- Could Guardians 3 be the end of the team as we know it?
Find out on today's Nerdist News.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 is still half a month away
from blasting into theaters,
but that doesn't mean it's too early
to already be talking about what's next for the team.
Even director James Gunn can't resist
spreading the intergalactic gossip.
In a recent Facebook post, Gunn stated that
after much soul searching and thinking over
what he described as Hollywood's history of
"haphazard endings to trilogies,"
he's decided that he will be re-boarding the Milano
for one more awesome mix.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 will be a James Gunn joint.
Now, the post goes on to say that Gunn's love for
Rocket, Groot, Gamora, Star-Lord, Yondu, Mantis,
Drax, and Nebula goes deeper than you can possibly imagine
and that he "can't fricking wait to get started."
However, the news wasn't all sunshine and mixtapes
because at the end of the post,
Gunn also confirmed that Volume 3
would be the Guardians' final adventure
or at least the final adventure for this group of Guardians.
Volume 3 "will conclude the story of this iteration
"of the Guardians of the Galaxy," said Gunn,
"and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters
"into the next 10 years and beyond."
So, enjoy these Guardians while you can
because we may only have two more movies
to enjoy Peter Quill's cheesy dance moves,
Drax's inability to take a joke,
and Groot's general grootiness.
But still, it's kinda sorta to be expected.
Three films and you're out
seems to be a prevailing trend in the MCU.
RDJ took three solo flights in the Iron Man suit
before transitioning into his role
as the king of spotlight stealing cameos
in movies like Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
There's a lot of speculation that
after three stand-alones,
Steve Rogers will die in Infinity Wars,
paving the way for his best bud Bucky
to pick up the Cap mantle moving forward.
And Thor's third movie is called Ragnarok,
which literally refers to the end of the world.
And while yes, this is definitely a bit of a bummer,
especially for Thor who only now seems to be realizing
his full potential with the Hulk infused space epic insanity
of that most recent trailer,
it's also not a bad move.
The thing we all love about the Marvel Cinematic Universe
is that it's not just a series of awesome movies.
It is a living, breathing universe,
one that has changed, grown, and evolved
over the last decade.
Staying stuck on a certain group of characters forever
is kind of the antithetical to everything
that makes this franchise so special.
And so, as much as we'll miss Tony Stark,
Rocket Raccoon, or Natasha Romanoff
when they finally stand down for good,
we'll still be excited to see what comes in to replace them
and keep the sprawling universe as deep,
diverse, and complex as it's ever been.
And also, let's face it.
These are superhero stories.
No one ever really goes away for good.
Just tell me you aren't all ready to go nuts
the second Nick Fury pops back up in Infinity Wars.
But now the big question is,
what does this all mean for Guardians?
If Volume 3 really is the final ride for the current cast
and we'll soon see some change overs in the ranks,
who from the Marvel canon
could be stepping up to fill their shoes?
Well, first off, let's discuss
who will definitely be leaving.
It is probably a safe bet that new members Yondu and Nebula
won't last long.
It's just hard to imagine Yondu
won't be itching to get back to his old Ravager ways.
And if you're taking bets on who will bite the space dust
in Infinity Wars, Thanos's estranged daughter Nebula
seems like some really easy money.
Of course, we could also see the Russo brothers
throw us for a twist and have Gamora die,
saving her sister instead.
Unlikely, but the Avengers is the house that Whedon built,
so unexpected deaths of beloved characters
are for sure on the table.
As for the rest of the crew,
with Drax and Mantis seemingly making a love connection
in Volume 2, we could totally see them retiring
from the hero biz to eventually start a family.
But we think there's a good chance that Star-Lord
will stay on as the heart of the team
as well as fan favorites Rocket and Groot,
unless Marvel eventually decides to spin them off
into their own stand-alones.
But who will step forward to join them?
Well, the Guardian comic book's cast of characters
has been wonderfully weird and eclectic
over the last few years,
roping in everyone from Iron Man to Thing to Venom
for temporary membership.
And while it would be amazing, if legally unfeasible,
to see some of those familiar faces,
we have an inkling that it may not be the current Guardians
that Marvel will be pulling from
for future films but past ones,
the original incarnation from the 60s and 70s.
Now, we already kind of see that happening
with the inclusion of Yondu on the team,
who dates back to those original comics.
And Marvel has been slowly dipping into the more
bizarre reaches of their cosmic universe
by bringing in characters like Ego the Living Planet,
and the original Guardians
definitely fall into that tradition.
So, get ready because Major Vance Astro,
Captain Charlie-27, and the rest of the OG Guardians
may be coming to a theater near you,
some time in the mid-2020s.
And if you don't know who the heck they are,
just remind yourself.
Five years ago, you probably had no idea
who Star-Lord was either.
- Who?
- Star-Lord, man.
Legendary outlaw?
- Or who knows?
Maybe they'll just send Iron Man to space
'cause that would be rad too.
But who do you want to see join the Guardians,
and which members will you be saddest to say goodbye to?
Let's discuss.