Guardians of the Galaxy 3's Ending Explained By James Gunn

Director James Gunn explains the ending of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as Phase 5 saw the completion of the filmmaker's trilogy. While Phase 5 will flesh out The Multiverse Saga, the first installments of the new chapter have marked the end of not one but two respective trilogies. The year opened up with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and as the summer season is kicking off, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 recently opened worldwide. The film marks Gunn's final installment with Marvel Studios as he is now putting his full focus on DC Studios.

As the movie marked a massive conclusion for several characters, Gunn elaborated more on the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ending. In an interview with The NY Times, the filmmaker spoke more in detail about where he wanted to leave the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. From the massive focus on Rocket and his backstory to the other players ending up in different places, Gunn shared the following:

Gamora was going to die originally in “Vol. 2” [2017], and then we talked about it happening in “Infinity War” and that worked better for the story. But the rest of them, I always knew where they were going. I knew that the whole trilogy is about Rocket, who we think of as a supporting character, becoming the captain of the Guardians. The arc with Peter Quill, in some ways, you can look at as that of many people who have experienced childhood trauma. He was by his mother’s bedside when she died, and he ran away and went into outer space — which, for other people, could be shutting off from the world — and stayed there for a long time until he came to the realization as an adult that he needed to go back to Earth. That, for me, was always his journey. Nebula becomes a leader, but a different sort of leader from where she was. Mantis goes off on her own and takes care of herself because she lived by others’ rules her entire life. Drax realizes that he’s a father and that’s what he’s really good at — he’s not a destroyer. All those things, some more clearly than others, were in my mind from the first movie.

Will There Be A Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 4?

James Gunn in front of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 cast's promotional shot in their new team suits.

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is doing well for its first week at the box office, there has been no word yet if there will be another installment. Now that Gunn has finished his time with Marvel Studios, he would be leaving these characters to other filmmakers if they were to go forward with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4. It's also worth noting that the trilogy finale was the last time for several of these actors, meaning even if there is another film, they may not be back.

At this point, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 doesn't feel like it is something Marvel Studios is pursuing but is instead focusing on one of the original characters. The end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 saw Peter Quill leave the team behind, but with the tease that the Legendary Star-Lord would return. It would, at this point, not be shocking if Marvel Studios has plans to feature Star-Lord in his own film or show rather than get another Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.

Hopefully, it won't be long until the Guardians of the Galaxy characters return, even if it's not in their own movie for the time being. As Marvel Studios gets further into The Multiverse Saga, it feels like it's only a matter of time until the iconic team gets involved in the ultimate battle against Kang. But for now, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be the last time in a while these characters are seen in the franchise.

Source: The NY Times