James Gunn reveals that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will be 'the end' for this version of the team. Next month, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters to kick off the summer superhero blockbuster season, and it looks like it's going to be incredible. While we are still a few weeks from the cinematic release, fans are already looking past the sequel to the 2014 surprise hit, and wondering what comes next for the Guardians. It's no secret that some of them (if not all of them) are going to be appearing in the massive ensemble movie Avengers: Infinity War, but what about the Guardians franchise itself?

Earlier this week, director James Gunn confirmed that there will be a Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and that he will be returning to write and direct. In addition, Kevin Feige has now said that the third installment will be setting up stories for the MCU for years to come. Now, Gunn has revealed a little more about what the third film will bring - and it's the end for the team.

Speaking to Screen Rant earlier today, Gunn confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 will be the end for this particular incarnation of everyone's favorite space-faring super-team, although the director did not elaborate further on what that might mean.

SR: I know you stated that you'll be back for Guardians 3 obviously, and you said that's the end. Does that mean that's the end of the team past phase 4 or is it your end of the team?

James Gunn: It means it's the end of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeah.

This wouldn't be the first time that Marvel has switched up a team roster while continuing to make movies about them. The Avengers, the flagship team of the MCU, has changed significantly in recent films, as the original Avengers are slowly replaced with new heroes: neither Thor (Chris Hemsworth) nor Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) appeared in Captain America: Civil War, although the rest of the team and some other heroes did. Meanwhile, new characters like Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) have moved into the Avengers HQ to carry the team forward.

It's likely that what Gunn means when he says that Guardians 3 will be the 'last iteration' of the team is that the Guardians will continue to appear, but without all of the original members. Of course, this doesn't mean that it's the end of the line for those characters in the MCU, necessarily. The roster may well change because of a death, but this could also mean that a character (or pair of characters) ends up heading out into their own solo series of films, while a new team member takes their place.

While it's always sad to see beloved characters leave a team, and will be especially heartbreaking should a main character die in the third film, this is actually good news for the future of Guardians of the Galaxy. Continuing to change up the team roster means new team dynamics and character growth, more backstories to explore, and new corners of the Marvel comic universe to bring onto the big screen.

Next: Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Sets Up Next Decade of MCU

Key Release Dates