James Gunn Talks End of Current Guardians Of The Galaxy Team

What Does This Mean?

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago • 3 min read

James Gunn took the Guardians of the Galaxy from relatively obscure characters and has since turned them into household names. Marvel found more success than they could have imagined with this ragtag group of space misfits. Now with the trilogy wrapping up in 2023 what will come next for Star-Lord and his team?

Originally released in 2014, the film starred Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Bradley Cooper, just to name a few. It went on to gross $773 million worldwide which is an impressive feat given that most of these characters had no household recognition before Gunn jumped on this project. Volume 2 would release 3 years later and make even more money at the global box office, solidifying a hit franchise for Marvel. Volume 3, the final outing of the trilogy is set to drop in 2023 along with a holiday special coming in 2022.

Gunn has now gone on record to indicate this is the final time we the audience will see this iteration of the team on screen together. He said on the Heroes Nation podcast:

"This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians...It’s big; it’s so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be. I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story...That’s always a little bit scary; I’m doing my best."

Gunn has transitioned from Marvel to DC as of late so this announcement does not come as a shock to his longtime fans. Marvel tends to change things up drastically after trilogies as Iron Man, Captain America, and The Avengers have all shifted gears after trilogies. The question remains though if this is the last time we will see the team together. Could we still possibly see members of the team show up in other places?

It is definitely possible as this film is set to introduce the character of Adam Warlock (played by Will Poulter), and the team does have relationships with other characters within the MCU. While this could be the last time we see the entire team together, Gunn has not confirmed whether this is the last outing entirely for everyone involved. Of course, it still remains to be seen how the events of Volume 3 will play out from a story perspective, and which members of the team will make it out alive.

Marvel is very secretive about their projects and does not allow much in the way of production stills to be leaked. It may be a while before we know more about the plot. The last time we saw Star-Lord he was dealing with the loss of Yondu and his encounter with his evil father Ego. There will likely be fallout from all those events. Gunn is also very much aware of the stigma that surrounds the third and final film of trilogies:

“I’m aware that the third film in most trilogies sucks; not always."

There are plenty of unanswered questions surrounding this version of the team but James Gunn is known for delivering obscure payoff along with immense character growth along the way. Time will tell what this final outing for the lovable band of misfits will look like. Along with Gunn, we know his trusted editor Fred Raskin will also return for the project. Raskin has worked on both prior GOTG films and The Suicide Squad.

Marvel and DC both seem to have a lot of faith in James Gunn, and he has delivered both massive financial successes along with critical acclaim. It does not seem likely that Guardians 3 will jump ship and if this truly is the end we should expect an emotional wallop and the same witty style that Gunn is known for.

Written By Kenneth Belliveau

Source(s): Deadline

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