All good things come to an end and sadly that’s true as Marvel's Guardians trilogy comes to an end with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.The gang is back together but they're still reeling from the events of Avengers: Endgame and now they’re about to face their biggest challenge yet.
Most recently, the cast appeared in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and in Thor: Love and Thunder, but Vol. 3 is their final bow.
The first movie in the trilogy debuted in 2014 and introduced the world to a rag-tag group of unlikely heroes who manage to save the day. Though widely known among Marvel Comics fans, director James Gunn managed to write a script that not only introduced Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket, but also made us fall in love with them.
Though the characters' fate in the MCU beyond Vol. 3 is uncertain, we know that this is the end of the line for at least one of the actors. Dave Bautista is ready to pass the torch to a younger actor, noting on Instagram that it was the "end of a journey that changed [his] life."
Here's everything we know about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 release date
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres exclusively in theaters in the US and UK on May 5, 2023. While it will eventually land on Disney Plus, there's no time frame for when the movie is going to hit the streaming platform.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cast
The original Guardians of the Galaxy cast returns for Vol. 3, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World: Dominion) as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana (From Scratch) as Gamora, Dave Bautista (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Movie) as Drax, Vin Diesel (Fast X) as the voice of Groot and Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) as the voice of Rocket. They are joined by newer Guardians team members Pom Klementieff as Mantis and Karen Gillan as Nebula. Sean Gunn and Elizabeth Debicki also return.
Joining the cast are Will Poulter (Dopesick), Chudwudi Iwuji (The Peacemaker) and Maria Balakova (Borat 2), who plays Cosmo the Space Dog. Poulter’s character, Adam Warlock, was teased at the end of GOTG Vol. 2; Warlock is an artificial creature who was made by Debicki's High Evolutionary to destroy the Guardians of the Galaxy. Incidentally, the High Evolutionary also created Rocket, so expect that to tie into the story.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 plot
Little is known about the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at this point. Rocket is still struggling with his origins while Star-Lord is dealing with the loss of the Gamora he once knew. Based on the trailer some of the highlights include: Gamora's return, Adam Warlock's debut and a whole lot of feel-good Guardians moments as the team's time together comes to an end.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer
The first trailer premiered at CCXP in Brazil and not surprisingly it quickly started trending on social media. Based on the trailer alone, it;s going to be a fun adventure, but be ready to shed a few tears.
A new clip from the movie reveals a glimpse of Rocket's heartbreaking origin and yeah, pass the tissue.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director
James Gunn pulled double duty once again, penning the script and directing the movie as he did with the previous two Guardians of the Galaxy movies in the trilogy, along with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special that debuted on Disney Plus.
GOTG has been Gunn's pet project at Marvel, raising the stakes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by taking a lesser-known team of comic book characters and building them into one of the most recognizable groups in the MCU. And not only do the GOTG movies have killer soundtracks, they've also inspired their own rides at Disney California Adventure and Disney World.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a bittersweet moment as Gunn hangs up his hat on the trilogy and focuses his energy on his new job as the co-CEO of DC Studios leading the future of the DC Universe at Warner Bros. Discovery.
MCU films
Fans have been enjoying the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008, but just to keep things neat and tidy, here is a full list of all the MCU movies (we’re omitting the Disney Plus series) released so far and upcoming as part of Phase 4.
MCU Phase 1
- Iron Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Iron Man 2
- Thor
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Marvel's The Avengers
MCU Phase 2
- Iron Man 3
- Thor: The Dark World
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Ant-Man
MCU Phase 3
- Captain America: Civil War
- Doctor Strange
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Thor: Ragnarok
- Black Panther
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Captain Marvel
- Avengers: Endgame
- Spider-Man: Far From Home
MCU Phase 4
- Black Widow
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Eternals
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
MCU Phase 5
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February 17, 2023)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
- The Marvels (July 28, 2023)
- Captain America: New World Order (May 3, 2024)
- Thunderbolts (July 26, 2024)
- Blade (September 6, 2024)
MCU Phase 6
- Fantastic Four (February 14, 2025)
- Avengers: Kang Dynasty (May 2, 2025)
- Avengers: Secret Wars (May 1, 2026)
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Sarabeth Pollock
Editorial Content Producer
Sarabeth joined the What to Watch team in May 2022. An avid TV and movie fan, her perennial favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, true crime documentaries on Netflix and anything from Passionflix. You’ve Got Mail, Ocean's Eleven and Signs are movies that she can watch all day long. She's also a huge baseball fan, and hockey is a new favorite.
When she's not working, Sarabeth hosts the My Nights Are Booked Podcast and a blog dedicated to books and interviews with authors and actors. She also published her first novel, Once Upon an Interview, in 2022.
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