GOTG Vol. 3 Will Struggle To Deliver On James Gunn's Biggest Promise

James Gunn made a grandiose statement back in 2017 about how important Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was going to be for the future of the MCU, but thanks to delays and new roles, it probably won't deliver on that promise. James Gunn successfully introduced and integrated the Guardians into the MCU over the first two films. With appearances in several other Marvel titles, most notably Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the team became an important part of the universe and The Infinity Saga.

Back in 2017, after Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were released, James Gunn stated that Vol. 3 was going to be set after Endgame, and would massively expand the cosmic universe, establishing the "next 10, [to] 20 years of Marvel movies." However, following this statement, Gunn was fired in 2018, rehired in 2019, a global pandemic broke out, and the movie that was initially slated for release in May of 2020, is now finally due to be released three years later. This means it could have initially kicked off Phase 4, instead of being positioned early in Phase 5.

Guardians Of The Galaxy 3's Role In The MCU Has Been Partially Replaced

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was set to launch Phase 4, the challenges that pushed its release back meant that an entire Phase was released before it. Thor: Love and Thunder was meant to take place after GotG 3, and presumably would have followed a team-up between the Asgardian Avenger and the Guardians, but instead, Thor 4 was forced to add a brief cameo from the Guardians implying off-screen adventures. This automatically sets up the Guardians as being a kind of B-team set of heroes, with Thor leaving the Guardians to handle more important matters and seeing no need to call upon his former companions to face down Gorr.

In addition, Eternals has taken the centre stage for setting up cosmic hero stories with the team having deep ties to other-worldly beings and some even setting off into space by the end of the film. The Guardians have almost fallen into the background of the MCU as a broken team chasing cheap thrills and doing bounty work for others. Interest in Gunn and his work on the Guardians has waned somewhat with his new position over at DC Studios and his other hit projects like Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad. Even the actors, such as Dave Bautista, have grown weary of their role in the MCU due to the indecisive handling of the controversies around Gunn (via Inverse).

Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Could Still Set Up The MCU's Future In Big Ways

This doesn't mean that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 won't be a great movie, and it could still set up several key things for the MCU in The Multiverse Saga and beyond. With storylines around the introduction of Adam Warlock, potentially setting up Nova, and a new iteration of the Guardians team, GotG 3 will likely establish some important characters for the Marvel Universe's future. As well as linking with the other Space bound heroes like the Eternals and the Marvels, there is plenty of opportunity for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to deliver James Gunn's final MCU film.

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