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Credit: Marvel, BBCSpoilers inbound!
The Walt Disney Company has truly struck gold with its Marvel Studios media machine — the astonishingly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been a public (and fan) favorite ever since Iron Man (2008) starring Robert Downey Jr. as the eponymous Iron Man/Tony Stark kickstarted the madness, and The Avengers (2012) directed by Joss Whedon solidified this superhero-heavy crossover saga of epic proportions into public knowledge. After the events of The Avengers defined the core team of the original six Avengers, namely the aforementioned Iron Man, along with Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth), and Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner).
The global event that put thousands of people into theaters, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) ended Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and now that Phase Four of MCU’s current Multiverse Saga has officially concluded with King T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) send-off, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Phase Five and the “Secret Wars” storyline is now about to begin in earnest with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which promises to introduce the world to the next Big Bad after Thanos (Josh Brolin) — Jonathan Majors’ creepily intimidating Kang the Conqueror.
Related: Bradley Cooper Goes Viral as Rocket Raccoon Actor Officially Leaves ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Behind
Has it really been entire Phase since Thanos was defeated? It’s quite insane once you think about it!
But before we get to the actual insanity of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars (slated for 2025 and 2026 respectively), audiences and Marvel fans will dive into the world of the Guardians of the Galaxy once again with director James Gunn’s latest — and final — Guardians movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, releasing May 5, 2023. Starring Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), (a variant version of) Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), sister Nebula (Karen Gillan), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), and Kraglin Obfonteri (Sean Gunn). These space-roving heroes will come face-to-face with the all-gold Adam Warlock, played by newcomer Will Poulter, as well as Elizabeth Debicki’s Ayesha. Chukwudi Iwuji will also play the High Evolutionary in Vol. 3, while Nico Santos and Daniela Melchior both have an undisclosed role each.
Now, that film has been seemingly spoiled — Marvel Studios pulling a Tom Holland early, and revealing some key information before the movie debuts.
Holland has become infamous for his notorious penchant for spoiling Marvel Studios projects. Some would even say he’s cursed. But what was the Tom Holland-esque spoiler reveal that Marvel themselves pulled? Well, Guardians 3 is notably the last rodeo for the Guardians gang — with cast, crew and fans equally devastated — and now it seems that one character’s demise is essentially confirmed to bring the legendary space-roving team to its final end.
Disney have released their own spoiler, according to The Direct. The official synopsis describes the “beloved band of misfits” settling into their new life on the planet Knowhere — until their lives are “upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past”. Notably, it goes on to explain:
Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Now this is a huge reveal — as the implication here is that it’s Rocket’s actual life that hangs in the balance — meaning that his death would be what brings the Guardians to their end.
It’s clear that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be epic — but it may be epic in an absolutely tragic way. How it all actually shapes up, and whether the Guardians’ anticipated last silly performance will end with some seriously dramatic stuff, though, is something we’ll likely have to wait until May to fully know for sure.
What do you think about Marvel pulling a Tom Holland and revealing something as vital as Rocket’s death? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
If you love the Guardians of the Galaxy, don’t forget to check out The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (debuted since November 2022 on Disney+), a fun-and-festive (yet somehow still extremely emotional) romp — rare characters from the Guardians franchise make an appearance (or reapparance), like Michael Rooker returning in a cameo role as Yondu Udonta, Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Dog (more accurately Cosmo the Spacedog), and even Kevin Bacon himself (as himself).