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Credit: Marvel Studios
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever marked the end of Phase Four for The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios and their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) based on Marvel Comics. The franchise is now firmly entering Phase Five, as the Multiverse Saga begins with Kang the Conqueror’s expanded presence, which was properly introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). The upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, directed by James Gunn in his final Marvel universe project and scored by John Murphy, is expected to be the last ride for the Marvel Studios’ Guardians, with some (if not most, or even all) of its members bidding the MCU farewell. The film is set to release on May 5, 2023, following their latest adventure in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+.
Related: Report: Marvel Walks Back Decision, Makes Netflix Shows MCU Canon
Before Gunn departs Marvel Studios, he’s taking the Guardians of the Galaxy on one last ride — in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
Which Marvel stars are leaving the MCU?
Well, all of the Guardians of the Galaxy team, presumably.
But it’s not just Zoë Saldaña officially skipping Marvel town and retiring in her role as Gamora, daughter of Thanos. In fact, Chris Pratt (Star-Lord/Peter Quill) has openly talked about his departure from the franchise, and Dave Bautista has indicated that this will be his last outing as the “ultimate himbo” Drax the Destroyer — on account of his annoyance at having to maintain a perfectly cut physique for years at a time to play the topless character. Since Rocket Raccoon is also heavily hinted to die during the events of Guardians 3, due to Bradley Cooper wanting to focus on his own projects.
Now, it appears that Mantis actor Pom Klementieff is openly in discussions to join DC Studios’ DC Universe over at Warner Bros. Discovery. Speaking to Variety, Klementieff opened up about jumping ship to the DCU from the MCU. She talks about how “conversations” have been had between her and the people over at DC, and though “nothing is confirmed yet”, that they’re “making plans already”.
Related: Disney Is Erasing Their Own Beloved Show From MCU History
Regarding how far along these discussions are? Klementieff dodges any definitives, stating that she doesn’t really know, and that it’s all “in progress”. Now, whether there’s a specific DC character in mind for her, she makes it clear that there is, but that she just can’t share who it is right now:
There would be one specific character, but I can’t tell you now… I knew about the character yeah and I thought the character was f****** cool.
Overall, it’s safe to say that one of the core Avengers teams left is gone for good come the movie’s May 5 release. With Nebula’s Karen Gillan also talking about playing famous Batman villains, it seems inevitable at this point.
On top of all that, the MCU’s Quicksilver, AKA Pietro Maximoff (brother to Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff) Aaron Taylor Johnson is leaving for Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU), and set to portray the new Spider-Man villain (antihero?), Kraven the Hunter in Sony’s first ever R-rated Spider-Man movie. Olsen’s Wanda is also out for the count right now, with no return date on the horizon. Additionally, fan-favorites Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans who play the popular Tony Stark/Iron Man and Steve Rogers/Captain America respectively have yet to confirm their return, repeatedly stating that they feel “it’s not time” for them.
With reports of superhero fatigue and the most recent MCU films underperforming, plus one of the most prominent Marvel directors taking his talents directly to head their competitor — it seems that Kevin Feige’s MCU is in for a difficult time in the years to come. Hopefully, they’ll be able to retain some of their big talents — because if Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man depart the franchise — a return to form will be extremely difficult to accomplish.
What do you think about Marvel stars jumping ship? Do you think the MCU could be in trouble? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
More on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
The upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Marvel Studios movie will star a multitude of familiar faces who will reprise their roles from the previous Guardians and Avengers films. Fans will get to see gun-toting human (and former-part-Celestial), Peter Quill as Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), daughters of Thanos, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), tree-like alien Groot (Vin Diesel), fluffy-yet-deadly Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), revenge-bound Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), empath Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Ravager Kraglin Obfonteri (Sean Gunn), Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), and even Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova). 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 the new MCU movie, while Daniela Melchior, Nico Santos, Asim Chaudhry are cast in undisclosed roles.
More on Marvel Studios
San Diego Comic Con 2022 brought us a whole new Multiverse Saga roadmap to look forward to, courtesy of Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. With Fantastic Four slated for 2025 likely dealing with Doctor Doom, and promises of more with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock on the “street-level”, we will likely see Multiversal shenanigans like that of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — and beyond. The inclusion of beloved characters across franchises is almost a given, with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as variant Peter Parkers are likely to return, alongside original Avengers greats like Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America, while heroes like Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and newcomers like Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) take the reins against Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror.