Marvel’s Not Done With the Guardians… Yet

in Marvel, Movies

Rocket and Star Lord in the new Guardians trailer

Credit: ITM

Along with several other incredible ads during this year’s Super Bowl, Marvel fans retreated to another trailer for the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Last Sunday night, a trailer dropped for the upcoming sequel that was leagues different than the one scene previously. What once seemed like a farewell tour for our favorite gang of ragtag outlaws now seems like a blaze of glory they truly deserve.

Guardians crew walking forward with tears coming down.
Credit: Marvel Studios

Although it’s been circulating throughout social media that this will indeed be the last time we see the Guardians together, it might not be the last time we see them period. James Gunn has alluded that not all of the team may survive their next adventure, but that doesn’t mean Marvel will have no use for them. Although characters like Drax are undoubtedly on their way out, if what his actor has claimed is to be believed, there’s a chance that fans might see both Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon at least once more before everything is said and done. The devil’s in the details.

Related: Dave Bautista Reveals Everything: ‘Guardians’ Stars Will Leave Amid Franchise Fallout, Boycott

The new trailer delivered a lot of action-packed visuals and was definitely a tonal shift compared to the previous one. However, this doesn’t feel like goodbye. If anything, those familiar with the comic books might have just been given a huge glimmer of hope. From the use of their classic uniforms to the introduction of Adam warlock into the MCU, it might be the case that Marvel is pulling more from the source material than Gunn lets on. If that’s true, then it’s a safe bet that Star-Lord and Rocket could have more adventures with or without the Guardians’ involvement.

Star-Lord draws his blasters
Credit: Marvel

Some fans have been wondering whether or not Marvel is going to make a Nova Corps movie, and while they’re still going to have to wait for the MCU introduction of Richard Ryder, a great mentor figure for him to follow would have to be Peter Quill. Given his  affiliation with the Nova Corps in the comic books, as well as the new uniforms clearly being inspired by a Nova variant,  it could be said that he might be the link between the final Guardians movie and the introduction of Nova. In that same vein, we might also see Quill take Adam Warlock under his leather-clad wing to plant the seed for a Warlock spinoff movie or Disney+ series. Although Chris Pratt might be done with the Guardians, he might not be done with the MCU.

Rocket in Endgame
Credit: Marvel Studios

Star-Lord is great, but the character most fans are concerned with is Rocket Raccoon. There have been several speculations that the face of the Guardians franchise might be killed off in this last adventure. However, we have reason to believe that he will not only survive, but go on to have one of the character’s biggest adventures. Simply put, Rocket is far too marketable to be completely killed off. So it makes more sense that he would simply go off to have his own adventures apart from the team. With the introduction of Halfworld and Lyla (the otter seen in the trailer), Marvel might be setting up for an adaptation of his solo series, Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant. At this point, we don’t know if this will be intended as a spinoff or prequel scenario, but the ground work certainly is there. Hopefully, Marvel and James Gunn will avoid breaking millions of hearts with Rocket’s demise in favor of letting him seek out his own place in the universe.

Related: Marvel Ready to Ditch Popular Franchise — “One Last Ride” With ‘Guardians’ Crew

As of now, fans will simply have to wait until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 drops this May for the full story. They can talk, they can speculate, they can binge read all the comics they care to, but it will be months before anyone knows anything further. With any luck, final chapter in the Guardians’ trilogy will be the last stand with all the explosive energy the gang deserves.

Inside the Magic will update information on Guardians of the Galaxy  as more developments are released. Until then, tell us what you think in the comments below!

in Marvel, Movies

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