The following article major spoilers for the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Only continue at your own risk if you haven’t watched the film yet.
Going into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, many wondered if any of the former members would continue their journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some actors like Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista have openly talked bout leaving their characters behind, which also led to the theory that most of them would die off as a result of the film’s events. Luckily, now that the film has been released we know what exactly the future looks like for this unlikely team of misfits.
In a surprising twist, none of the core members died during the events of this film. While it would be the usual approach for films to end a character’s storyline by killing them off, this time they took a Captain America route by simply letting them go their own way. It also slightly opens the window for a return if they’d ever be open to doing so in the future. Given that the multiverse is around the corner, they have a way to bring back these characters with a new cast.
Still, there is some confusion with the first post-credit sequence revealing Rocket’s new team of Guardians. We meet a new character in the form of Phyla-Vell a young child that was going to be part of High Evolutionary’s next step of creating the perfect being. Cosmo and Adam Warlock officially join the team, who are newly introduced to the franchise and seemingly characters set to return.
The question is mostly if the same is going to affect Rocket, as Bradley Cooper has seemingly hinted this might be his last run with the character. They could find a new voice for the character and likely there won’t be a new Guardians film for some time but it seems a bit confusing. There’s a chance this is simply saying these characters still exist out there in the galaxy and keep the door open, but it would be odd not to bring back at least some of the newer additions.
The big reveal, however, is the fact that the one confirmed returning member of the Guardians will be Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. Even though he hung up the Elemental Blasters and returned to spend time with his grandfather. In the second post-credit, we see him just enjoying cereal before the title “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return” appears on the screen. So, we will very likely see him at some point in the future, and is, so far, the only confirmed returning member of the cast.
Not everyone truly hung up their mantle, and the ending definitely keeps the door open if anyone is down to potentially try their hands at the character again. It was a fitting end for this version of the team and here’s hoping that we still have some more time with Rocket, Nebula, Groot, and Mantis alongside Star-lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward.
Source: Cool943
