Marvel fans may not need to say goodbye to all of the Guardians of the Galaxy next year. Following their forthcoming appearance in this year’s Thor: Love and Thunder, the Guardians are set to lead not just one, but two upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe titles in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which is set to premiere on Disney+ later this year, will, notably, be the team’s first solo adventure since 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Unfortunately, several comments from both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn and Drax the Destroyer actor Dave Bautista have suggested that the 2023 film will also be the last time that the current version of the Guardians comes together on-screen. In fact, many Marvel fans have come to suspect that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will kill off many — if not every — members of the film’s titular team.
Thankfully, one new MCU leak suggests that may not actually be the case.
The Leak — Earlier this week, a Marvel insider known as Greatphase tweeted that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will end with Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and Cosmo, a fan-favorite Marvel Comics character, preparing to build a new superhero team together. The pair will apparently be based out of a revamped version of Knowhere, which would make sense considering Cosmo has previously served as the location’s Chief of Security in the comics.
Additionally, Greatphase claims that both Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) and Phyla-Vell will still be alive at the end of the film. If true, it seems fair to assume that the two characters will be positioned to become members of Star-Lord and Cosmo’s new team. While Phyla-Vell’s presence in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hasn’t been confirmed yet either, the character is currently rumored to be played in the film by The Suicide Squad star Daniela Melchior.
The New Guardians — Of course, as is always the case with alleged Marvel leaks like these, make sure to take all of the claims outlined above with one collective grain of salt for the time being. We won’t know how accurate any of these purported details are until more is officially announced about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if the film’s story plays out similarly to how this leak describes. James Gunn has repeatedly said that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the end of the road for the version of the Guardians that fans have come to know and love over the years. While that suggests that certain characters will lose their lives, it doesn’t mean that every member of the film’s team will leave their superhero lifestyle behind by the time Vol. 3 has come to an end.
In fact, with a character like Adam Warlock already set to debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s always seemed highly likely that the film will set up the creation of a new iteration of the Guardians. Whether or not the formation of the MCU’s Guardians 2.0 is spearheaded by Star-Lord and Cosmo, however, remains to be seen.
The Inverse Analysis — At this point, it seems inevitable that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will force MCU fans to say farewell to some of the franchise’s original characters. What’s less clear right now is which of the film’s heroes will still be around by the time it has come to a close, though, fans probably shouldn’t expect to see any more of Bautista’s Drax after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Unfortunately, that means fans will have to wait to find out if this leak is actually correct about Star-Lord’s future in the MCU.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2023.
