Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is here to kick off the 2023 summer movie season, and while it’s being touted as the end of an era for Star-Lord and his family of misfits, we know that the end is never really the end in the Marvel Universe. Heck, the end of the movie isn’t really even the end of the movie when it comes to Marvel!
As dedicated MCU fans know, the credits typically aren’t the end of the movie as the franchise has become known for dropping a few extra tidbits for patient fans willing to sit through the credit scroll. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is no different, as we’re offered not one but two post-credit scenes, one about midway through the credits, and another at the very end of the credits.
We’re here to break down those two scenes and what they could mean to the future of both the Guardians and to the MCU as a whole. But fair warning:
DON’T READ ON IF YOU DON’T WANT THESE SCENES OR THE MOVIE TO BE SPOILED!
OK, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, read on for discussion on the two post-credit scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Post-credits scene 1: The New Guardians
Midway through the credits, we are treated to our first extra scene, opening in a barren desert landscape as we hear several familiar voices discussing their favorite songs and musicians. As the characters come into view, we see that it’s the new lineup of the Guardians all sitting around together in their uniforms. The lineup includes returning members Rocket Raccoon, who is now the leader of the team, as well as Kraglin, the former Ravager-turned-Guardian, and Groot, who has now grown to an enormous size.
Joining the team as new members are Cosmo the Space Dog, the telekinetic Russian dog, Adam Warlock, the golden-bodied perfect being who rebelled against his creator the High Evolutionary, and Marvel character Phyla (Kai Zen), a post-credits surprise who could factor into future MCU movies.
The new lineup of Guardians stands ready to take on a herd of terrifying creatures as they stampede toward a defenseless town, showing us that the Guardians are continuing their role of protecting the galaxy.
Will we see this team working together in the future? Well, we won’t see them in a movie written or directed by James Gunn, who is now off to run the rival DC Studios, but it’s certainly possible that Marvel could decide to create more Guardians movies in the future without Gunn. While several members of the Guardians cast have said they don’t plan to return to the franchise after Vol. 3, none of the actors in this new lineup have made such statements, so it’s very possible we could be getting our first glimpse at the next era of Guardians movies in this scene.
Post-credits scene 2: Star-Lord will return
In the final post-credits scene, we see Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill enjoying a peaceful breakfast with his grandfather (Gregg Henry), talking about mundane things like mowing the lawn. It’s exactly the kind of laid-back, domestic life on Earth that Quill has been missing his entire life and had hoped to experience by leaving the team to return to his home planet.
We also get a fun Easter egg on the front page of a newspaper showing that Kevin Bacon was abducted by aliens, referencing the events of the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special released last year.
As the scene calmly wraps up, text appears on screen reading “The legendary Star-Lord will return,” promising us a future appearance of the character in the MCU. While no official announcement has been made as of the writing of this post, Pratt has said in interviews recently that unlike some of his fellow Guardians cast members, he is open to returning to play the character again as long as he feels Marvel is able to stay true to the character as created by Pratt and Gunn.
