Know Your Marvels: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

by David Mumpower · May 18, 2022

Press play on your favorite mixtape, 1970s music lovers! Groot the Living Tree, his not quite a raccoon friend, and several semi-heroic allies will return to theaters in 2023; In the latest Know Your Marvels, we will reunite with old friends in discussing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Who Are the Guardians of the Galaxy

Source: Marvel Studios

I mean, come on. You know this one!

Peter Quill, the self-professed Star-Lord, and his loyal team of misfits technically come from various parts of the galaxy, not the Island of Misfit Toys.

Still, the premise remains the same. At a young age, Quill, the child of a god-planet (don’t ask), found himself abducted aboard a spacecraft.

Young Peter Quill. Photo: Marvel

The boy adapted to life aboard a ship of hooligans and developed a gift for petty theft. But, his targets grew more significant over the years, which added to his list of enemies.

When Quill came across an Infinity Stone, circumstances led to his imprisonment with Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon.

Ultimately, Gamora’s estranged (and insanely jealous) sister, Nebula, joined the team, as did a clairvoyant named Mantis.

Photo: Marvel

During the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Gamora died in the worst way imaginable. However, thanks to a time heist, she has since returned.

However, the belief is that Gamora won’t be with the team during Thor: Love and Thunder, at least not at first. As such, the team may or may not stand at full strength when Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 begins.

I suspect that she will as Disney+ will air The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special in December of 2022. Gamora likely reunites with the team on or before that title’s release.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Photo: Marvel/Disney+

Before then, the team will share a grand adventure with Thor, the deity some of the Guardians wish were the team’s leader.

What’s the New Story?

Source: Marvel Studios

Marvel locks down all its stories until the trailer’s debut. As such, we’re all just speculating here.

However, we do know a few exciting things about this project. The first is that it’ll arrive only six months after the holiday special. As such, you shouldn’t seem surprised if the two stories directly connect.

The MCU plans a broader expansion into outer space, as a Nova Corps project falls somewhere between confirmed and an open secret.

Source: Marvel

Keeping that in mind, the most significant update here is one we’ll discuss in the next section.

Adam Warlock will appear in this film, presumably as the villain. However, if this means anything to you, please understand that Magus isn’t the villain.

At least, that’s not what has been reported thus far. Sometimes, Marvel hides this stuff until the last minute.

Source: Marvel Studios

To a larger point, you should view Vol. 3 as the final act of a single story.

Kevin Feige has suggested that director James Gunn intends to close the Guardians of the Galaxy story arc here.

That makes sense for…several reasons.

Who Returns in This Film

Source: Marvel Studios

Okay, let’s start with Gunn himself. His presence here qualifies as a surprise. You may recall that Disney famously fired him after some old Tweets came to light. Unfortunately, none of them painted Gunn in the best light.

His sense of humor is best described as quirky, and some of his oldest online jokes fell on the wrong side of the edgy/tasteless line. After Gunn switched to Warner Bros., his loyal cast went to bat for him, allowing this unexpected return engagement.

Alas, their passion came at a price. Dave Bautista, who plays Drax, apparently alienated Disney with his firm defense of his friend. Bautista didn’t voice his character in What If…? and stated he wasn’t even asked. He’s also made no secret of the fact that this is his last MCU film.

Photo: Marvel

Rumors had also suggested that Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper wouldn’t return as Groot and Rocket. Thankfully, both men have denied this rumor.

So, Marvel has gotten the band back together for one final run as the original Guardians of the Galaxy.

You should treat the project as the last ride. However, I’ll add that Spider-Man: No Way Home was initially envisioned as the completion of a trilogy.

Photo: Marvel

Due to its success, another Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland is in the offing. Money talks in this industry.

If Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 excels at the box office, we’ll definitely get more.

Who Is the Villain?

Source: Marvel

Some of the time travel/multiverse stuff in Marvel Comics gives me a headache. Adam Warlock trends more toward superheroes than antagonists in the comics. He’s an artificial being who possesses pretty much every superpower ever.

On top of that, since Warlock wasn’t born, Death cannot take his soul. So, yes, we’re talking about a character that someone can kill but who cannot die. Some of the old Marvel stuff really screams, “Stan Lee dropped too much acid,” doesn’t it?

The MCU will apparently adopt a similar concept with Adam Warlock. The Sovereign, the ruler that the Guardians infuriated in Vol. 2, apparently creates him for the purposes of revenge.

Photo: Marvel Comics

This aspect seems significant because multiple versions of Warlock exist in Marvel Comics. Magus, the worst of them, is a supervillain…and a time-forward version of Warlock driven mad by the Soul Gem.

Magus runs the Universal Church of Truth and is an enemy of two MCU characters you might know, Gamora and Thanos. I presume we’ll see hints of Magus in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Still, this character likely won’t become a huge factor in the MCU until later.

Source: @JamesGunn

Disney has cast actor Will Poulter of The Maze Runner and We’re the Millers in this role. He’s only 29 years old, which means he could play variants of this character for decades to come. You may recall that Disney and Marvel have taken the same approach with Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror.

Both of these characters claim multiversal/time traveling versions of various moral standards.

Final Thoughts

Source: @Jamesgunn

Look, Guardians of the Galaxy dominated the entire 2014 box office campaign as one of the most shocking performances of the 2000s. We’re talking about nearly $1.64 billion in box office between that film and its sequel.

You’ll even find a Wonders of Xandar pavilion at EPCOT and Guardians of the Galaxy attractions there and at Disneyland Resort. Disney is in the business of Guardians of the Galaxy because that’s what the fans want.