Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ranks among Marvel Studios' best movies, and James Gunn's emotional farewell to the MCU certainly left us with plenty to talk about.
It's hardly surprising that the threequel is packed full of fun Easter Eggs, cameos, and references, and we're taking a closer look at the most awesome (and trickiest to spot) efforts in this feature. As well as some very clever nods to the comic books, there are some intriguing references to the wider MCU and a number of very unexpected character appearances.
Vol. 3 is a movie made by a fan for the fans, something which is evident from the sheer number of surprises Gunn packs into 150 minutes. We're confident that a number of these will have passed you by, while others you might just be grateful to have explained in detail.
Check out these Easter Eggs by clicking on the "Next" button below!
10. Xeronians And Ani-Men
In the movie, we learn that The High Evolutionary previously created the Sovereign, Xeronians, and Ani-Men. In the comics, the Xeronians don't have any direct ties to the villain and were actually a peaceful people who have largely been forgotten since their 1968 introduction.
Less of a deep-cut Easter Egg is that mention of the Ani-Men. That name has been used for a number of villainous teams on the page, including a group who, yes, was created by The High Evolutionary as his servants. We're guessing they were a prototype for the denizens of Counter-Earth.
9. Star-Lord Fesses Up
Gunn has made it clear he didn't necessarily agree with all of the creative decisions made with the Guardians in Avengers: Infinity War, including how Peter Quill ended up taking so much of the blame for Thanos defeating The Avengers on Titan.
Surprisingly, Star-Lord at least takes some responsibility for his actions in Vol. 3 while looking back at his relationship with Gamora. "I lost my temper and nearly destroyed the entire universe," the hero admits, somewhat fessing up to his role in the Blip.
8. Kevin Bacon's Abduction
In The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Drax and Mantis come to Earth and abduct Kevin Bacon as a gift for Star-Lord. Needless to say, the actor is horrified and eventually returns home...where he clearly wasted no time in sharing his story with the world.
In Vol. 3's post-credits scene, Peter's grandfather is reading a newspaper with a picture of Bacon and a headline that reads, "Kevin Bacon's Abduction by Aliens." Presumably, this means the threequel takes place shortly after the events of the Holiday Special.
7. Jason Quill
At the end of Vol. 3, Star-Lord finally decides to return home where he is reunited with his grandfather. We first met him in Guardians of the Galaxy when the Ravagers abducted Peter at Ego's behest, though he made a cameo appearance in Vol. 2 when the Living Planet attacked Earth.
In the comics, Peter's father is J'Son, the villainous King of a planet called Spartax. While Gunn has previously made it clear he never planned on heading down that route, the fact Star-Lord's grandfather is called "Jason" is still a nice nod to the source material.
6. The Legendary Star-Lord
Right after that comedic scene with Peter and his grandfather, the words "The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return" show up on screen. Despite the fact a new team of Guardians appear in the mid-credits stinger, it's interesting that Marvel Studios highlights Peter in this way.
A comic book series titled The Legendary Star-Lord followed the hero on solo adventures that saw him cross paths with Thanos, develop a romance with fellow superhero Kate Pryde, and even visit his home planet (which was Spartax rather than Earth). We think a solo project could be in the works...
5. Some Big Voice Cameos
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 gives Gunn the chance to enlist many of his old pals for voiceover roles, including Hawkeye star Linda Cardellini as Lylla. She's not the only MCU star to play another character, though, as Ant-Man star Judy Greer lends her talents to War Pig.
Elsewhere, Mikaela Hoover plays Floor and Asim Chaudhry voices Teefs. However, the biggest surprise is The Suicide Squad star Pete Davidson as the gruesome Phlektik, the being Mantis does her best to pretend she isn't completely freaked out by.
4. A Lylla Retcon
When the Nova Corps arrest the future Guardians of the Galaxy in the first movie, Rocket's dossier mentions that one of his associates is Lylla. This threequel retcons that blink-and-you'd-miss-it Easter Egg by finally revealing their shared history.
Seeing as Lylla was killed by The High Evolutionary before he escaped from the villain's base, there's no way they could have had an association the Nova Corps would be aware of. Perhaps he just used her name as a tribute during previous run-ins with the law?
3. Phyla-Vell
One of the children created by The High Evolutionary who the Guardians rescue from his ship is also part of Rocket's new team and identified as Phyla-Vell. That's a name which we're sure will be immediately familiar to those of you who are fans of the comic books.
Her origin story on the page is a complicated one, but she held the "Captain Marvel" moniker for a time as the daughter of the original hero to carry that name, Mar-Vell. In the MCU, she's clearly another young superhero who will eventually be a key part of future stories.
2. A Star-Studded Poker Game
Back on Knowhere, we find Kraglin and Cosmo playing a game of space poker with a few familiar faces. Seth Green's Howard the Duck has stuck around, as has The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special's Bzermikitokolok, played by The Old 97's Rhett Miller.
Keep your eyes peeled as you should also notice The Broker from the first Guardians movie (suggesting he survived Thanos' attack on Xandar). The rest of the movie features surprise appearances from Nathan Fillion, Jennifer Holland, Daniela Melchior, Stephen Blackeheart, and Michael Rooker's Yondu!
1. Drax Finally Dances
At the start of Vol. 3, Drax refuses to dance because, in his words, dancing is for "idiots." After a tearful farewell to Mantis, it takes the children who are now under his care to convince him to bust some moves, but this big moment for the Destroyer goes even further back than this movie's opening.
In Vol. 2, the hero says, "There are two types of beings in the universe. Those who dance and those who do not." Clearly, Drax has evolved since then, embracing the fact that, deep down, he really is a father and not an idiot or someone who only exists to fight.