It has been announced that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the final Guardians installment from James Gunn and serve as the bow out for Dave Bautista from the MCU. But that isn’t the only exit the audience should expect as the entirety of this current iteration of the superhero team that we have grown to know and love since their debut in Phase Two will reportedly be taking their leave as this galaxy’s Guardians.
So, after the gut-wrenching yet wholesome trailer, an obvious doubt lingers as to what happens to the characters of the current group and where they will be after their one last grand adventure.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Teases Multiple Deaths
It was James Gunn’s intention to go out big. It was also his intention to dive into the tragic backstory of Rocket Raccoon ever since the debut of the first Guardians movie. And given the trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has proven that Gunn keeps his promise, it becomes imperative that he put together a story of such an epic scale that the exit would be as grand and remarkable as a team like the Guardians rightfully deserve. But history and experience dictate that a story is only as memorable as the magnitude of tragedy it displays.
The recently released Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer has made several theories take root in the MCU fandom’s perception, one of them being the death of Drax the Destroyer. Played by Dave Bautista, the actor’s declared exit from MCU is a definitive hint that Drax would finally be granted the wish of being reunited with the family that he has mourned for since his arrival at the MCU. A scene from the trailer, moreover, shows a seriously injured Drax which could also hint toward his death but it’s doubtful that Gunn would spoil such a plot point in the film’s first trailer itself.
Being a master of classic misdirection, Marvel has perfected the art of throwing in multiple easter eggs that evade the scrutinizing gaze of even the best critics, reviewers, and trailer breakdown theorists. As such, Drax’s injury and the blood-curdling scream that we witness from Star-Lord can be indicative of a separate character’s fate that is clearly definitive in its end.
The End of the Guardians of the Galaxy As We Know It
The current theory on the grapevine is that characters other than Drax are headed toward their final lap of heroic misadventures. And all fingers point toward Rocket Raccoon. The inclusion of a curated and personalized peek into the past and the origin of Rocket, which had only ever been hinted at but never revealed, is a signature ploy used to build up the audience’s sympathy and connection to a character before their ultimate death, thus making it even more painful in its lasting impact.
The trailer clearly supports that theory when it gives away the Rocket’s fate with two major scenes. The primary nature of the character since his advent has been to always run away from danger. But apparently, he’s “done running” and claims “we’ll all fly away together” as a goodbye. Heading into a battle head-on has been a rare trait of Rocket’s, one that is only seen in unavoidable finale showdowns. And considering that the reformed mercenary has treaded through the post-Blip universe alone without the Guardians, the time that he took to grieve perhaps also gave him time to understand that the love that he holds for his adoptive family is one deserving of his life and sacrifice.
Moreover, the scene that shows Star-Lord and Groot firing away at will replicates the classic back-to-back move displayed only ever before between Rocket and Groot (the Infinity War Winter Soldier scene notwithstanding). Groot in this scene was angry. Groot in this scene makes a stand that almost looks indicative of vengeance. And in this scene, Groot says something that had only ever been said once — before his sacrifice at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 — “We are Groot.” And it has well been established that Rocket and Groot have been inseparable for the entirety of their stay at MCU.
James Gunn will clearly not go easy in his grand ending. If the current version of the Guardians is meant to close its chapter here, their farewell will need to be epic in its proportion. It is expected then that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be a true masterpiece born from the mind of the visionary who was capable of seeing the potential in a ragtag team of hopeless individuals and making their story one of the best in the entire MCU canon.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 premieres on 5 May 2023.
Source: Twitter
