Guardians of the Galaxy 3: Everything We Know About James Gunn's Story (2023)

Embargo! Contains spoilers for the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special!

Here's everything that has been revealed about James Gunn so farGuardians of the Galaxy Bd. 3Story. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 has been in development since 2017, when Marvel officially confirmed that Gunn would be returning to complete his trilogy. As the screenwriter and director of the first twoGuardians of the GalaxyMovies fans were left pretty nervous about the trilogy's future after old tweets resulted in Disney firing Gunn. Luckily, he was hired again by the House of Mouse and Marvel to embark on the long-awaited cosmic adventure, even if it meant pushing GotG 3 to 2023.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was originally intended to start the post-infinity saga storyline, but will now be the second film in Phase 5 of the MCU. Gunn and those involved in the film continued to provide details about the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 throughout its development. These details confirmed that the cast list includesWill Poulter als Adam Warlock, as well as the main cast from the previous two Guardians of the Galaxy films. With Guardians of the Galaxy 3 only set to release on May 5, 2023, it's understandable that the film's story has yet to be officially confirmed. Here are all the GotG 3 plot details known so far.

Related:Who could be the big secret character of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3?

Guardians 3 takes place after Endgame, Thor 4 and the Christmas special

Before the end of Phase 3, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise was self-contained and didn't care much about the larger MCU storyline. This allowed the series to stand on its own and not be concerned with how it connects to or builds on what's going on around it. This is not the case with the following threequelDie Rolle der Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder. Guardians of the Galaxy 3's story has been confirmed to take place primarily after its final MCU appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy: Christmas Special. This places the events of the sequel sometime after 2023 in the MCU's timeline. As a result, roughly a decade elapsed in-universe between the Guardians' final solo mission and the events of the sequel.

Guardians 3 finalizes the original MCU team roster

The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has always revolved around a core team of five heroes: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot. While Yondu (Michael Rooker), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Mantis, and Nebula all joined the team, this original group is at the heart of the franchise. However, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last time they are all together. James Gunn has repeatedly mentioned that the third part closes the team's original iteration and opens the door to onenew team inGuardians of the Galaxy 4. This has led to significant speculation as to how this will play out, as the film's various main characters could leave the Guardians team or the MCU altogether.

James Gunn's screenplay is very emotional

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's plot has been kept under wraps, but one of the most common jokes about the story of those involved is how emotional it is. Actors including Karen Gillan and Pom Klementieff said they cried reading James Gunn's script, while many others praised the emotional roller-coaster ride it contained. While the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise is known for its humor, the films also have strong emotional cores. Yondu's death is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the MCU, and teases about the team's end sparked theories that some of the biggest characters could die. Each of the main characters of the film likesRaketensterben in Guardians of the Galaxy 3would partially explain this recurring sentiment for those who know what James Gunn's screenplay is about.

The origin of Rocket is explored

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3's story will also explore Rocket's origins, and the San Diego Comic-Con 2022 trailer even revealed a glimpse of him as a baby. Rocket is the character James Gunn refers to the most, and as the MCU progresses, he's an increasingly important character. Rocket's origins have yet to be fully explored, however, as the original Guardians of the Galaxy only joked about the scars on his back from the experiments he suffered in the past. Gunn confirmed that this part of Rocket's origin ties into the overall direction of his story, so it should be a key story piece for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Theories suggest how this will happen.Rocket Raccoon is related to Adam Warlockor the high evolutionary as possible explanations.

Related:Why does Rocket allow Star-Lord to command the Guardians in Endgame but not Infinity War?

Adam Warlock is confirmed

The biggest addition to the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is Will Poulter as Adam Warlock, a powerful and supposedly perfect being. In the comics, he was created by a group of Earth scientists known as the Enclave before traveling into the cosmos to find himself, but his origins are slightly different in the MCU. Gunn, meanwhile, teased Adam Warlock's role in the sequelGuardians of the Galaxy Bd. zweiThe post-credits scene from . In this scene, Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) was shown raising Adam in one of the Sovereign's birthing pods. She turned him into an enemy strong enough to defeat the Guardians after they defeated her. It's not confirmed what that means for Will Poulter's role, but Gunn may have done it.Adam Warlock unGuardians of the Galaxy Bd. 3villain, possibly under the name Magus.

The evolutionary high is confirmed

Another new character confirmed for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, who is even more likely to be a villain, is the High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji. The actor is probably best known for his role as Clemson Murn in DC's Peacemaker, a mercenary possessed by a butterfly. Already in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the High Evolutionary is a being with a complex past in the Marvel Comics.

Originally a man named Herbert Edgar Wyndham, the High Evolutionary began his career experimenting with genetics at Oxford and eventually became so obsessed with his project that he left Earth (along with a collection of mutants he dubbed the "New Humans". ). Once in space, theHigh evolutionary powersHe became a god thanks to the experiments he conducted on himself. Iwuji's version of the character may have a different backstory, but his appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 confirmed his role in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 as an antagonist whose main motivation is to take creatures he finds disgusting and evolve them . improve". Format.

Gamora plays an important role

(Video) James Gunn and The Guardians of The Galaxy: Vol 3. Cast on the New Mixtape and the Marvel Glow-Up

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's plot also includes an important role for Gamora. Following her death on Vormir in Avengers: Infinity War, Zoe Saldana returned to the MCU as a 2014 version of Thanos' favorite daughter thanks to the film's time travel storyline. This version of Gamora doesn't resemble a Star Lord romance, becoming a hero with the Guardians, or any other part of itGamoras Guardians of the Galaxy MCU-StoryUntil here. Although Avengers: Endgame didn't reveal what happened to her after the Avengers' fight with Thanos, a deleted scene showed Gamora walking away free, and the 2022 Comic-Con trailer revealed that she now leads the Ravagers.

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Earthbound heroes can spawn

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has only been confirmed to feature an Earth hero in Star-Lord, but Gunn has said in the past that others could appear this time around. He originally wanted to keep Quill as the only human on the team and focus on introducing cosmic characters. The possibility of other Earth heroes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 opens up a whole new universe of characters for the sequel. This could include some of the Guardians and Avengers' new official friends, or open the door for some important people to join the MCU such as:Richard Rider alias Novaor Wendell Vaughn, also known as Quasar.

Ayesha returns in Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Elizabeth Debickis Ayesha will also return for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Ayesha was one of the minor villains in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 when she and the Sovereign initially hired the Guardians to protect them from Abilisk. Rocket's decision to steal their batteries caused Ayesha and the Sovereign to give chase, but their efforts to defeat the Guardians were thwarted. This led to Ayesha creating Adam Warlock and introducing him into the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 storyline to explain how he returned. However, it is unknown what central role Ayesha will play in the main narrative.

Quasar's appearance announced for Guardians 3

James Gunn also teased the looks ofQuasar emGuardians of the Galaxy Bd. 3His story shared a photo of a VCR his family had as a child during the early stages of Part Three's development. This particular brand of VCR was called Quasar, the mantle of a powerful cosmic hero from Marvel that many Marvel characters have adopted. Wendell Vaughn is the original and best-known version of Quasar, drawing its quantum energy powers from the quantum bands it carries. Phylla-Vel is another prominent hero who becomes a quasar. At the same time, Nova briefly adopted the name, with the comics recently making Avril Kincaid the latest iteration. It's unclear what version of the character Gunn wanted to include or if Quasar made it into the final script, but this is a new cosmic hero that may appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Vance Astro will not appear

It has been confirmed that Vance Astro will not appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.Vance Astro leads the Future Guardians teamfrom their universe, commonly known as Guardians of the Galaxy 3000, in the comics. With Vance's teammates Yondu, Charlie-27, and Martinex already part of the MCU, fans are wondering if he could be next. Gunn dashed all hopes that Vance Astro would appear in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2017. This means that even if Stakar Ogord and his Ravagers/Guardians team return, they won't be bringing Vance with them as their newest recruit.

Related:Why the MCU could have two versions of Nova

Guardians 3 prepares future MCU Cosmic Movies

A key part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will include the setting for future MCU Cosmic films. When Part Three was first developed, James Gunn said he was personally involved in the development of other cosmic features that would follow the events of Guardians of the Galaxy 3. It is unknown how the film will establish thisThe future cosmic stories of the MCU, but Gunn also said the film was responsible for defining the next decade of the shared universe.

This should be welcome news for newly introduced characters like Adam Warlock. But it could also be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which features Nova, the Annihilators, and other big cosmic Marvel ideas. It's even possible that this is the movie that establishes the Annihilation Wave as the MCU's next big cosmic event. With the MCU adaptation of Marvel Comics' Secret Wars already on the horizon for Phase 6 of the MCU, the Multiverse saga is sure to extend to these comics.

Guardians 3 hasn't changed after the Disney/Fox deal

Despite all the new characters and ideas that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will feature, fans shouldn't expect the film to help redefine thatX-Men or the Fantastic Four in the MCU, or any character related to them. James Gunn has said in the past that the film hasn't changed because Disney acquired 20th Century Studios and Marvel Studios got the rights to more iconic characters. Given that the script for Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was finalized before the deal went through, it should come as no surprise that Gunn didn't alter the story to include characters previously owned by Fox. Unless this changes later, this would mean that Kitty Pryde, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Starjammers or other similar characters would not be part of the story of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

This is how the Christmas special prepares Guardians 3

(Video) Watch This Before You See Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special Prepare Vol. 3 in several ways, the most important being the fact that Gamora is still missing. In fact, the Holiday Special revolves around Mantis trying to make Star-Lord a Merry Christmas despite Gamora's absence. In particular, the Holiday Special has also been extendedMantis MCU powers, which could tie into the revelation that she is actually Peter Quill's sister and therefore Ego's daughter, and Mantis being part of Celestial should be a factor in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 floors. Additionally, Groot has matured into what appears to be a much more powerful version of himself, Nebula gifted Bucky's Vibranium arm to Rocket, and Kraglin still works flawlessly with Yondu's arrow. Remarkably, the Guardians deliver on James Gunn's promise to introduce one of the best characters in the MCU and are now joined by Cosmo the Space Dog.

Guardians of the Galaxy Bd. 3He will no doubt pull through the plot points established in the Christmas special. Thanks to how the events of the Christmas special shaped the futures of several Guardians, it's clear the team will continue to play a significant role in the Multiverse saga, albeitJames Gunn himself is leaving the MCU. With a mature Groot on the team, Rocket with Bucky's vibranium arm, and Mantis as part of Celestial, the Guardians of the Galaxy could become the MCU's strongest Phase 5 team.

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