Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has two credits scenes. We knew that much even before Marvel’s red carpet premiere and the fan screenings that followed. James Gunn confirmed the number of scenes without spoiling what happens in them. But now that regular Marvel fans saw the movie a full week before its theatrical release, we know exactly what happens in those credits scenes.
Before we explain, you should know that big Guardians Vol. 3 spoilers will follow. If you want to be surprised when you see the movie this week, you should stop reading right here.
The big Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 surprise
For months, we’ve been trained to think that Guardians Vol. 3 would kill off at least one character. Most reports said that Drax (Dave Bautista) would be the one to die. Meanwhile, Marvel kept making a big deal about Rocket (Bradley Cooper), suggesting his life could be in real danger.
Separately, we learned that Gamora (Zoe Saldana) would not die but that the actress was retiring from the MCU. Saldana said in the interview that she’d like Marvel to recast Gamora for future movies.
Now that Guardians Vol. 3 is out, I’ll tell you that a massive surprise awaits fans. Absolutely nobody will die, although there will be a few close encounters with death for various characters. That’s an important detail in order to fully understand the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 credits scenes.
What James Gunn and Marvel did with the current Guardians team was essentially disband it. Most characters reached the end of their stories. But others will continue to appear in future adventures.
The first Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 credits scene
The Guardians will continue to exist, but the new team might not have the same name. A Guardians Vol. 3 plot leak said they’d be called the Annihilators, though Marvel is yet to introduce the name.
However, the first Guardians Vol. 3 credits scene does give us the new team roster. Rocket is the leader, and Groot (Vin Diesel) is the only other original Guardian in the new crew. The other members are Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Phyla-Vell (Kai Zen), and Blurp.
The former Guardians will go their separate ways. Gamora stays with the Ravagers. Nebula (Karen Gillan) will become the new leader of Knowhere. Mantis (Pom Klementieff) goes on an adventure to discover what she wants from life.
The second Guardians Vol. 3 credits scenes
As for Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), he’ll apparently retire the same way Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) did. He will go to Earth to reunite with his grandfather.
This brings us to the second credits scene, which shows Peter and his grandfather talking about mowing the lawn. That sounds like the kind of break Star-Lord might have needed after what he has been through since Endgame. At the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Quill is apparently an alcoholic on Knowhere, still missing Gamora.
Ties to the Multiverse Saga
While the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie featured Thanos (Josh Brolin), who would become the main villain of the Infinity Saga, Vol. 3 has no such ambitions. It’s more of a standalone movie, according to the leaks. We don’t have big ties to the rest of the Multiverse Saga, but there is one important Easter egg at the end of the movie.
The film’s final card says, “The Legendary Star-Lord will return.” It makes no mention of the other Guardians team members. But this is the kind of hook that will tie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to the rest of the Multiverse Saga.
Star-Lord might return to fight Kang in The Kang Dynasty and/or Secret Wars. And I’d speculate that other legacy Guardians will be ready to join in once they realize how big of a threat Kang is.
