Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn't have a release date, but once writer and director James Gunn is finished working on The Suicide Squad, the Marvel Studios movie will be his next priority.
Had he not been fired by Disney, he would have already finished working on the threequel, and even confirmed that it was originally set to be released this year. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out like that, and it's now looking like the plan is for Vol. 3 to arrive in theaters in 2022 or, more likely, 2023.
While Gunn's final chapter in his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is still a little way off, that doesn't mean we don't have some ideas about where things should go in Vol. 3. In this feature, we're delving into what we'd like to see in the Marvel movie, and we're confident you'll have plenty to say about these suggestions.
So, to check them out, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button down below!
10. Another Avenger Joins The Team
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to be released before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it seems likely it will be there that the God of Thunder parts ways with this team to deal with his own business.
As a result, we're not anticipating seeing Thor in this third instalment, but that doesn't mean another Avenger couldn't help the team out. The franchise certainly isn't shy on star power, but just imagine Captain Marvel making a cameo appearance to give these A-Holes a helping hand?
She's not the only option, of course, and Gunn could go with a complete left field choice like The Hulk, War Machine, or Black Panther. Either way, this would be a lot of fun, and makes sense after Endgame.
9. Nova Gets His Chance To Shine
The Nova Corps played a key role in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but they were nowhere to be seen in the sequel. However, Avengers: Infinity War established that Thanos had laid waste to the planet while retrieving the Power Stone, and seeing as he was known for keeping at least half a population alive, there are bound to be at least some survivors...right?
Unfortunately, something tells us he would have made a point of wiping the Nova Corps out, but that leaves the door wide open to Richard Rider finally making his big screen debut.
That's long overdue, and while Gunn has never appeared to be a fan of the character, he could at least have him make his MCU debut here before the hero is further explored in some sort of solo Nova project. Either way, this is definitely a team-up we want to see happen before the trilogy ends.
8. The True Start Of A "Marvel Cosmic Universe"
James Gunn has indicated on numerous occasions that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 brings the team’s story to a close, but what that means for the franchise’s future is hard to say.
Some team members could move on while others are replaced, but one thing we do know is that the director was once being eyed to take on a far more significant role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. The focus being turned to cosmic characters now Earth's Mightiest Heroes are done battling Thanos makes sense, even if Phase 4 is looking relatively grounded.
That can change in Phase 5, of course, with Vol. 3 setting the stage for a new era of cosmic stories which will hopefully be overseen by Gunn (who can now make use of those Fox characters).
7. The Original Guardians Return
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 introduced us to the original Guardians, a team led by Sylvester Stallone’s Stakar. With that group reunited in the wake of Yondu's death, they’re bound to show up in this planned third instalment, and Gunn has actually hinted at that being the case.
A team-up with the current Guardians would be fun, and while many fans aren't overly keen on the possibility of them taking over the franchise down the line, a prequel wouldn't be the worst idea. After all, that could explore Yondu's time with the team, and exploring what led to him leaving and forming the Ravagers is a story which no one would be unhappy seeing told in the MCU.
This is a team with real potential, so here's hoping we get to learn a lot more about them.
6. Adam Warlock
For those unfamiliar with the source material, there was almost certainly some confusion as to the significance of that after-credits scene with Ayesha talking about creating "Adam."
While his origin story is clearly going to be different to his comic book counterpart, Adam Warlock showing up is now pretty much a guarantee, and he’ll no doubt go to war with Star-Lord and company before seeing the error of his ways and joining the team. It would be strange for Gunn to not use him here given Ayesha's desire for revenge, and Warlock deserves the chance to shine.
With the right A-List actor in the role, we could even have a new face of this "Marvel Cosmic Universe."
5. The Next Evolution Of Groot
Baby Groot was one of the cutest creations to ever grace the silver screen, while Avengers: Infinity War has fully explored the concept of a "teenage" version of that character. The question is, what comes next? Vin Diesel teased an "Alpha" Groot, though Gunn was quick to debunk his claims.
Taking Groot back to the adult form we first saw in Guardians of the Galaxy seems a tad redundant at this stage, and the director has said a few times that this is actually an entirely different Groot.
With that in mind, we're bound to see something completely new when Vol. 3 rolls around, and we're hoping it's unlike anything that's preceded it. Here's hoping he's grown into a formidable badass, eh?
4. Star-Lord Reunites With Gamora (And His Family)
Avengers: Infinity War killed off Gamora, but Avengers: Endgame managed to bring a past version of the character into the present day. Unfortunately, she has no memory of Star-Lord or the rest of the Guardians, and it's now going to be up to Gunn to deal with that in some way.
Needless to say, we definitely want to see these two fall in love all over again, especially when it feels that they're meant to be...perhaps there's a way of restoring this past Gamora's memories?
Whatever the case may be, this isn't the only reunion we're anxious for in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. While Gunn has been quoted as saying that Star-Lord would have left Earth as quickly as possible after Endgame, if this is indeed the end of his story, then why not bring him home to reunite with his family? This could also leave the door open to a team-up with The Avengers one day...
3. Another Great Soundtrack
In many ways, this goes without saying, but it's not going to be easy topping what's come before!
At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kraglin gave Peter a Zune packed full of songs to replace his destroyed cassette player. It’s not exactly an iPod, but it means that we’ll be hearing tunes from all sorts of eras when the threequel is released, something which promises to drastically shake up the tone and feel of the movie (and was teased in Avengers: Infinity War).
This also gives Gunn a lot more creative freedom when it comes to switching up how songs work within scenes (he writes them with the tunes in mind), so Vol. 3’s soundtrack promises to be something well worth looking forward to as it picks and chooses catchy tunes from all over the place.
2. Drax Finds His Family
Guardians of the Galaxy gave Drax the opportunity to get some revenge on Ronan the Accuser, but he made it clear that it was really Thanos he wanted. Unfortunately, the last two Avengers movies glossed over that for the most part, but there are ways to make up for that in Vol. 3.
While Drax believes his family are dead, there have been rumours his daughter has survived, and we would love to see them find each other here (just imagine what a character she would be).
It too often feels like Drax is overlooked or played for laughs, and while he fits that latter role nicely, who wouldn't want to see him get a happy ending? That's certainly something he deserves at this point, and there's a lot Vol. 3 can do to further his story and help him move on from past tragedies.
1. Galactus And The Silver Surfer
We alluded to these two a little earlier in this post, but seeing as Marvel Studios has regained the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises since Gunn's first crack at the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 screenplay, it just seems right for them to factor into this movie in some way.
While we certainly wouldn't bet on Galactus and the Silver Surfer being the threequel's lead villains, there are ways Gunn could tease their existence, even if it's just to set up a future movie or story.
There are plenty of other cosmic baddies from the aforementioned franchises Gunn could play with here, but we'd love to see his take on this duo, especially after he introduced us to The Watchers.