ you can expect more episodes of Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel in Summer 2022, and She-Hulk to debut this year. For movies, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness comes out on May 6, followed by Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11.