'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Will Have 'Lots' of MCU Cameos

The release of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is right around the corner. And before the titular team of heroes sets out on their last adventure, one of its stars is hyping up the many cameos audiences can expect to see in the film.

After a nearly decade-long stint in the MCU, it’s the end of the road for Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper).

Watch the official trailer for Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 below:

Vol. 3 is already being gushed over by early viewers, who are calling the third and final Guardians installment the best MCU movie since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. And from what critics have said of its story, it sounds like it’s going to be an emotional ride.

The threequel will introduce some new faces to the franchise, including the highly-anticipated debut of Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock and the Guardians’ newest and perhaps most dangerous adversary yet: the High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji.

But for every new character, it sounds like there’s going to be a familiar one. Speaking in the final press junket for Vol 3., one of the movie’s main stars, Bautista, teased that fans should expect to see some MCU cameos—and many of them. He said:

You’re going to see a lot of cameos. Those are the moments where people are going to cheer when they see certain people who have come back for this last movie.

So, which MCU characters are primed to cameo in the final Guardians installment? Well, based on previous remarks from its director, it seems unlikely that Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Odinson will appear in a post-credits scene, with Gunn having said he has “no plans” to include the generally goofy, lighthearted character in his highly emotional story. The same goes for Harry Styles’ Eros/Starfox, who was first introduced in the after-credits of 2021’s Eternals.

For reference, the first two films featured scenes with Seth Green as Howard the Duck, Sylvester Stallone as Stakar Ogord, and even Miley Cyrus as the voice of “Mainframe.”

Richard Rider’s Nova is expected to join the MCU in the near future, so there’s potential that he could show up in an after-credits scene. Darkhawk, another major cosmic figure from the comics, was also allegedly supposed to appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2019), meaning he could finally make his live-action debut in the upcoming film.

Others have speculated that Pip the Troll could pop up again in the MCU or that SHIELD agent Wendell Vaughn (AKA Quasar) could make the jump to live-action from the comics in Vol 3. Maybe, an already well-established MCU hero like Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, Jonathan Majors’ Kang, a somehow-revived version of Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster, or one of the Eternals. Based on the wording of Bautista’s comment—people who have come back—the latter options seem more likely.

For now, potential cameos remain shrouded in mystery. But all will be answered when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters on May 5, 2023.

Who do you think will cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? Chime off in the comments below.