Credit: Marvel StudiosJames Gunn’s beloved team of ragtag antiheroes are gearing up for one last ride in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). And ahead of the threequel’s premiere, a new clip was released showing the surprise return of one MCU veteran.
Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel) are back for one final adventure in the third installment of Gunn’s Guardians franchise.
Picking up after the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), the movie will follow a heartbroken Peter Quill as he continues to do what he does best—protecting the galaxy from whatever threat may come its way. This time, the team will come face-to-face with a new villain: The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a mad scientist with a penchant for genetic manipulation.
He also happens to be Rocket’s creator, being the one responsible for bringing the raccoon to self-awareness, meaning this time, the fight is personal. Gunn previously teased an emotional character arc for Rocket, who appears to be taking center stage in the upcoming film.
The director revealed in a March interview with Total Film Magazine (via GamesRadar) that Rocket’s story was a primary reason for him returning to Marvel after his firing and subsequent rehiring by the studio in 2018-2019, meaning fans are surely in for a devastating conclusion to the furry, wise-cracking vigilante.
Recently, the studio released a short snippet from Vol. 3 showing a young Rocket alongside other sentient animals, including Floor the Rabbit (Mikaela Hoover), Teefs the Walrus (Asim Chaudhry), and an otter named Lylla, voiced by none other than Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) star, Linda Cardellini. Vol. 3 will mark her fourth appearance in the MCU.
Check out the full clip (via Collider) below:
Cardellini was first introduced in Age of Ultron as the wife of Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Throughout her nearly decade-long history with the superhero studio, the actress has played Laura Barton in several Marvel projects, including Avengers: Endgame and the Disney+ Hawkeye miniseries.
Gunn and Cardellini also have a shared history outside of Marvel. Notably, Gunn was the writer for 2002’s live-action Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed, in which Cardellini played Velma Dinkley.
Now, Cardellini has gotten a second role in the MCU, this time, in the Guardians franchise. While any additional information about her character remains a mystery, based on the clip alone, it seems all signs are pointing to tragedy for Lylla the Otter.
All will be unveiled when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 blasts into theaters on May 5, 2023.
Are you excited to see Linda Cardellini get her second chance in the MCU thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Let us know in the comments below.