Guardians of the Galaxy Can Change After Vol. 3 Ends The Trilogy

Production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has come to a screeching halt after the firing of director James Gunn. Amid protests from fans and the cast, Disney also decided to shut down production indefinitely. Even so, Gunn had already completed a significant portion of the script, and it sounds like the plan is to use most of it for the movie.

If Disney and Marvel can move past the unpleasant taste that Gunn's firing has left in the mouths of cast, crew, and fandom alike, and get Guardians of the Galaxy 3 released in the next couple years as a quality product, the future can once again look bright for the franchise. As the GotG movies are responsible for $1.6 billion in box office receipts - not to mention an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War - it'd be a poor business decision for Disney to put off making these movies of too long, so it's a question is one of 'when' rather than 'if' Disney decides to make a third Guardians movie, and maybe even more beyond that.

Whether Guardians 3 follows James Gunn's script to the letter remains to be seen, but as it stands, when the film gets made the door will be left wide open after it for Guardians of the Galaxy to become a wildly different franchise altogether. But how exactly will they accomplish this?

This Page: James Gunn's Story Will be Done After Guardians 3
Page 2: What's Next For the Franchise?

James Gunn's Story Will be Done After Guardians 3

The fact that Marvel apparently still wants to use James Gunn's story (if not his entire script) bodes well for Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Ignoring the detour the characters (some of whom are currently dust) took with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, the film will represent the closing of a trilogy.

Gunn's script no doubt contains a number of pieces left on the board - the development of the Adam Warlock cocoon and Sylvester Stallone's classic Guardians roster from the post-credits tags in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 being the most obvious. If it weren't for the fact that a completed script exists, we still would have known he had plans for another chapter.

More than anything, the Guardians movies have been about a group of outcasts finding cohesion as a family. This theme progressed in Vol. 2, although the characters still found time to bicker and be dysfunctional. Even in Avengers: Infinity War, Rocket is accused of ditching the team - his supposed surrogate family - to go with Thor, because he's scared of Thanos. It's simple to suggest that Vol. 3 would represent the final, once-and-for-all coming-together of the team as a family unit.

Once that is completed, the Guardians are free to move through the galaxy saving lives and helping beings as a team - and family - who are as much of a force to be reckoned with as the Avengers. That, or several of the members will die terrible deaths and won't come back, leaving the remaining characters lost and broken shells. Either version (but probably the former) makes for a fresh step forward going into Guardians 4.

What Are the Actors Contracted For?

The sad Hollywood reality of the Guardians' future on-screen is that many of the original cast don't actually have that many films left on their respective contracts. This means that a future beyond Guardians 3 might not include plans for many fan favorites.

Lead star (Lord) Chris Pratt currently has one film left to carry out, not including an appearance in next year's Avengers 4, provided his "two more Guardians plus another couple" soundbite was specific to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Guadians of the Galaxy 3 and Avengers 3 & 4. He has been vocal about his willingness to work with Marvel on a long-term basis, but that outlook may have changed with the way the James Gunn controversy and fast firing went down.

Recently, following said Gunn firing, Dave Bautista threatened to quit in disgust in Disney's decision, regardless of the amount of films he has left on his contract. That exact number is unclear, but we know that it is at least one more, following comments that he would only reappear as Drax out of contractual obligation. The legalities of whether he can resign completely or not are tenuous, but if he does, it would not be without severe harm to his career and finances.

The other actors in the cast haven't been as talkative about their contracts, but with Guardians 3 supposedly representing a natural end to the team's arc, it'd be an unsurprising revelation should Pratt, Bautista, and Zoe Saldana (Gamora) choose to step away. Bradley Cooper (Rocket) and Vin Diesel (Groot) might be more likely to stick around, considering their voice acting is a fairly minimal task. The popularity of their characters also makes them most conducive for spin-offs, potentially with more adventures with Thor, which would be even more enticing for them.

Then there's, Pom Klementieff's Mantis, and Karen Gillen's Nebula. It's unspecified how many films either has left on their contract, but a number of fan theories have one or both of them dying off in Avengers 4, particularly Nebula. They could both live on for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, but it's unlikely to see either of them in future films without the rest of the core Guardians to share the screen with.

If the actors who are nearing the end of their contracts decide to opt-out following Guardians 3, the way in which their characters depart the MCU will be the source of much dramatic and emotional mileage - that much is certain.

Page 2 of 2: The Future of the Guardians of the Galaxy

Zoe Saldana as Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War

What Characters Could be Killed Off?

With the aforementioned fact that most of the original cast are nearing the end of their contracts, and Gamora has already been pushed off a cliff by Thanos (a death like that isn't as reversible as a magically-induced death like his famous finger-snap to half the Universe), the sad fact is that any character is fair game.

Star-Lord, having come to terms with the death of his mother, killing his own father who was responsible for it, and losing his surrogate father immediately following, has completed the arc which saw him abducted at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014. When he returns from the dust in Guardians 3 - because of course he will - he could actually be fair game to die another death. Albeit, a more heroic one - after all, if he had just bottled his anger for a few seconds more, Iron Man and Spider-Man would've gotten Thanos' gauntlet off his hand and beaten him. If any character is crying out for a redemptive death, it's Star-Lord.

Drax, once Thanos is finally defeated in Avengers 4 - because, of course he will be - will lose his driving motivation from the first two movies. His entire through-line as a character has been his desire for revenge of the death of his family, first against Ronan the Accuser and then against Thanos. Once this is achieved (in his eyes), where can his character go next? Dave Bautista is already against the idea of working with Disney following James Gunn's firing - he might even be written out of the film before it finally goes into production. Between unwilling actor and redundant character, Drax's current standing as comic relief doesn't bode well for his future.

Rocket, having been one of the main elements holding back the Guardians as a team (bickering with Star-Lord over status as 'Captain', stealing the batteries from the Sovereign, ditching the team when Thanos makes his play for all of the Infinity Stones), equally has the capacity to make a valiant, self-sacrificing last stand in Guardians 3. Realistically, he has the most to make up for in regards to his teammates (not counting Star Lord's grief-fueled attack against a subdued Thanos in Infinity War).

If Marvel wanted to, they could finish the whole team in a blaze of glory in Guardians 3. It'd be a fitting end to a squad of selfish "A-holes," to finally come together and sacrifice themselves for a galaxy they swore to guard. It's safe to expect someone to not make it out of James Gunn's trilogy - the question is, who? And where does that leave the team going forward?

Is There Even a Future For the Guardians Without James Gunn?

Stallone and his Guardians at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy 2

James Gunn imbued the Guardians franchise with his own specific style, sensibilities and screenwriting prowess - not once, but twice. Yet, we've seen one auteur's vision of an MCU film turned into a physical, on-screen success before, when Peyton Reed took over Ant-Man from Edgar Wright, with many of the latter's building blocks still in place. In addition, The Avengers and its first sequel were both directed by Joss Whedon, but that didn't stop Joe & Anthony Russo from stepping in for Infinity War, and arguably knocking it out of the park.

The characters that have been built and developed by Marvel onto the big screen - with the guiding hand of producer extraordinaire Kevin Feige - can and will outlast any directors who come into contact with them. There have been so many iterations to the Guardians of the Galaxy in the source material in which they're based - especially following the release of their debut movie four years ago - that there are countless additions and alterations they could make to the on-screen version, with or without James Gunn.

The comic book team has seen such members as the X-Men's Kitty Pryde, the Fantastic Four's Ben Grimm aka The Thing, and perennial anti-hero Venom join their ranks. Disney recently purchased Fox, meaning they will finally be able to include the X-Men and the Fantastic Four in the MCU. Sony currently not only have a decent working relationship with Marvel - see Spider-Man: Homecoming and its impending sequel - but a Venom movie of their very own to be released in October. By the time Guardians 4 enters production, and it's time to shake up the team's roster, any one of these characters could hypothetically be a candidate to join the team, just like in the comics.

If not, there's always Sly Stallone's team of classic Guardians to choose from, as well as such cosmic heroes as Adam Warlock, Quasar, Nova - even Cosmo, the space dog. Any number of added characters open up the possibility of new storylines post-Guardians 3. All the franchise needs is the right writer-director at the helm; could Thor: Ragnarok''s Taika Waititi be the answer?