Who is man-god Adam Warlock? Will Rocket breathe his last breath? And what's with
all the talking animals? The "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" trailer is packed
with tiny details that reveal more about the movie than you might think.
"Ow!"
"Ha ha ha! Hey!"
Toward the end of the trailer, the Guardians are cut off during an escape by a giant red
monster with rows of teeth. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment,
but we've actually seen this big sucker before. This is the Abilisk,
who the team fought in the opening "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." Remember when baby Groot
danced obliviously around as his pals battled the slithery, gooey monster?
This might let us know where the Guardians are at in "Vol. 3," as when they first encountered the
Abilisk, they were on the Sovereign planet. But since this behemoth is a multi-dimensional being,
they really could be anywhere now. However, with Adam Warlock showing up in the trailer,
they are more than likely actually on Sovereign with all those golden beauties,
following up on the ominous post-credits scene of "Vol. 2". Since the first Abilisk we saw in
the "Guardians" franchise was destroyed, it looks like there is definitely more than one
of these guys. But what batteries is he trying to inhale this time?
Okay, so we all knew Adam Warlock would be in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," so this
isn't some big easter egg you might have missed. What's more interesting is Adam's
look and how he's stealing Vision's style. The Golden Gladiator has a silver diamond-shaped
gem in the middle of his forehead. Could this be some kind of new Infinity Stone?
In the comics, the High Evolutionary gives Adam Warlock what's known as the Soul Gem,
which is known as the Soul Stone in the MCU. This allows him to suck the souls out of other beings.
Eventually, Warlock realizes there is a dark side to the Soul Gem in "Strange Tales Vol. 1"
#178. In that story, Thanos gets the five other Infinity Gems and comes for Warlock, but the Mad
Titan ends up making somewhat of a clone of the stone. We know we're not seeing Thanos again,
so the story in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" will definitely stray from the comics. It looks
like we'll see Warlock's more evil side in the film, but he's most often known as an anti-hero.
As the trailer threatens that it's time for the Guardians to "face the music,"
it seems likely that at least one of our heroes will meet their end. This
foreboding sense of tragedy and sacrifice is underscored in one of the trailer's
final moments, wherein Groot bellows the immortal last words of his father.
"We are Groot!"
As he says this, he and Quill seem to be surrounded by an army of enemies,
firing shots as though they were making their last stand. The last time we heard
this phrase was seconds before Groot perished in the original "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Several key characters are in obvious jeopardy throughout the trailer. In one scene, Nebula
is seen carrying an unconscious Quill, in another, Gamora supports a critically wounded Drax. Mantis,
an empath who takes on the emotions of others, is seen wailing in anguish. Her emotion appears
almost identical to a moment with Quill, who at one point seems to be overseeing
a failing medical procedure. The hint here is a lingering shot of a bloody instrument,
followed by his scream, with what may be a breathing apparatus in the background.
Of all its core players, however,
Rocket seems to be the most poised to die. Through ominous tears he says,
"We'll all fly away together, one last time, into the forever. That beautiful sky."
Rocket is also seen bathed in a white, vast,
heavenly light in one of the trailer's quick shots.
Gunn may be gearing up to off most, if not all, of the "Guardians" cast. After all,
the director proved his willingness to kill his darlings in both previous installments,
as well as his iteration of "The Suicide Squad." After nearly ten years of playing these roles,
the actors may also be ready to say goodbye.
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" will likely be the last we see of many team members,
at least under the care of writer-director James Gunn. But a lot of care is still going into
building their backstories. The first trailer seems to focus a lot on Rocket Raccoon and his
origins. One of the biggest hints of this is a quick moment where he embraces the sentient
otter known as Lylla. In the comic books, she plays a significant role in Rocket's life,
often serving as a teammate and love interest for the character. She's now
finally making her big debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As for who will voice the character, that still isn't clear. There were some
rumors back in 2019 that she would be portrayed by none other than Lady Gaga,
who previously appeared in "A Star is Born" with Cooper.
"Hey!"
"What?"
"I just wanted to take another look at you."
Those rumors are unconfirmed at best and should still be taken with a massive grain
of salt. Regardless, introducing her character now is a big move for
Gunn and company and should add another emotional layer to Rocket's backstory.
For the majority of the trailer, the Guardians wear matching red and blue leather costumes. This
look is seemingly a combination of the group's established MCU leather-clad uniform and the
color scheme and iconography of their comic book revival. Peter Quill was brought into the modern
Marvel Comics Universe in 2004's "Thanos" #8, but he wouldn't get a superhero-style costume until
the Annihilation: Conquest event three years later. He sported a militaristic redesign from
artist Marko Djurdjevic. When the character began leading a new "Guardians of the Galaxy" team in
2008, he and the others wore a slightly altered red and blue version of Djurdjevic's costume.
This appears to be the inspiration for their attire in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
Another eye-catching wardrobe moment involves the vibrant, technicolor space suits worn by
the team for what appears to be an extended space-walking sequence. Both the simple,
classic astronaut design and the suits' bright colors had many fans on Twitter,
drawing connections to the popular video game "Among Us." Whether or not the game
served as a direct inspiration, the visual is undeniably striking.