Although it’ll be delayed while James Gunn finishes work on the sequel to Suicide Squad, which may or may not also function as a reboot, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is on the way. A lot has happened to the Guardians between their second and third movies. Most of them have died and been resurrected while the rest have suffered the grief, and Gamora’s whereabouts are unknown.
A lot happened to the world of the MCU, too: the Snap, the Blip, the invention of time travel, the destruction of the Infinity Stones, the creation of a bunch of alternate timelines. So, here are 10 Questions About The MCU’s Universe Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Needs To Answer.
How were other planets affected by the Snap?
The double whammy of Infinity War and Endgame had universe-wide ramifications, but since the Avengers are Earth’s mightiest heroes, we only really saw how Thanos’ destructive finger-snap affected life on terra firma.
The only other planet where we saw people turn to dust was Titan, and that was only because Iron Man and co were there. Spider-Man: Far From Home showed us how Earth has been coping after a very strange five years. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can show us how other planets have been coping, as well as how the Snap – which would have occurred to them spontaneously, with no build-up or explanation – affected other races.
What did the Sovereign do with Adam Warlock?
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was set in 2014, just a couple of months after the first one, and Avengers: Infinity War caught up with the Guardians a few years later, in 2018 (ish – the timeline of the MCU is very confusing).
In the post-credits scene of Vol. 2, we saw Ayesha creating a powerful artificial being capable of destroying the Guardians, naming it “Adam.” Marvel fans got excited for the introduction of Adam Warlock, but it’s now been nine years (ish) in the story’s timeline and he has yet to make an appearance. Vol. 3 will have to explain the reason for this.
Is there really a multiverse?
Although all the trailers for Spider-Man: Far From Home teased a multiverse that many fans thought would introduce the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, it turned out Mysterio was lying the whole time. However, as confirmed by Doctor Strange and the Ancient One, there is still a multiverse in the MCU.
The question remains, will we ever get to actually see these alternate realities? With the search for Gamora and the introduction of Adam Warlock, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might already be too overstuffed to get into this, but perhaps it could be the subject of a post-credits stinger.
What was the impact of Ego’s attack on the universe?
In the final battle of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ego begins his plan to remake the universe in his own image. Luckily, Quill manages to stop him before anybody is killed. But before then, we see a montage of glowing black sludge engulfing various planets, including Earth.
We see dozens of humans fleeing the sludge as it destroys a whole street full of cars. When Quill kills Ego, stopping his takeover of the universe, the sludge just grinds to a halt and cools down. And yet, no one on Earth – or any of the other planets, for that matter – has mentioned it since.
Where has Captain Marvel been for 20 years?
Avengers: Endgame hinted at why Carol Danvers didn’t show up to help the Avengers sooner when she said she’d been off helping planets that didn’t have their own superhero team to protect them. While no one is expecting Brie Larson to make an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as the MCU’s only planet-hopping solo franchise, the Guardians threequel does have an opportunity to show the effects of some of her work.
Maybe the Guardians could stop off at a planet where there’s a shrine to Captain Marvel to commemorate her for fending off an alien invasion that once threatened them.
Will Xandar’s destruction lead to Nova’s MCU debut?
Fans have been excited for Nova to make his MCU debut ever since the Nova Corps was introduced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. He was speculated to appear in Avengers: Endgame, but he didn’t.
In the comics, Richard Rider takes on the superhero alter ego Nova when he becomes the final surviving member of the Nova Corps. It seems reasonable to assume the Nova Corps died during Thanos’ off-screen destruction of Xandar in Avengers: Infinity War, so it would be great to see Nova make his introduction into the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Where is Red Skull?
The Russo brothers have said that once the Soul Stone has been relinquished, Red Skull is free to leave Vormir. He’s now given away the Soul Stone twice and still never left Vormir (at least not on-screen).
While it’s too late for him to have a rematch with Captain America, it would still be interesting to see where he ended up. The answer to this one could be saved for a mid-credits scene since Red Skull probably doesn’t have a place in the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The fact that he’s off in the depths of space means his inclusion in a Guardians tease makes sense.
What’s going on with the Watchers?
Stan Lee’s cameo appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 offered a fun confirmation of a popular fan theory, that Lee manages to be in so many places in different bodies in the MCU because he’s a Watcher keeping an eye on the Avengers.
However, this fun little scene also introduced the existence of the Watchers in the MCU. In the comics, the Watchers are an omniscient alien race, led by Uatu, whose job is to watch over the multiverse. If the Watchers return in Vol. 3, it could be a way of explaining the multiverse in the MCU.
Was there a different Guardians of the Galaxy team before Star-Lord came along?
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Sylvester Stallone appeared as Stakar Ogord, who used to be in a team with Yondu and ostracized him for trafficking Ego’s kids. He later forgave Yondu and attended his funeral. In a mid-credits scene, Stakar rallies the rest of his and Yondu’s old team: Ving Rhames as Charlie-27, an uncredited Miley Cyrus as the voice of Mainframe, Michael Rosenbaum as Martinex T’Naga, Michelle Yeoh as Aleta Ogord, and Krugarr.
In the comics, these are the original Guardians of the Galaxy who debuted in 1969. James Gunn has already said that Stakar is “very important to the Marvel universe,” and promised that “it’s our plan to see more of Stallone.”
Are Soul Stone deaths really permanent?
When Thanos first arrived on Vormir to collect the Soul Stone, Red Skull told him, “A soul for a soul.” In other words, you have to sacrifice the person you care about the most to attain the Soul Stone. Thanos decided to sacrifice Gamora, and despite Soul Stone deaths supposedly being permanent, she still returned in Endgame – albeit with all her character development undone – thanks to the wonders of time travel. At the end of that movie, she was nowhere to be seen.
She didn’t attend Tony Stark’s funeral and she didn’t board the Benatar with the other Guardians. But fans are still holding out hope that she’ll be back.